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Encyclopedia / Tetras / Yellow tetra
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Variations

1 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Yellow tetra

Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus · Yellow phantom, Two-banded tetra

Peaceful school.

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4.7 cmAdult size ✓
20–25 °CTemperature ✓
5.5–7.5pH ✓
UnknownSmallest tank ?
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Tank mates
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Not recommended
  • Tinfoil barb eats animals up to about 5 cm. Yellow tetra only grows to 4.7 cm.
Not recommended
  • Giant gourami eats animals up to about 10 cm. Yellow tetra only grows to 4.7 cm.
Not recommended
  • They need different temperatures (20–25 °C vs 26–30 °C). No setting suits both.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
With conditions
  • Only a narrow temperature range suits both: 24–25 °C.
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible
Compatible

303 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 ✓2–15 dGH
Group size ✓8 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 school.

Food

Flakes and small foods.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Adult males are slightly more intensely coloured; females grow a little larger and rounder, especially when carrying eggs.

Health

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

Breeding

Egg-scatterer · Easy

Egg scatterer with no parental care.

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

100-300 eggs

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 – coastal southeastern Brazil
Rivers and lakesCoastal rivers of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo
HabitatSlow, vegetated coastal streams
Native rangeAbout 600 km across
See it on the world map

The story of the yellow tetra

A yellow tetra from south-eastern Brazil; its name means 'twice banded', after the two dark vertical marks (humeral spots) behind the head, the front one stronger.

Marion Durbin Ellis described the yellow tetra in 1911 from the coastal rivers of southeastern Brazil. Two dark vertical bars behind the gills give it the name bifasciatus. It has long been kept as a hardy, easy-going schooling fish.

First described by Marion Durbin Ellis in 1911. Named for 'bifasciatus' means two-banded.

  • It has two dark vertical bars behind the gill cover.
  • It comes from subtropical coastal Brazil and tolerates cooler water.
  • Its describer also published as Marion Durbin.

Sources

13 facts checked with sources