Care
Wild populations of this fish are reportedly most numerous in habitats where aquatic plants provide areas of cover, in streams and seasonally flooded environments. Unlike many tetras, they favour clearwater which has a higher pH than blackwater habitats.
Their aquarium should be spacious, with areas of cover to provide them with hiding places which will be used less frequently the more they settle in. Some accounts mention an appetite for fine-leaved plants, and it might be wise not to add them to a set up where plants are the main focus. As with most tetras, these are shoaling fish that are most comfortable and look their best when kept in large numbers. Their relatively deep bodies make them a good choice as dither fish alongside dwarf cichlids and other species which might find more slender tetras a tempting snack.
Feeding
Offer a good quality flake food and micropellets, supplemented with small frozen foods such as daphnia and mosquito larvae.
Breeding
Captive spawnings are rare but reportedly easy to acheive, which reflects on the rarity of this species. A conditioned pair should be added to a specially set up breeding aquarium which has soft water, a pH below 6.5, and plenty of live plants. The male is said to pursue the female during the first light of day, after which time she will release her eggs, which will sink to the bottom of the aquarium amongst the plants. Remove parents after spawning. The eggs should hatch after 24 hours.
