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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Lemon tetra
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Lemon tetra

Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis · Lemon

Peaceful schooler.

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3.8 cmBody length, without tail ✓
22–28 °CTemperature ✓
5–7.5pH ✓
72 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
Check your own mix →
Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Lemon tetra only grows to 3.8 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Lemon tetra is tropical.
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: exactly 22 °C.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Lemon tetra only grows to 3.8 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

367 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 ✓Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 2–3 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Peaceful schooler.

Food

Colour-enhancing flakes and frozen foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Male Lemon tetra
Male
Female Lemon tetra
Female

Adult males are slimmer, slightly smaller and more intensely coloured than females, especially in the dorsal and anal fins.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

Egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care.

Pairing

Buy 6 or more and let them pair up.

Setup

20-30 L tank with fine plants or mops, slightly soft water and dim light.

What starts it

Warm, soft water with plenty of conditioning foods.

Eggs

Around 100-300 eggs; hatch in about 24-36 hours.

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 once fish are about 1 cm.

Common mistakes
  • Leaving parents with eggs
  • Too bright
  • Hard water
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionLower Amazon basin – Pará, Brazil
Rivers and lakesRio Tapajós and nearby lower Amazon tributaries
HabitatSlow clearwater streams with plants
Native rangeAbout 500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the lemon tetra

A pale yellow tetra from the Tapajós basin of Brazil with an orange-red upper eye and black-and-yellow dorsal and anal fins (pulchripinnis means "beautiful fins"). It shows its best colour when kept in a group.

German zoologist Ernst Ahl described the lemon tetra in 1937, in the decade when many classic tetras were first exported. Its pale yellow body and red eye made it a popular community fish. Captive-bred fish are now the norm.

First described by Ernst Ahl in 1937.

  • Its eye has a bright red upper rim.
  • Males have a broader black edge on the anal fin than females.
  • Colour is often weak in shops but deepens once settled in a planted tank.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources