Serpae Tetra care guide
Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques) — minimum tank 60 L, temperature 22-27 °C, pH 5.5-7.5.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques) is a deep-bodied characid from the Paraguay, Guaporé and Amazon basins. It is identified by a coppery-red to crimson body with a black comma-shaped shoulder spot and contrasting black dorsal fin edged in white.
Taxonomy
- Family: Characidae
- Genus: Hyphessobrycon
- Scientific name: Hyphessobrycon eques
- Common synonyms: Red Minor Tetra
Habitat
Wild populations occur in slow-flowing tributaries, oxbow lakes and flooded margins of the Paraguay, Guaporé and middle Amazon river systems in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia, often among dense aquatic vegetation and leaf litter.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L (15.9 US gal)
- Adult size: 3-5 cm
- Temperature: 22-27 °C (72-81 °F)
- pH: 5.5-7.5
- GH: 2-12 °dGH
- Water flow: low
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- School size: ≥6 individuals
Diet
An omnivore that consumes small invertebrates, worms and plant material in the wild. In aquaria it accepts flakes, micro-pellets and a variety of small live or frozen foods.
Compatibility
A semi-aggressive schooling species notorious for fin-nipping. Keep a group of at least six (ideally ten or more) to disperse aggression and avoid combinations with long-finned or slow-moving tankmates such as Angelfish, Betta or fancy guppies.
Breeding
An egg-scatterer. Spawning is induced by soft, acidic water and warmer temperatures; eggs are scattered over fine-leaved plants. Adults should be removed after spawning, as they consume their own eggs.
Breeding Serpae Tetra
Overview
The Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques), also sold as Red Minor Tetra, is an egg-scattering free spawner that exhibits no parental care. It breeds readily when well-conditioned, and fry may even appear naturally in mature, densely planted aquaria without intervention. The KB record rates breeding difficulty as intermediate.
Sexing
Sexually mature females are noticeably rounder-bodied and a little larger than males. This difference is most obvious when females are full of eggs.
Conditioning
Condition the adult group together on plenty of small live and frozen foods until the females fill out with eggs. A single pair, or a group comprising one or two males and several females, can then be introduced to a separate breeding tank.
Breeding Setup
Use a dimly-lit breeding tank fitted with an egg-protection base, since the adults will eat eggs given the chance. Options include a mesh of a grade large enough for eggs to fall through but small enough to keep the adults out, plastic 'grass'-type matting, a layer of glass marbles, or clumps of a fine-leaved plant such as Taxiphyllum spp. or spawning mops. Provide gentle oxygenation with an air-powered sponge filter or air stone.
- Temperature: upper end of the range, around 26-28 °C
- pH: slightly acidic to neutral
- Spawning base: mesh, marbles, matting or fine-leaved plants
- Lighting: subdued
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
After the pair or group is introduced, spawning typically follows, with eggs detected the following morning. The eggs are scattered and fall through the protective base out of reach of the adults.
Egg & Fry Care
Because the species offers no parental care and will consume the eggs, the adults should be removed once spawning is complete. Initial fry food should be Paramecium or a proprietary dry food of sufficiently small (5-50 micron) grade, after which the fry can progress to Artemia nauplii and microworm.
Common Challenges
The chief difficulties are protecting the eggs from being eaten by the adults and supplying first foods small enough for the newly free-swimming fry.