Purple Tetra Care Guide
Hyphessobrycon metae is a small tetra from the Orinoco basin, a peaceful schooler that suits soft, dimly lit Amazonian aquariums.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Hyphessobrycon metae, the Purple tetra, is a small characin from the Orinoco River basin. It is a peaceful schooling fish kept in soft, slightly acidic aquariums.
Taxonomy
- Family: Characidae (order Characiformes)
- Genus: Hyphessobrycon
- Scientific name: Hyphessobrycon metae
Habitat
FishBase records the species from the Orinoco River basin in South America (roughly 10 N to 2 N), as a benthopelagic freshwater fish of tropical waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 22-27 °C (FishBase reports 22-26 °C)
- pH: 5.5-7.0 (FishBase reports 5.8-6.2)
- GH: 1-8 °dGH (FishBase reports 4-8 dH)
- School size: 8 or more individuals
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
Diet
The Purple tetra is omnivorous and accepts small dried, frozen and live foods in the aquarium, fed twice daily.
Compatibility
It is a peaceful mid-water schooler that shows best in dim light over dark substrate. Suitable companions include Cardinal tetras, Corydoras and Otocinclus. Aggressive species should be avoided.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2020).
Purple Tetra (Hyphessobrycon metae) Breeding Guide
Overview
Hyphessobrycon metae is a small characid endemic to the middle Río Orinoco watershed in Colombia and Venezuela, recorded at 35-40 mm maximum size by Seriously Fish. Captive reproduction has not been documented: Seriously Fish lists its reproduction as 'Unreported'. The notes below therefore combine the species data that does exist with the egg-scattering pattern typical of the genus Hyphessobrycon.
Sexing
According to Seriously Fish, sexually mature females are noticeably deeper-bodied and grow slightly larger than males. This rounder, fuller body in conditioned females is the most reliable visual cue, as no other dimorphic marking is reported for the species.
Conditioning
As with related Hyphessobrycon tetras, the proven approach is to condition a maintained group on small live and frozen foods until females fill with eggs. Seriously Fish records a general care range of 20-28 C, pH 4.0-7.0 and hardness 18-143 ppm for this species, so conditioning at the soft, acidic end of that range is consistent with the published data.
Breeding Setup
Following the genus pattern documented by Seriously Fish for related Hyphessobrycon, a small dimly lit spawning tank with fine-leaved plants or a spawning mop, or a mesh base that lets eggs fall out of the adults' reach, suits egg-scattering characids. A gentle air-driven sponge filter provides oxygenation without sweeping eggs about. Species-specific spawning parameters are not on record.
Egg & Fry Care
Hyphessobrycon tetras give no parental care and readily eat their own eggs, so adults are removed once spawning ends. In the genus, eggs and early fry are light-sensitive, eggs typically hatch within roughly 24-36 hours, and fry become free-swimming a few days later, taking infusoria-grade foods before brine shrimp nauplii. These figures are genus-level expectations; no count or timing has been confirmed for H. metae itself.