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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Silver tetra
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Variations

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Silver tetra

Ctenobrycon spilurus · Spilurus

Active; may nip fins and eat plants.

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8 cmBody length, without tail ✓
23–27 °CTemperature ✓
UnknownpH ?
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Silver tetra nips fins, and Congo tetra has long fins.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Silver tetra is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (23–27 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Silver tetra nips fins, and Guppy has long fins.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ?6 or more
Temperament ?Semi-aggressive
Swims at ?Middle
Care level ?Easy
Diet Omnivore
Lifespan ?Unknown
Size in shops 3–5 cm
Growth Fast

Behavior

Active; may nip fins and eat plants.

Food

Flakes and vegetable foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males show a red glow in the rear part of the anal fin.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

Egg scatterer.

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

An adult female produces around 2,000 eggs, which take 50-70 hours to hatch; fry start feeding actively after the third day.

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 – northern South America (Venezuela, Colombia & the Guianas)
Rivers and lakesOrinoco basin and coastal rivers of the Guianas
HabitatSlow rivers, lagoons and slightly brackish coastal waters
Native rangeAbout 1,000 km across
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The story of the silver tetra

A deep, round-bodied silvery-grey tetra with a black mark at the tail base, from the Orinoco and coastal rivers of northern South America.

Achille Valenciennes described this tetra in 1850. It is a deep-bodied, silvery tetra with a dark spot on the tail base. It is hardy and was widely kept in the early days of the hobby.

First described by Achille Valenciennes in 1850. Named for 'spilurus' means spotted tail.

  • It has a dark spot near the tail base.
  • It tolerates slightly brackish water.
  • It is a hardy, deep-bodied tetra.

Sources

8 facts checked with sources