Ember tetras are good beginner tetras as long as you are meticulous about good water quality. And diversify their diet with fresh and frozen food.
What is the Ember Tetra?
Ember tetras are a smaller Characiformes fish, making them close relatives of aquarium favorites like neon tetras, glowlight tetras, and black skirt tetras. Most tetra fish are on the small side but ember tetras are tiny enough to be counted as nano fish.
In the wild, ember tetras are found in one river: the Araguaia. The river is not a tributary of the Amazon so ember tetras don’t mix with their cousins. That said, care for all South American tetra fish is similar.
Ember tetras get their name from their glowing red color. Coupled with their size, a school of these tetras looks like embers in a campfire. Both sexes are red but males tend to be more intense.
Given how small they are, you will need to choose ember tetra tank mates with care. Even the peaceful but sizable freshwater angelfish will try and snack on ember tetras.
- Common Names: Ember Tetra, Amber Tetra, Fire Tetra
- Scientific Name: Hyphessobrycon amandae
- Origin: Araguaia River basin, Brazil
- Length: ¾ to 1 inch
- Tank Size: 10+ gallons
- Temperament: Peaceful; Schooling
- Ease of Care: Easy
Caring For An Ember Tetra
Ember tetra care is not demanding. Ammonia and nitrite should always be kept at 0 ppm. They also thrive in the presence of live plants and tank mates of similar size and disposition.
Ember Tetra Size
Ember tetra size is one of my favorite aspects to keeping these fish. An average adult will be ¾ths of an inch long. Half the size of an adult neon tetra. Tetras are fast and active, so 20 gallons is the minimum for most of them.
Ember tetras are small enough to live with comfort even in 10 gallon tanks. Making them excellent “first tetras” for space and budget-minded aquarists.
Remember that they are also schooling fish. All tetras should be kept in groups no smaller than 6 individuals. If you keep fewer ember tetras they will spend more time hiding. They are used to living in schools of hundreds to thousands of fish in the wild.
Plants And Decorations
Ember tetras look their best when kept in tanks with lush plant growth. Live plants do a lot to maintain ideal water quality for tetras. They use nitrogenous waste products like ammonia as fertilizer. Plants also consume carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen in exchange, which fish then breathe.
Last, plants create shade and cover for fish. Shade keeps algae under control by competing with them for light. Shade also helps small fish feel more secure.
Ember tetras will show much brighter colors than fish kept in a bare tank with bright lights. Floating plants do the best job at providing a sense of safety. Plus they are also some of the easiest aquarium plants to grow.
I also recommend adding driftwood to a tetra tank. Driftwood is a rich source of slow-release tannins. These agents are also dark, lowering light levels still more.
When it comes to substrate options both gravel and sand are suitable for an ember tetra tank. These fish don’t spend time along the bottom so choose whichever one looks best.
Dark substrate colors are a bit better than light colors since they encourage amber tetras to brighten up in response.
Ember Tetra Water Parameters
Ember tetra fish are easy to care for but do best when given the right water parameters. Readings of 5.5-7.0 constitute a good ember tetra pH. These fish will do well in blackwater aquariums as well, where the pH may drop as low as 4.5.
Blackwater gets its name from the high levels of tannins and plant humic acids from decaying driftwood and leaf litter. Adding Indian almond leaves, peat, and other tannin-rich material will recreate this environment. And buffer the water chemistry towards acidity.
All tetras are sensitive to nitrogenous waste products and the amber tetra is no exception. Ammonia and nitrite are the most dangerous and should always test at 0 parts per million. If you allow levels to rise your ember tetras will be the first fish to show stress and die.
Nitrate levels can climb as high as 5 to 10 ppm if you have live plants that need fertilizer. But don’t levels rise much higher or it will cause ember tetras stress.
Little to no water movement is best. These tetras come from slow-moving regions of the Araguaia River, where plant growth is thickest.
The ideal ember tetra temperature range is 73-83℉. The warmer part of this range is best if your fish are sick or you wish to breed them. Ember tetras are prone to aquarium fish ich if kept too cold.
And once they get ich, curing them is very difficult. They are sensitive to both chemical medications and aquarium salt. Two of the most effective cures for ich. Disease prevention is always the best medicine for tetra fish.
