Loreto Tetra Breeding Guide

How to breed the Loreto Tetra (Hyphessobrycon peruvianus), an Amazonian egg-scatterer that shows no parental care.

Overview

The Loreto Tetra, Hyphessobrycon peruvianus, is a small characin known only from the upper Amazon basin in Peru, including the ríos Amazonas-Solimões, Marañón, Napo, Itaya, Tigre, Corrientes and Ucayali. It reaches a maximum standard length of 30-40 mm. It is an egg-scatterer that exhibits no parental care.

Sexing

Males display more intense coloration when in good condition. Females tend to grow slightly larger and appear rounder, particularly when gravid.

Breeding Setup

As an egg-scatterer with no parental care, this tetra is bred in a separate, dimly lit tank using fine-leaved plants or spawning mops, or a mesh base, so that scattered eggs fall out of reach of the adults. Soft, acidic water consistent with its maintenance range (22-27 °C, pH 5.0-7.0, hardness 36-179 ppm) is appropriate.

Egg & Fry Care

Because the species offers no parental care, the adults should be removed after spawning to prevent egg predation. Fry of small Hyphessobrycon are reared on infusoria-grade foods before progressing to brine shrimp nauplii and microworm as they grow. Species-specific hatch times were not recorded in the consulted sources.