Care
Still a rather new arrival on the aquarium scene, the blueberry tetra was only scientifically described in 2016 but is a member of a very well established genus with many popular species. Named in honour of Brazillian aquarist Luiz Wada, these fishes have been popular in their homeland for a number of years and breed readily in captivity, with tank bred specimens becoming the norm in the trade.
Away from the hobby, their native habitat is described as clearwater streams of moderate to rapid current that flow over a sandy substrate. As any fish in the trade will be only a generation or two away from their wild ancestors, it's wise to provide them with the soft, acidic conditions they've evolved to thrive in. Their sociable nature makes them a good choice as dither fish for shy catfish or dwarf cichlids and they'll feel at home in a planted aquarium which provides open areas in which the males can try to intimidate one another whilst trying to impress the females, as they develop colours which are only hinted at in the conditions of a shop system.
As they're relative newcomers, no aquarium forms have been developed and captive fish look exactly like their wild counterparts. Until albino forms or long-finned mutations appear the only possible naming confusion comes from one or two other tetras that share the common name occasionally, or use of the German name Blackberry tetra. As far as we know, both of these fruity monikers refer to colour rather than taste.
Feeding
Offer a good quality flake food and micropellets, supplemented with small frozen foods such as daphnia and mosquito larvae.
Breeding
Blueberry Tetras have been bred in the home aquarium and are typical egg scatterers.
