All fish / Characidae

Penguin Tetra

Thayeria boehlkei

Also known as penguin fish, blackline penguin tetra, hockey stick tetra, boehlke's penguin, penguin tetra, thayeria, ปลาเพนกวิน, ペンギンテトラ, ikan penguin, 企鹅灯, 企鹅鱼

This slim silvery tetra has a bold black stripe that runs along the body and bends down into the lower lobe of the tail, giving a hockey stick look. It often rests at a slight head-up angle, which earned it the penguin name. It is hardy, active and cheap, so it suits community tanks well.

Care at a glance

Care level

Easy

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

6 cm

Temperature

22 to 28 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

80 litres

Keep as

Shoal of 8 or more

Diet

Omnivore: quality flakes and micro pellets, plus frozen or live bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Upper Amazon basin in Peru and Brazil, including the Araguaia river

Breeding

It scatters many eggs over plants or the substrate and gives no parental care, so adults should be removed after spawning. It is fairly easy to breed in a separate soft, slightly acidic tank, and the fry take infusoria and then baby brine shrimp.

Good to know

Kept in small numbers it may nip fins, so keep a proper shoal and avoid slow long-finned tankmates. It is often confused with Thayeria obliqua, which has a shorter body stripe.