Breeding Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon Pulchripinnis) In The Aquarium

Location

This fish lives in small tributaries, creeks, floodplains, tributaries of the Amazon. These waters are clear, clean, and minerals-rich.

Body description

Colour of the body is silvery-yellow-green. The fish has yellow fins. The dorsal, fat, anal, and pelvic fins have black border. This species has red iris of the eye. Females in ventral parts are thicker than males. Male's fin black border is wider than female's. There is also albino version of this fish.

Temperament and behaviour

This is peaceful, active and shoal fish. It prefers to live in groups of minimum 6. In the group this fish are less shy and timid and also males compete with each other for female attention. You may keep this species in a tank with other tetras, corydoras, gouramies, danios, small species of catfish, rasboras, pencilfish, neons fish, dwarf cichlids, mollies, swordtails.

Aquarium decoration

You may keep this fish in a general tank or biotope tank - "black water" aquarium. First type of the tank should have a lot of plants, floating plants, dimmed light, hiding-places among roots, space to swim, an effective but gentle filtration system. Second type of the aquarium should have sandy substrate, floating pieces of wood, dried leaves of beech or oak (which need replacing every few weeks), roots, dimmed light. The plants are not necessary. Water should have colour of the light tea (you may add peat to the filtration system or you can put it into a net and dive it in the water). Fish prefer clean water with a systematic partial water changes (once per two weeks) and clean substrate without an organic compounds. This species adjust quickly to new conditions of the environment.

Breeding

This is an oviparous species. Breeding should be done in a separate tank – its capacity should be at least 30 litres. This tank should be covered from light because the eggs and young fry are sensitive to light. Aquarium should have soft water, pH=6,5-7, 24-26°C temperature, sponge filter with peat, soft and fine-leaved plants or a fish hatchery. Before spawning you should separate males and females and feed them with plenty of live food. Then you transfer the thickest female and the most colourful male to the breeding tank, in the evening. They should spawn next day, in the morning. The fish will spawn every few days but male efficiency in fertilization of the eggs reduces gradually. Female spreads up to 160 eggs among water. The roe sticks to plant's leaves. You have to immediately remove the parents after laying the roe because they eat the eggs. The eggs hatch after 1-1.5 days. The fry starts to swim and feed 5 days later. You should do partial water changes (about 1/3) every day.