What Do Ember Tetras Eat?
Ember tetras are carnivorous fish best thought of as micro predators. Meaning they feed on fish fry, insect larvae, small worms, and other tiny prey.
Ember tetra food should be animal-based and high in protein. They are almost all captive bred these days so flakes and micro pellets are easy enough to feed them. But also keep a wide range of fresh and frozen foods.
Baby brine shrimp, diced tubifex or blood worms, daphnia, and mosquito larvae are a few treats that will diversify an ember tetra’s diet. Fresh foods also increase your chances of spawning these fish.
Feed your ember tetras two or three times per day. Feed as much as they will eat in 2 to 3 minutes. The stomach of smaller fish is about the size of their eye, to give you an idea of how much to feed your ember tetras.
Ember Tetra Tank Mates
Ember tetras will coexist with almost any aquarium fish you choose. They are small and peaceful community tank residents. Unlike larger tetras, ember tetras won’t nip fins either. Males will sometimes chase and nip each other. But never other fish species.
The main problem is their small size. Your best options are fish of a similar size. These include danios, guppies and other livebearers, cherry barbs, corydoras, rasboras, hatchetfish, dwarf gouramis, and kuhli loaches. Ember tetras will also live and even school with other types of tetra fish.
You could keep ember tetras with betta so long as the betta is not too large or aggressive. If your ember tetras aren’t full grown a large betta fish may try and eat them.
Bettas have larger mouths than you’d expect. They are slow predators but very determined. Full grown ember tetras aren’t on a betta’s menu, however.
Ember tetras are also safe tank mates for invertebrates. Freshwater shrimp, snails, clams, and dwarf crayfish won’t be bothered by them.
Breeding Ember Tetras
Ember tetras are difficult for most beginners to breed. They need excellent water quality, plants with lush plant growth, and acidic water conditions. You also need to offer fresh and frozen food on top of their prepared diet.
Ember Tetra Male Vs Female
Tetra fish are challenging to tell the sexes apart. In the ember tetra’s case, males are slimmer than females. Which is a subtle difference given how small these fish are.
Males also have brighter red tones. And spend more time squabbling with each other while females tend to school in peace. More females is best if you are able to choose your sex ratios. Otherwise the males will harass a pregnant female, causing her unnecessary stress.
Once a female is gravid (swollen with eggs) she will choose one male to pair off with. They will dart in and out of your plant growth as they lay and fertilize their eggs. Ember tetra eggs are scattered throughout the area, sticking to any plant they touch.
As egg scatterers, ember tetras provide no parental care for their eggs or fry. They lay them and then abandon them. In fact, they will even eat their eggs within a few hours of being laid. As soon as you notice you no longer have a pregnant ember tetra, remove plants with eggs attached.
The eggs will develop in safety in a fry rearing tank. Ember tetra eggs hatch in around 48 hours. The young fish won’t eat for their first 48 hours; they have their nutritious yolk sack to feed on.
After this period, they are able to swim away from the bottom. They should then be fed live infusoria, which are easy to grow yourself. After a week of being fed infusoria they will be large enough to eat live baby brine shrimp nauplii.
Conclusion
Ember tetras are excellent schooling fish for aquarists that want an active species suitable for smaller tanks. They are ideal community tank residents and look beautiful against plants and a dark substrate. Just be sure to keep them with tank mates of a similar size.
FAQs
Are Ember Tetras Hardy?
Ember tetras are somewhat hardy. They are more sensitive to ammonia and other nitrogenous waste than barbs or live bearing fish. Ember tetras should be added to a tank that is well cycled with beneficial bacteria.
How Many Ember Tetras In A 10 Gallon Tank?
The one inch per gallon rule is good for small fish like ember tetras. Since the average is ¾ths of an inch, 15 ember tetras would make a fine school for a 10 gallon tank. Assuming you didn’t want to keep any tank mates with them.
Where Can I Find Ember Tetras For Sale?
Ember tetras are a little sensitive when it comes to water conditions. And not as colorful as larger tetras. So few pet stores outside of specialty aquarium shops carry them. If your local stores don’t have any, try searching for ember tetras for sale through an online distributor.
