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Glowlight Tetra
Hemigrammus erythrozonus
Animalia›Chordata›Actinopterygii›Characidae
📍 Essequibo River, Guyana
The glowlight tetra has a warm golden-orange iridescent stripe running the full body length, glowing like an ember in a planted tank. It is a peaceful, attractive schooling fish that pairs beautifully with dark substrates and dense planting.
Care Guide
Diet
Glowlight tetras are omnivores that thrive on a varied diet of high-quality micro pellets and fine flake foods as staples. Supplement 2-3 times weekly with live or frozen foods such as daphnia, baby brine shrimp, and micro worms to enhance coloration and promote optimal health. Feed small amounts once daily, only what they can consume in 2-3 minutes.
Behavior
Glowlight tetras are peaceful, active schooling fish that display their best coloration and behavior when kept in groups of 8 or more. They occupy the mid-water column and are most active during dawn and dusk, darting gracefully through planted areas. They are non-aggressive toward other peaceful species and show minimal fin-nipping tendencies.
Breeding
Breeding glowlight tetras in captivity is moderately difficult and rarely achieved in home aquariums. They require soft, acidic water (pH 5.5–6.5), dense vegetation or spawning mops, and careful conditioning with live foods before spawning. Eggs hatch in 24–36 hours, and fry are extremely small; raising them requires infusoria or liquid fry food for the first week.
Tank Mates
Peaceful algae eater with identical water parameter requirements; shares mid-to-bottom zones without conflict
Peaceful schooling tetra with nearly identical care requirements and compatible temperament
Peaceful mid-water dweller; ensure adequate space and dense planting to reduce territorial behavior
Peaceful invertebrate that shares planted habitat; may occasionally be nipped but generally coexist well
Hardy plant that provides shelter and shade; glowlights appreciate the dense planting for security
Common Diseases
Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)
White spots on body and fins, rapid gill movement, lethargy, rubbing against objects
Raise temperature gradually to 28–30°C, perform daily 25% water changes, and treat with ich medication or salt (1 tsp per 5 gallons) for 7–10 days
Fin Rot
Frayed or deteriorating fin edges, discoloration at fin bases, progressive fin loss
Improve water quality with frequent partial water changes, reduce ammonia/nitrite, and treat with antibacterial medication if severe
Neon Tetra Disease
Loss of coloration, spinal curvature, lethargy, erratic swimming behavior
No cure exists; isolate affected fish to prevent spread, maintain pristine water conditions, and cull severely affected individuals
Velvet Disease (Oodinium)
Fine golden or rust-colored dust on body, rapid gill movement, loss of appetite, scratching behavior
Raise temperature to 28–30°C, perform daily water changes, reduce light exposure, and treat with copper-based medication or salt
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Quick Facts
- diet
- Omnivore – micro pellets, fine flake, daphnia, baby brine shrimp
- lifespan
- 2–4 years
- max size
- 4 cm (1.6 in)
- tank size
- 10 gallons minimum
- school size
- 8+
- temperament
- Peaceful, schooling
Water it likes
- ph
- 5.5–7.5
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <20 ppm
- hardness
- 1–10 dGH
- temperature
- 72–82°F (22–28°C)