Breeding the long-finned african tetra
An egg scatterer; tricky but achievable. Use a dimly lit spawning tank with floating plants and lots of java moss, soft (2-5 dGH), acidic (pH 6.0-6.5) water at 24-26 °C and gentle sponge filtration. Remove the parents after spawning, as they eat eggs, and keep the tank heavily aerated.
Step by step
Keep a group of 8-10 and move a well-conditioned trio or group to a spawning tank.
30-40 L tank with a spawning grid or dense java moss, soft to medium water (pH 6-7.5), a sponge filter and subdued light.
Heavy live-food conditioning, then a water change with slightly cooler water in the morning.
Several hundred orange eggs; they hatch in 4-6 days and fry swim freely 1-2 days later.
Start with infusoria or powdered fry food, then newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size as they grow.
- Leaving adults with the eggs
- Poor conditioning of the parents
- Overfeeding the fry tank
Male or female
Adult males develop a long, flowing dorsal fin, are slightly larger than females and have a convex anal fin.
Can I breed it in my tank?
- Use a separate small tank with a sponge filter and spawning mops, so the eggs aren't eaten.
- Good for a first breeding project.
Day-by-day plan
Typical for egg scatterers
- 14 days beforeCondition the parents
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
- Day 0Spawning
Eggs are scattered over mops or fine plants, often at first light. Remove the parents straight after.
- Day 1Eggs hatch
Most eggs hatch in 1–2 days. Keep the tank dim and remove white (fungused) eggs.
- Day 4Free swimming, first food
Fry use up the yolk and start swimming. Feed infusoria or liquid fry food several times a day.
- Day 8Baby brine shrimp
Switch to newly hatched brine shrimp or microworms. Start small, daily water changes.
- Day 21Crushed flake
Add finely crushed flake. Sort fry by size so the big ones don't eat the small ones.
- Day 60Ready to move
Most small fish reach about 2 cm in 2–3 months and can join the main tank.
A general guide for this breeding type. Days change with temperature and species.
Simulator: guided
Feed live or frozen food twice a day. Keep males and females apart if you can.
Simulator: try it yourself
Set up a virtual breeding tank and see what would likely happen.
- Without live or frozen food the parents aren't in breeding condition.
An educational estimate from the breeding rules, not a promise.