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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Blue tetra
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Blue tetra

Boehlkea fredcochui · Cochu's blue tetra, Cochu tetra

Peaceful, shy schooler.

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5.4 cmAdult size ✓
22–26 °CTemperature ✓
6–8pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Blue tetra is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Blue tetra only grows to 5.4 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Blue tetra only grows to 5.4 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

400 species in our list are a good match.

Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ✓5–12 dGH
Group size ?6 or more
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2.5–3.5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful, shy schooler.

Food

Flakes and small foods.

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Male or female

MaleSlimmer
FemaleRounder
TipView from above
How hard to tellHard

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Egg-scatterer (rarely bred) · Hard

Now bred in aquaculture: once rare in the hobby, it has become more widely available as farm production has increased. Acidic water probably helps with breeding.

Pairing

Needs a large group in mature, stable conditions; pairing is hard to control.

Setup

Roomy, planted tank with very soft acidic water (pH 5-6.5), subdued light and fine-leaved plants or a spawning mat.

What starts it

Rain-season style changes: soft cool water changes, a small temperature rise and heavy live feeding.

Eggs

50-150 eggs

Raising the fry

Infusoria then brine shrimp nauplii; survival is poor without very clean water.

Common mistakes
  • Hard tap water
  • Overcrowding the breeding tank
  • Poor water quality
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – upper Amazon (Peru, Colombia & Brazil)
Rivers and lakesUpper Amazon around Iquitos and the Marañón
HabitatClear streams and floodplain waters
Native rangeAbout 500 km across
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The story of the blue tetra

A blue tetra from the upper Amazon, described by Jacques Géry in 1966 from fish collected for the aquarium trade in Colombia. It is named after tropical-fish importer Fred Cochu of Paramount Aquarium, who brought it into the hobby around 1956.

Jacques Géry described this tetra in 1966, naming it after Fred Cochu of the Paramount Aquarium company. Its silvery body shines with a soft blue colour. It is known in the hobby as Cochu's blue tetra.

First described by Jacques Géry in 1966. Named for Named after Fred Cochu, an American ornamental fish importer.

  • It is named after aquarium-trade pioneer Fred Cochu.
  • Its genus, Boehlkea, honours American ichthyologist James Böhlke.
  • It can nip the fins of slow tankmates.

Sources

9 facts checked with sources