Care
A great species for planted community aquariums. Head & Tail Light Tetras must be kept in groups of 6 or more, and should be provided with floating plants to help diffuse any bright lighting. Hiding places and open swimming areas should be provided when aquascaping the tank, and consideration should be given to the fact that the colours of this fish show up best when they are housed in tanks with a dark substrate and background.
Also known as the Beacon tetra.
Recent taxonomic work has put this species in the genus Holopristis and this changes the gender of the specific name as well. Old texts speak of a subspecies without the shoulder spot, described as Hemigrammus ocellifer falsus. This fish is now known as H. falsa.
Feeding
Easy to feed will accept flake, micropellets, and frozen foods such as mosquito larvae, brineshrimp and daphnia.
Breeding
Considering that this is an egg-laying species, it is relatively easy to breed. A separate small planted breeding aquarium should be set up with soft, slightly acidic water, and the temperature set at the high end of their range. When morning sunlight hits the tank, spawning should commence, and anywhere between 200 and 1000 eggs can be laid. The parents should be removed immediately after spawning ceases, and the eggs will hatch in 24 hours.
