Silvertip Tetra Breeding Guide

How to breed Hasemania nana: sexing by colour, separate conditioning, a warm dim spawning tank, and rearing the adhesive eggs once the parents are removed.

Overview

Hasemania nana is a small characid from Brazil. It is an egg scatterer that exhibits no parental care and spawns readily in warm, dimly lit water when the adults are well conditioned.

Sexing

Males tend to be more intensely coloured and slimmer than females, which are fuller-bodied.

Conditioning

Feed plenty of live and frozen foods at a conditioning temperature of 75-78 °F (24-26 °C). For pair spawning, condition males and females separately and then select the fattest female and best-coloured male.

Breeding Setup

Use a dimly lit tank of about 18 x 12 x 12 inches with water on the acidic side of neutral, raised to 82-86 °F (28-30 °C), several degrees above the main tank. Provide clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or spawning mops, or a mesh base allowing eggs to fall through but preventing adult access.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

The species can be spawned as a group using half a dozen specimens of each sex, or as a single pair. A transferred pair should spawn the following morning, with the warmer water acting as the trigger.

Egg & Fry Care

The eggs are adhesive. The adults will eat them given the chance and should be removed immediately after spawning. Keep the tank as dimly lit as possible. Eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and the fry become free-swimming 3-4 days later. Offer infusoria-type food for the first few days, then microworm or brine shrimp nauplii.