Buenos Aires Tetra Breeding Guide

How to breed Hyphessobrycon anisitsi: sexing, conditioning, an egg-safe scatter-spawning tank, and rearing the large broods of up to 2000 eggs this easy characid produces.

Overview

Hyphessobrycon anisitsi is a hardy characid widespread through the Rio de la Plata basin in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southeastern Brazil. It is an egg-scattering free spawner that exhibits no parental care and is regarded as an easy fish to breed.

Sexing

Sexually mature males are noticeably more intensely coloured, slimmer-bodied and remain a little smaller than females. Females are fuller-bodied, especially when carrying eggs.

Conditioning

Adults can be conditioned together in the main aquarium on a varied diet. Females should appear well filled with eggs before being moved to the spawning tank.

Breeding Setup

Prepare a separate breeding aquarium with mature water, very dim lighting, and slightly acidic to neutral pH at a temperature within the maintenance range of 16-28 °C. Cover the base with mesh, plastic grass matting, glass marbles, or fine-leaved plants such as Taxiphyllum or spawning mops so that eggs fall out of reach of the adults. Add an air-powered sponge filter or air stone for gentle oxygenation.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Introduce one or two males with several well-conditioned females. Spawning normally occurs for 2-4 hours, and a well-conditioned mature female may lay as many as 2000 eggs during this period. Eggs are usually visible the following morning.

Egg & Fry Care

Remove the adults once spawning ends, as they will consume the eggs. Eggs normally hatch in about 24 hours, and over the next three to four days the fry absorb their yolk sacs before becoming free-swimming. Start with Paramecium or a proprietary dry food of 5-50 micron grade, then move on to Artemia nauplii and microworm as the fry grow.