Probably, many domestic aquarists are familiar with such a fish as the Columbian red-fin tetra. On the one hand, it is quite simple in content. On the other - very attractive. It is not surprising that when choosing suitable fish, she is often preferred by both beginner aquarists and experienced ones who have given more than one year to this exciting hobby.
Appearance
First of all, it is worth talking about the appearance of the Colombian tetra, a photo of which is placed in the article.
The body is flat on the sides, rather high. These are not too large fish - the length rarely exceeds 6 centimeters. Although in the wild, larger individuals are also found - about 7 centimeters. The caudal fin is red, while the ventral and dorsal are either transparent or with a barely noticeable pinkish tinge. Between the caudal and dorsal fins is fat, the function of which scientists have been arguing for more than a year.
The body is covered with silver scales of the same size.
Sexual dimorphism is extremely weak. At first glance, it will be difficult even for an experienced aquarist to distinguish a male from a female. Just looking carefully at the flock, you can notice that in some the dorsal fin is slightly longer, has a brighter color - these are males.
They do not live too long - on average 3-5 years, which, in general, is a standard term for small fish.
Content
As already mentioned, the Colombian tetra content is quite simple and unpretentious. But there are certain nuances that are useful to know when starting these fish.
To begin with, tetra is a school of fish. Therefore, you should not buy a pair - it is better to immediately take 10-15 individuals. Then they will feel more comfortable and confident. Indeed, in the wild, such small fish, left alone, almost always die. A pair of tetras will probably be hiding in the thickets, and they won’t be able to admire them.
For such a flock, a small aquarium is enough - 70-90 liters.
The design of the fish is not too picky. They will equally like both an almost empty aquarium with several planted algae and a thick, overgrown.
You can choose any decor elements, primarily focusing on which fish will live in the aquarium with tetras.
The main thing is that the fish had enough food (we will talk about this a bit later) and clean water. Therefore, it is advisable to use a sufficiently powerful filter and regularly change part of the water - about 20% per week.
Suitable feed
The diet can also be arbitrary - tetras eat almost any food: frozen, dry, lively and vegetable. But to make the fish feel really good, it is worth diversifying the diet.
It is advisable to feed at least once a day with live or frozen food - a tubule, bloodworm or artemia. If this is not possible, then dry food is also suitable. The main thing is to somehow diversify the diet. If you feed the fish all your life with dried gammarus or daphnia, then the likelihood of developing various diseases is high, and the tetras grow quite small. In extreme cases, you can use balanced flakes, which include artemia and bloodworms.
You can also give chopped frozen beef heart. It is best to scrape it off with a regular blade.
It is useful to give vegetable feed a couple of times a week. A good choice would be young lettuce leaves treated with boiling water. If you do not feed them greens, then the tetras may well taste the young shoots of algae. Therefore, it is recommended to plant algae with hard leaves in the aquarium with them.
It is also worth considering that fish almost never take food from the ground. Because of this, you need to feed a little, but at least two, or better - three times a day.
We select neighbors
First of all, when choosing fish that will live with a Colombian tetra, it is worth considering their eating habits. A large amount of feed falls to the ground. It is necessary to carry out cleaning daily so that it does not deteriorate and does not impair water quality. But the problem is easy to solve if you start small catfish. A good choice will be Antsistrus or speckled catfish. The first will clean the glass and decor, and the second will float along the bottom, collecting the remains of the meal.
In addition, the good neighbors will be Pecilia, guppies, neons and other not too large, calm fish. But they will not get along with barbs or swordsmen. Moving and at the same time quite aggressive fish will turn the life of unfortunate tetras into a real nightmare, chasing, and sometimes biting fins.
At the same time, calm, slow-moving fish will become an unfortunate choice - sometimes tetras love to play with their flock and will cause problems to neighbors.
Possible diseases
In general, tetras are not susceptible to disease. They usually occur due to injuries (due to carelessness on the part of the aquarist or the fault of aggressive neighbors), as well as inappropriate conditions of detention.
In addition, the fish are quite sensitive to water quality. For example, a large amount of chlorine can burn the gills, leading to death in the most advanced cases.
You also need to monitor the quality of the feed. Live bloodworms or tubeworms caught in unfamiliar places or bought from new sellers should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or methylene blue to destroy the parasite eggs and prevent infection from entering the aquarium.
Conclusion
Now you know more about the Colombian tetra - maintenance and care, suitable neighbors and possible diseases. Therefore, the likelihood of serious problems is reduced to a minimum.