All fish / Characidae

Northern Tetra

Hyphessobrycon borealis

Also known as northern tetra, borealis tetra, flame tetra lookalike

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A small tetra in the red Hyphessobrycon group, with a silvery to reddish body, red-tinted fins and a dark shoulder mark, and darker fin tips in males. It is kept as a peaceful, colourful shoaling fish for planted community tanks, though it turns up in the trade much less often than its relatives.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

5.5 to 7.2

Smallest tank

54 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: small flakes, micro pellets, frozen and live daphnia, brine shrimp and bloodworm

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Upper rio Guaporé (Madeira basin) and nearby Paraguay basin headwaters, Mato Grosso, Brazil

Breeding

It scatters its eggs among fine plants or spawning mops and gives no care to the eggs or fry. Like similar tetras, it can be bred in soft, slightly acidic water if the adults are taken out after spawning, and the tiny fry need infusoria first.

Good to know

Hard to tell apart from related red tetras such as H. flammeus and H. eques, and it may be sold under the wrong name. Care details are mostly based on closely related species because few sources cover it.