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Buenos Aires Tetra
Hyphessobrycon anisitsi
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii›Characidae
📍 La Plata Basin, Argentina & Brazil
The Buenos Aires tetra is a robust, fast-moving silver tetra with vivid red fins. It is one of the hardiest tetras available and tolerates cool water down to 18 °C, making it suitable for unheated aquariums in temperate climates. It is a notorious plant-eater — almost any soft-leaved plant will be consumed — so it is best kept in tanks with only tough or plastic plants.
Care Guide
Diet
Buenos Aires Tetras are omnivores that readily accept high-quality flake foods and small pellets as staples. Supplement 2-3 times weekly with frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, or bloodworms to maintain color and condition. Feed small amounts once daily, only what they can consume in 2-3 minutes.
Behavior
Active, schooling fish that are semi-aggressive and best kept in groups of 6 or more to reduce fin-nipping behavior. They occupy the mid-water column and are known to nip the fins of slower fish and consume live plants, making them unsuitable for delicate community tanks. Cooler water tolerance (down to 18°C) makes them adaptable to unheated setups.
Breeding
Breeding in captivity is moderately difficult and rarely achieved in home aquaria. They are egg-scatterers that require soft, acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5), dense vegetation or spawning mops, and removal of parents immediately after spawning to prevent egg consumption. Fry are tiny and require infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week.
Tank Mates
Similar size, temperament, and water requirements; schooling behavior complements Buenos Aires Tetras
Comparable robustness and semi-aggressive nature; compatible with active tetra communities
Algae-eater that won't compete for food; nocturnal behavior reduces interaction conflicts
Similar size but more peaceful; may be fin-nipped; requires careful monitoring in mixed groups
Common Diseases
Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)
White spots on body and fins, flashing against objects, rapid breathing, lethargy
Raise temperature gradually to 28-30°C, perform daily 25% water changes, use aquarium salt (1 tsp per gallon) or commercial ich treatment; maintain for 10-14 days
Fin Rot
Frayed or disintegrating fin edges, white or black margins on fins, lethargy
Perform 25% water changes every 2-3 days, improve water quality, reduce aggression by increasing school size, use antibacterial treatment if severe
Neon Tetra Disease
Loss of coloration, spinal curvature, lethargy, erratic swimming behavior
No cure available; isolate affected fish to prevent spread, maintain pristine water conditions, euthanize if condition worsens to prevent suffering
Bacterial Infection
Sores, ulcers, cloudy eyes, torn fins, loss of appetite
Perform 50% water change immediately, reduce temperature to 24-25°C, use broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment, isolate severely affected individuals
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Quick Facts
- diet
- Omnivore and plant-eater – flake, pellets, vegetables
- schooling
- 8+ recommended
- tank size
- 30 gallons minimum
- temperament
- Active, somewhat boisterous – known plant eater
Water it likes
- ph
- 6.0–8.0
- hardness
- 5–20 dGH
- temperature
- 64–82°F (18–28°C)