Purple Tetra

The Purple Tetra is a small community aquarium fish about the size of a black neon tetra. They come from calm blackwater streams and flooded forest land in the Orinoco River basin. These were originally imported from Peru. They are a perfect community fish with other similar fish.

They grow to the adult size of 1-1.5 inches.  They make a perfect addition to a 10-gallon tank or larger with like sized calm fish.  They would enjoy a sandy bottom aquarium with driftwood and decomposing leaves. Purple Tetras will also do well in a heavily planted aquarium. It is encouraged that they be kept in groups of 6 to 8 so they feel comfortable in their aquarium.

Please Note: All fish shipments have a 100% Live Arrival Guarantee when shipping with FedEx Overnight (1 Day) option. All other options void our Live Arrival Guarantee for fish. 

To replicate their natural habitat, the use of rock work, plants, and driftwood should be included in the aquarium. They also enjoy tannins in their water, so the use of Indian Almond or Guava leaves is highly recommended. We would not recommend keeping this fish with shrimp colonies due to the likeliness of the purple tetra eating baby shrimp and potentially picking at adult shrimp.

The scientific name for the Purple Tetra is: Hyphessobrycon metae

They are omnivores by nature. We feed our Purple Tetras a mix of frozen foods including daphnia, baby brine, cyclops, and bloodworms. We also feed them a mix of Northfin foods such as Community, Veggie, Bug Pro and flake. 

Our Tank Parameters

• Ph: 7.0 to 7.6
• Gh: 4 to 8
• Kh: 1 to 3
• TDS: 120 to 180
• Temp: 72 to 78

Tank Recommendations

• Leaves: Indian Almond or Guava
• Wood: Mopani or Malaysian
• Cones: Alder Cones
• Other: Buffered substrate to lower pH, not required