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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Silvertip tetra
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Variations

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Silvertip tetra

Hasemania nana · Silver-tipped tetra, Hasemania

Peaceful but lively; keep eight or more.

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5 cmBody length, without tail ✓
23–28 °CTemperature ✓
6–8pH ✓
68 LSmallest tank ✓
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Silvertip tetra only grows to 5 cm.
Not recommended
  • White cloud mountain minnow needs cool water and makes a lot of waste, while Silvertip tetra is tropical.
  • They need different temperatures (23–28 °C vs 14–22 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Silvertip tetra only grows to 5 cm.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 23–24 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

389 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 ✓5–20 dGH
Group size ✓6 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 but lively; keep eight or more.

Food

Flakes and pellets plus frozen daphnia and brine shrimp.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Males are more intensely coloured and slimmer than females.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

Quite easily bred. Use a dimly lit tank around 45 x 30 x 30 cm with java moss, spawning mops or mesh; spawn a group (about six of each sex) or a conditioned pair at 28-30°C with slightly acidic water. Remove the adults as soon as eggs appear because they eat them; eggs and fry are light-sensitive.

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

Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and the fry are free-swimming 3-4 days later. No sourced egg count found.

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 – São Francisco basin, Brazil
Rivers and lakesRio São Francisco and its tributaries
HabitatClear streams and pools
Native rangeAbout 500 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the silvertip tetra

A hardy, lively tetra from the Rio São Francisco basin in Brazil, sometimes sold as the 'copper tetra'. Hasemania is one of the few tetra genera without an adipose fin. All fish in the trade are captive-bred and unfussy about water and food, making it one of the best tetras for newcomers.

Danish zoologist Christian Lütken described this tetra in 1875. It has a copper-gold body and white fin tips, earning names like silvertip and copper tetra. It lacks an adipose fin, unlike most tetras.

First described by Christian F. Lütken in 1875. Named for 'nana' means dwarf.

  • It has no adipose fin, unlike most tetras.
  • It is also sold as the copper tetra.
  • It is active and does best in groups.

Sources

15 facts checked with sources