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Congo TetraFamily: Alestiidae
Latest Reader Comment - See More I have 3 albino versions of these colourful tetras. Mine are currently 2"-3". These fishes are rather scrappy fellows. They love frozen bloodworms and ofte... (more) ariwan kai 2006-08-19
The Congo Tetra has opalescent scales that shine in all the colors of the rainbow!An incredibly beautiful fish, the timid Congo Tetra is the most gorgeous of the true African Characins. Along with its fluorescent colors its tail fin develops into a most beautiful feathery appendage. It is a peaceful schooling fish and needs a large aquarium, not only to provide plenty of room to swim around, but to thrive and develop their full beauty as well. The Congo Tetra prefers soft, peat filtered water and a darker substrate. They are most comfortable in an aquarium with lower light levels which can be provided by floating plants. The beautiful rainbow colors of this fish will also show off best in lower light levels. These fish are easily frightened by aggressive tank mates and loud noises. Do not tap on the glass! These fish are also timid eaters and may wait for you to leave the aquarium before they will feed. For more Information on keeping this fish see:
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| Geographic Distribution Phenacogrammus interruptus |
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| Point data provided by FishBase.org |
Distribution:
The Congo Tetra was described by Boulenger in 1899. They are found in Africa, in the upper Congo Basin where they feed on worms, crustaceans, insects and plants.
Status:
The species is not listed on the IUCN Red List.
Description:
The Congo Tetra has a full-bodied typical tetra shape
with rather large scales. When mature, the fluorescent colors of the Congo
Tetra run through the fish from front to back starting with blue on top
changing to red through the middle, to yellow-gold, and back to blue just
above the belly. The fins are grayish violet with white edges.
Size - Weight:
The males get up to 3.0 inches (8.5 cm). Females up to 2.75
inches (6 cm).
Care and feeding:
Since they are omnivorous the Congo Tetra will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods.
To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed
brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:
These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
Acceptable Water Conditions:
Hardness: 4-18° dGH
Ph: 6.2
Temp: (75-81° F) 24-27° C
Social Behaviors:
They are generally a good community fish but they may try
to bite smaller fish. Also, watch that they don't eat your smaller plants.
They sometimes like to nibble on softer plants and young shoots.
Sexual Differences:
The male is larger with more color, also the tail fin and
dorsal fin are more extended. If you look at the picture above, you can
see the extension at the center of the tail fin. A mature female will
be more rounded.
Breeding/Reproduction:
The Congo Tetras are egg layers. Some keys to breeding them
is a large aquarium, peat filtered water, and bright lighting to initiate
spawning. They will lay up to 300 eggs that will drop to the bottom. The
fry are large enough to eat freshly hatched brine shrimp.
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See the description of how to breed Characins in Breeding Freshwater Fish.
Availability:
The Congo Tetra is readily available but is more expensive
than many tetras.
| Latest Comments |
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| I have 3 albino versions of these colourful tetras. Mine are currently 2"-3". These fishes are rather scrappy fellows. They love frozen bloodworms and often fight for it. These fellows grow quickly!I first bought them in july when they were 1/2"-1".
2006-08-19 |
| Some of the coolest comments: |
| I added 3 pair of Congos (a/k/a featherfins) to my 135 gal "Amazon Basin" group of inhabitants. They are particularly fond of freeze-dried ocean plankton and all flake foods. They grew fast in the big tank which includes large gold severum,green severum (breeding groups), silver dollars, jurapari and annostomus. They add a beauty and distinction when "cruisng" along and their fins have grown to be luxurious. A spectacular fish when back-lit!
2005-01-02 |
| These Fish are amazing, the colouration of them is usually not seen while at the store, but once they grow up a bit they glow (more obvious when not looked at straight on).
They can reach a max length of 5" tho, so make sure you have a larger tank for these fish. I have 4 in a 75Gal and they play well, tho they are agressive when fed (will knock other fish out of the way for food) 2004-11-28 |
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