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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Flame tetra
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Variations

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Flame tetra

Hyphessobrycon flammeus · Von rio tetra, Flame, Red tetra

Peaceful; keep eight or more.

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2.6 cmBody length, without tail ✓
20–26 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7.5pH ✓
54 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Flame tetra only grows to 2.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Pearl gourami eats animals up to about 3 cm. Flame tetra only grows to 2.6 cm.
Not recommended
  • Three-spot gourami eats animals up to about 3 cm. Flame tetra only grows to 2.6 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow pH range suits both: exactly 7.5.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 26 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

336 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 ✓8 or more
Temperament ✓Peaceful
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ✓Moderate
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ✓4 years
Size in shops 2.5–3.5 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful; keep eight or more.

Food

Flakes and small live and frozen foods.

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Male or female

Adult males are slimmer, slightly smaller and more intensely coloured than females. Males have tiny bony hooks on the anal and pelvic fins, and the anal fin edge is straighter in males and more sickle-shaped in females.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care that spawns often when well conditioned. Use a dim spawning tank with mesh, grass 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 are seen.

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

200-300 eggs per spawning in aquaria (about 200-330 in the wild); eggs hatch in 2-3 days.

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 – southeastern Brazil
Rivers and lakesCoastal rivers around Rio de Janeiro
HabitatSlow, vegetated coastal streams
Native rangeAbout 150 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the flame tetra

A bright red tetra from the coastal rivers around Rio de Janeiro, described by George S. Myers in 1924 from aquarium-bred stock that came from near Rio. It is a long-standing hobby fish that is bred commercially in several countries, so wild fish are no longer collected, while in nature it has become rare and is listed as Endangered. It tolerates fairly cool water (down to 20°C) but needs a mature, clean tank.

The flame tetra reached German aquarists around 1920, before it had a scientific name. George S. Myers, then just a teenager, described it in 1924. It is still called the 'tetra from Rio' in some countries.

First described by George S. Myers in 1924. Named for 'flammeus' means flame-coloured.

  • It reached aquariums before it was described by scientists.
  • George S. Myers was still a teenager when he described it.
  • Its native range is small, around Rio de Janeiro.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources