Black Tetra fish is a South American species living in the freshwaters and the clearly visible black fins have earned them a name and distinct identity. This fish belongs to the family of Characidae and is of the genus Gymnocorymbus. Their family includes all tetra species and the very dangerous piranha. They are very popular aquarium fishes.
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Characiformes
Characidae
Gymnocorymbus
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Table Of Content
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Characiformes
Characidae
Gymnocorymbus
Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Table of Contents
Common Name
This creature is known by many other names such as high-fin black skirt tetra, black skirt tetra, butterfly tetra, petticoat tetra, blackamoor and black widow tetra.
Description
The fish was originally a wild species but due to high demand most of them have found their way to aquariums and captive lives.
Length: They grow as long as 2.5 inches.
Color: These fishes are found in a wide variety of colors due to commercial breeding. When caught in the wild they have a grey shade. The tail region is black in color. The region behind the gills is also black.
Fins: They bear short and black colored anal and dorsal fins. The males have front edges of their anal fins bending backwards towards the tails. The females have less pointed dorsal fins and narrower anal fins than the males. At times the males are found to have white dotted caudal fins.
Picture 1 – Black Tetra
Body: The females are fuller in figure than their male counterparts.
Behavior
They are peaceful fishes that move slowly. Even when they are offered food they tend to slowly reach the food after waiting for it. They are schooling fishes preferring to form pairs and small-sized groups. They are often found to live in the tank bottoms behaving gently with other fishes and species of its group. At times they are found to pick at one another (only among Tetra peers) without turning aggressive.
Diet
These fishes mostly prefer eating worms, crustaceans and insects.
Distribution
This fish lives in the South American territories that include Guaporé River basins of southern Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina. It is also widely spread across Paraguay.
Habitat
They usually stay in water temperatures ranging between 20 and 26° C. Their typical home ground is the subtropical river basin. They prefer living in the open ocean waters choosing to stay in the upper and middle layers of the water.
Picture 2 – Black Tetra Photo
Adaptation
These fishes are known to possess adaptive qualities to suit themselves in varied living conditions. However, care must be taken in switching their living conditions too soon as rapid changes can harm them. They are known as the most preferred aquarium fish solely because of its quick adaptability to minor changes in tank conditions.
Reproduction
These fishes reach sexual maturity at the age of two years. They tend to breed well in water temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit. During the mating season body colors tend to change in both genders. The males swim around the female fishes often making zig-zag or circular patterns. Eggs are laid on leaves or plants.
If the fish is being bred in an aquarium they must be taken away from the eggs preventing the adults from eating the eggs or the newborns.
Life Cycle
The eggs take 1 – 1 ½ day’s time to hatch. Young ones start swimming in 3 or 5 days. They are peaceful fishes that prefer to form 3 or 4 member groups. As they continue to grow find pairs and groups and live for a period of 5 years.
Life Span
Black Tetra fish can live as long as 5 years in captivity.
Sub-species
Some of the notable subspecies of this fish are black neon tetra and black phantom tetra. There are several other members of the tetra family that are regarded as a black tetra’s subspecies.
Picture 3 – Black Tetra Picture
Interesting Facts
Here are a few interesting facts about the Black Tetra:
They are schooling fishes, found to stay in small groups.
They are not aggressive to other fishes but are often seen to pick on other tetra members.
There are no longer wild species found as most of them have been taken into captivity.
They are excellent aquarium fishes having docile behaviour.
They form their actual colors when they reach adulthood which usually takes place after 1 year.
Their colors turn dull as they grow old. They tend to bear greyer shades with the exceeding years.
Aquarium Care
These fishes make for great aquarium creatures as they are peaceful and moderately active. They stay happy in groups of 6 or 8 members. They do not meddle with other fishes but care must be taken as they have a tendency to fight among themselves that is among tetras. Here are few aquarium care facts that must be followed while housing black tetras:
Housing
The aquarium must be at least 24 inches in length and there must be 5 more black tetras introduced into the tank. These fishes stay happy in groups and tend to become shy, lonely and strained when kept alone. They prefer to have a lot of plants surrounding them. Although they are hardy and adaptive they require good swimming space. They adapt well to new conditions but they favour soft acidic waters. Making sudden changes in their housing conditions will not be favourable for long lives.
Feeding
They are carnivorous fishes and should be fed worms, insects and live foods. They prefer eating algae and plants. Fish keepers can also feed them frozen or dried fish food. They must have a wide variety of diet for long life.
Breeding
When bred in captivity, these fishes must be kept in tanks that have dense plant growth. They breed in scattered places such as on top of leaves. In order to increase survival rates, adult tetras must be kept separately from eggs as they tend to eat away eggs and young ones. The males tend to become territorial during the breeding season so they must be taken away from the eggs soon after they are fertilized. The newborns must be fed egg yolk and freshly hatched brine shrimp. As the baby fish grows a bit old it can be fed large brine shrimps.
