Red Phantom Tetra

[amongus09]

I've read about this tetra a lot, however I have found a lot of conflicting information that I wanted to clarify from people who actually kept these tetras, or has experience with them.

First question is how big do they get? I have been seeing 1-1.5 inches and I was wondering if that was completely accurate

Second question is if they have aggressive/fin nippy tendencies.  I am planning to keep these guys with Pearl gouramis so the answer to this question must be no

Thirdly, how can I differentiate them from other species of hyphessobrycon so.

My final question is how colourful do they get?  I normally see them a pale, translucent red, however I have seen pictures of them very full red and was wondering if these were males showing off, good lighting and angles or just their natural color when they fully adjust to the tank.  Hopefully being their natural or breeding displays.

 

Thank you

[Biotope Biologist]

1. Yeah 1-1.5” is fairly accurate, they are a more full-bodied fish so they grow taller than wide

 

2. I have never observed aggressive fin nipping towards  other species but they can pick on eachother sometimes. I only see this behavior when they are really stressed out though. But all tetra are capable of this behavior.

 

3. I believe them to be the only species of the genus to have a large blotch on the upper lateral line near the gill cover. Others have bars or are completely lacking. the species rosacius can have a diffuse blotching but they also tend to have white tipped fins rather than black

 

4. It appears that the redness of red phantoms is from the locale they were collected from as f0. They appear to retain these colors through the generations. The reddest ones being collected over blackwater habitats. Since almost all sweglesi are captive bred they are denoted with ‘strain names’ 

[amongus09]

Where in the water column do they swim? Top? Bottom? Middle?

Edited November 25, 2023 by amongus09

[Biotope Biologist]

All over. And once they get more comfortable their school becomes more loose with some exploring on their own. But they seem to school when sleeping or being social