2 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Calm school fish; keep with other small peaceful fish.
376 species in our list are a good match.
Calm school fish; keep with other small peaceful fish.
Flakes, micro-pellets and frozen foods.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Adult males are slightly smaller and less deep-bodied than females, and more intensely coloured, especially in the dorsal and anal fins.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Egg-scatterer · Moderate
An egg-scattering free spawner with no parental care. Condition the group, then move a pair or one or two males with several females to a dim spawning tank with mesh, fine-leaved plants or spawning mops and slightly acidic to neutral water; remove the adults once eggs are seen (usually the next morning).
Keep a group of 8-10 and move a well-conditioned trio or group to a spawning tank.
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.
Heavy live-food conditioning, then a water change with slightly cooler water in the morning.
100-300 eggs
Start with infusoria or powdered fry food, then newly hatched brine shrimp; sort by size as they grow.
A peaceful, pinkish tetra from the Amazon basin, also sold as the 'white-tipped tetra'. It was described by Durbin in 1908 from fish collected at Óbidos on the lower Amazon during the Thayer Expedition, and named after Colonel Bentos, a volunteer on that expedition. It colours up best in a planted tank with a dark substrate. In 2024 it was moved to the genus Megalamphodus.
Marion Durbin described this tetra in 1908 as part of her work on South American characins. Known as the ornate or rosy tetra, it has a pink body and a black-and-white dorsal fin. It is a peaceful schooling fish for planted tanks.
First described by Marion Durbin in 1908.
14 facts checked with sources
Moved from Hyphessobrycon to the revalidated genus Megalamphodus by Melo et al. (2024). Hyphessobrycon bentosi Durbin, 1908 is now a synonym; keep it as an other name. Trade confusion: Seriously Fish says it is very similar to several congeners (some undescribed) and the fish most often sold is the 'rosy tetra'; it is also sold as 'Bentos' tetra' or 'white-tipped tetra', so shop fish labelled 'ornate' or 'rosy' may be a related species.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Hyphessobrycon bentosi · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summary · Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)2024 family split from Characidae (Melo et al.); subfamily Megalamphodinae. Legacy had no family.
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Hyphessobrycon bentosi · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summaryBoth figures SL (standard length); the larger Seriously Fish figure (4.5 cm SL) is used. Total length is a little longer.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summaryLegacy 23-28 lies within Seriously Fish's wider 20-28 range; FishBase gives 24-28.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summaryLegacy 5.5-7.5 lies within Seriously Fish's 5.0-7.5.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summaryLegacy had no hardness. Seriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) 1-12; FishBase 5-19.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summary90 x 30 cm base x 30 cm height = 81,000 cm³ = 81 L (Seriously Fish shows ~81 litres). FishBase only asks for a 60 cm tank. Legacy 60 L is below the Seriously Fish minimum.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summarySeriously Fish (preferred) asks for at least 8-10; FishBase 5 or more. Legacy 6 is below the Seriously Fish figure.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · FishBase: Megalamphodus bentosi summaryMales form temporary dominance hierarchies and display to each other.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)Legacy 1 (easy). Seriously Fish rates it Moderate: intolerant of organic pollutants, needs weekly water changes and a mature tank.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)Legacy had no native range field. IUCN: Least Concern (FishBase, assessed 2021).
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Hyphessobrycon bentosi · Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)Legacy says males are larger; Seriously Fish says males are slightly smaller. Legacy's fuller-bodied female agrees.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)Legacy setup (pH 6-7.5, java moss, sponge filter, dim light) agrees with Seriously Fish.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi)Legacy claims (Amazon, peaceful, white-tipped dorsal, planted tanks) are supported; added describer, etymology and the 2024 genus change.
Seriously Fish: Megalamphodus bentosi (formerly Hyphessobrycon bentosi) · Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Hyphessobrycon bentosi