Silver Tetra (Ctenobrycon spilurus) Breeding Guide
Breeding Ctenobrycon spilurus, the silver tetra: a productive egg-scatterer; a female can produce around 2,000 eggs, incubated for about 50-70 hours.
Overview
Ctenobrycon spilurus, the silver tetra, is a tall, silvery-grey characin from the Orinoco basin and the coastal river basins of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, also recorded from Brazil and Venezuela. It inhabits shallow, slow-moving streams with heavy vegetation and reaches about 8 cm. It is a productive egg-scattering species that gives no parental care.
Sexing
Males show a glow of red in the rear portion of the anal fin. Females in spawning condition are rounder and heavier-bodied. The species can also show some black at the base of the caudal fin and occasionally a small dark spot near the gill cover.
Conditioning
This is an active, voracious tetra that feeds on zooplankton in nature as well as plants, worms, insects and crustaceans. Condition the breeding fish on a varied, protein-rich diet in a roomy, well-filtered tank.
Breeding Setup
- A spacious spawning tank suited to a robust, semi-aggressive tetra.
- Soft, slightly acidic to neutral water within the species range (recorded around 23-27 C).
- Vegetation or fine-leaved plants reflecting its natural well-planted habitat, with a protective base for the eggs.
- Gentle filtration.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
The species scatters eggs among vegetation. An adult female produces around 2,000 eggs in a single spawning. Because the species is prolific and the adults provide no care, removing the parents after spawning protects the large egg batch.
Egg & Fry Care
The eggs are incubated for a period of about 50 to 70 hours. After the third day the fry begin to actively search for food, so suitable first foods such as infusoria and, as they grow, newly hatched brine shrimp should be available.