All fish / Characidae

Red phantom tetra

Megalamphodus sweglesi

Also known as red phantom, red phantom tetra, hyphessobrycon sweglesi, megalamphodus sweglesi, swegles tetra, swegle's tetra, red phantom tetras, レッドファントム・テトラ, 红幽灵灯, 红衣梦幻旗

This small tetra has a translucent red to orange body with a dark shoulder spot, and males carry a tall dorsal fin with black and white markings. It does best in a well planted, dimly lit tank with leaf litter, where its colours look their best and its gentle shoaling behaviour is easy to see.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

3.5 cm

Temperature

20 to 26 °C

pH

5 to 7.5

Smallest tank

70 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: small live and frozen foods such as daphnia and bloodworm, plus quality flakes and micro pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Upper and middle Orinoco basin, Colombia and Venezuela

Breeding

It scatters its eggs among fine plants and does not look after them, so adults should be removed once eggs appear. Spawning is quite easy in soft, acidic water, but the tiny fry need infusoria at first and the eggs can be sensitive to light.

Good to know

It does better in cooler water than many tetras and loses colour if kept too warm or in hard water. It was long sold as Hyphessobrycon sweglesi, and it can be mixed up with the black phantom tetra or Megalamphodus roseus.