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Encyclopedia / Tetras / False rummynose tetra
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Variations

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False rummynose tetra

Petitella georgiae · False rummy nose, Georgiae, Red-headed tetra

Peaceful; forms tight schools.

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5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
22–26 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7pH ✓
81 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. False rummynose tetra only grows to 5 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while False rummynose tetra is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. False rummynose tetra only grows to 5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

319 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 ✓1–12 dGH
Group size ✓10 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; forms tight schools.

Food

Micro-pellets, flakes and frozen foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Mature females are noticeably rounder in the body than males.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Hard

Egg scatterer that is quite tricky to breed; spawn in a dim tank with fine-leaved plants or mesh in very soft, acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5, gH 1-5) and remove the adults, which eat the eggs.

Pairing

Buy a group of 8-10 and let them pair up; condition for two weeks on live and frozen foods.

Setup

15-20 L bare tank with very soft, acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5), spawning mops or java moss, a sponge filter and low light.

What starts it

Soft acidic water, a slightly cooler water change and dim light with gentle morning sun.

Eggs

100-250 eggs

Raising the fry

Feed infusoria or green water for days 1-3, then newly hatched brine shrimp and microworms. Keep light low early on; grow out in a larger tank.

Common mistakes
  • Using hard tap water
  • Keeping the tank bright
  • Leaving adults with the eggs
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionSouth America – upper Amazon in Peru & Brazil
Rivers and lakesUpper Amazon around Iquitos
HabitatSoft-water forest streams
Native rangeAbout 500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the false rummynose tetra

One of three very similar 'rummy-nose' tetras, with a red head and black-and-white barred tail; it lacks the dark blotch at the bottom of the tail base that the other two have. A tightly shoaling tetra from the Amazon basin, named after Jacques Géry's wife Georgie.

Jacques Géry and Henri Boutière described this tetra in 1964. It looks like the rummynose tetras but is larger and its tail pattern is less sharp. It was the type species of the genus Petitella.

First described by Jacques Géry & Henri Boutière in 1964.

  • It is larger than the true rummynose tetras.
  • Its red colour is mostly on the head.
  • It was the first species placed in the genus Petitella.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources