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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Colombian tetra
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Variations

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Colombian tetra

Hyphessobrycon columbianus · Columbian tetra, Red-blue tetra

Peaceful school fish.

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6.5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
22–27 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7.5pH ✓
81 LSmallest 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 Colombian tetra is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Colombian tetra only grows to 6.5 cm.
Not recommended
  • Oscar eats animals up to about 12 cm. Colombian tetra only grows to 6.5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

407 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 ✓1–10 dGH
Group size ✓8 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2.5–3.5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful school fish.

Food

Flakes, pellets and frozen foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature males are more intensely coloured, slimmer, a little smaller, and have a longer dorsal fin than females.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Moderate

An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Use a dim spawning tank with mesh, matting, marbles or fine-leaved plants, slightly acidic to neutral water, and a pair or one or two males with several females; remove the adults once eggs appear.

Pairing

Keep a group of 8-10 and move a well-conditioned trio or group to a spawning tank.

Setup

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.

What starts it

Heavy live-food conditioning, then a water change with slightly cooler water in the morning.

Eggs

Spawning lasts 2-4 hours and a well-conditioned female may lay up to 2000 eggs; they hatch in 24-36 hours.

Raising the fry

Start with infusoria or powdered fry food, then newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size as they grow.

Common mistakes
  • Leaving adults with the eggs
  • Poor conditioning of the parents
  • Overfeeding the fry tank
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – northwestern Colombia
Rivers and lakesRío Acandí and nearby Caribbean-slope streams near the Panama border
HabitatClear forest streams
Native rangeAbout 100 km across
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The story of the colombian tetra

A silver tetra with iridescent blue on the upper body and blood-red tail and anal fins, from a single river system in northern Colombia. It was in the hobby for years under the wrong name, Hyphessobrycon ecuadorensis, before Zarske and Géry described it in 2002.

The Colombian tetra was a popular aquarium fish for years before Axel Zarske and Jacques Géry formally described it in 2002. It comes from a small area on Colombia's Caribbean coast near Panama. Its blue body and red fins make it a colourful, hardy tetra.

First described by Axel Zarske & Jacques Géry in 2002. Named for Named after Colombia.

  • It was kept in aquariums long before it had a scientific name.
  • Its native range is a small area on Colombia's Caribbean slope.
  • It is sometimes sold as the blue-red Colombian tetra.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources