Pristella Tetra
X-Ray Fish, Golden Pristella Tetra, Water Goldfinch
Family: Characidae
Pristella maxillarisPhoto © Animal-World Courtesy Louis LessardLatest Reader Comment - See More
I want to start my own tank, im new to having fish. this will be my first fish tank. I dont know what fish to start off with and what fish get alone with eachother. michelle
The Pristella Tetra is a perky little fish that is social, friendly, and very easy to care for!
Contents:
Pristella Tetra FactsKeeping Pristella TetraThe Pristella Tetra Pristella maxillaris, also known as the Golden Pristella Tetra, is a very pretty little characin. Its known as the X-Ray Fish because its silvery yellow body that is quite transparent. It has striking fin coloration as well, with the dorsal and anal fins having a yellow stripe followed by a black stripe, and finally end up with a white tip, and the tail fin being red or pink. Other common names that describe this beauty range include Water Goldfinch, X-ray Tetra, and Pinktailed Tetra.
The Golden Pristella Tetra is an excellent fish for the beginner. It is extremely hardy and undemanding and is not at all choosy in its water type. That's probably because it is found naturally in both brackish water as well as soft water. It can even withstand very hard water, though it does do its best in soft. A dark substrate and subdued lighting will show the X-Ray Fish best and enhance its colors. It will not get its full color in hard water or under bright light.
The Pristella Tetra is easy to keep in other respects as well. Its a peaceful community member as well as being fairly prolific in breeding. It is also a very active schooling fish but is harmless to other fish and plants. A school of 6 or more of these characins is really striking when maintained in a heavily planted aquarium.
For Information on keeping freshwater fish, see:
Freshwater Aquarium Guide: Aquarium Setup and Care
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Pristella Tetra - Quick Aquarium Care
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Aquarium Hardiness: Very Hardy
- Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner
- Diet Type: Omnivore
- Minimum Tank Size: 15 gal (57 L)
- Temperature: 74.0 to 82.0° F (23.3 to 27.8° C)
- Range ph: 6.0-8.0
- Hardness Range: 2 - 30 dGH
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Habitat: Distribution / Background
The Pristella Tetra Pristella maxillaris was described by Ulrey in1894. This species is not listed on the IUCN Red List. They are found in South America in Venezuela, British Guyana, lower Brazilian Amazon, Orinoco, and coastal river drainages of the Guianas. Other common names they are known by include X-Ray Fish, Golden Pristella Tetra, Water Goldfinch, X-ray Tetra, and Pinktailed Tetra.
They inhabit coastal waters that are often brackish. During the dry season this tetra lives in clearwater streams and tributaries and once the rainy season comes the Pristella migrates into the flooded areas of the savannah to spawn in the thick vegetation.They swim in schools in densely vegetated swamps where they feed on worms, small crustaceans, and insects.
- Scientific Name: Pristella maxillaris
- Social Grouping: Groups
- IUCN Red List: NE - Not Evaluated or not listed
The Pristella Tetra or X-Ray Fish is a deep-bodied tetra species. This fish will generally reach about 1 3/4 inches (4.5 cm) in length and has a lifespan of about 4 - 5 years or longer. It has a silvery to yellowish body, a large spot on the dorsal and anal fin, and a reddish tail. The dorsal and anal fins start out with a yellow stripe, changing to a black stripe, and finally end up with a white tip. Very striking.
An albino variety has also been developed and is also popular. It has pink eyes and pink spots, but a more washed out general body coloration. It is even easier to breed than the natural X-Ray Fish, which may be why it is also popular.
- Size of fish - inches: 1.8 inches (4.50 cm)
- Lifespan: 5 years - These fish have a life span of 4 - 5 years or more.
The Pristella Tetra is a hardy fish that is great for the beginner fish keeper. This mass-produced fish is adaptable and will do well in most tank setups within reason. Keep the water quality high and a good water turn over and these fish will do great.
- Aquarium Hardiness: Very Hardy
- Aquarist Experience Level: Beginner
Since they are omnivorous the X-Ray 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. These tetras like several feedings a day, but offer only what they can consume in 3 minutes or less at each feeding.
- Diet Type: Omnivore
- Flake Food: Yes
- Tablet Pellet: Yes
- Live foods (fishes, shrimps, worms): Some of Diet
- Vegetable Food: Some of Diet
- Meaty Food: Some of Diet
- Feeding Frequency: Several feedings per day
The Pristella Tetra is easy to care for provided the water is kept clean. Aquariums are closed systems and regardless on size all need some maintenance. Over time decomposing organic matter, nitrates, and phosphate build up and the water hardness increases due to evaporation. To combat these ever changing conditions water should be replaced on a regular basis, especially if the tank is densely stocked. At least 25 - 50% of the tank water should be replaced every other week.
- Water Changes: Bi-weekly
These fish are fairly hardy and A school of six will do best in about a 15 - 20 gallon aquarium. The aquarium should be heavily planted around the sides and back and have plenty of open water for swimming in the front. A few hiding places would also be appreciated. These fish likes a moderate amount of current. To accomplish this a can add a canister filter or powerhead can be added to create the proper current. The tank should have moderate to dim lighting.
A biotype setup is a great choice for this tetra and is very easy to put together. For the substrate use a river sand with some driftwood and twisted roots scattered for cover. Add a few handfuls of dried leaves, removing and replacing every few weeks. To give these fish a real feeling of nature, add some aquarium safe peat to the filter which will simulate the black waters of their natural environment.
As a rule the characins do not tolerate salty water, but the Pristella Tetra is an exception. They are one characin species that naturally occurs in a variety of water conditions, including slightly brackish water that is mineral rich and has an alkaline pH. Still its tolerance of salt is not high. If keeping it in a low salinity brackish tank it can tolerate a salinity that is about 10% of a normal saltwater tank, a specific gravity of less than 1.0002. The specific gravity must be kept below 1.003 or they will die.
- Minimum Tank Size: 15 gal (57 L) - A fifteen gallon is the smallest size that could house the small school this fish requires to be comfortable.
- Suitable for Nano Tank: Yes
- Substrate Type: Any
- Lighting Needs: Moderate - normal lighting
- Temperature: 74.0 to 82.0° F (23.3 to 27.8° C)
- Range ph: 6.0-8.0
- Hardness Range: 2 - 30 dGH
- Brackish: Sometimes - It can tolerate a low salinity brackish tank that is about 10% of a normal saltwater tank, a specific gravity of less than 1.0002.
- Water Movement: Moderate
- Water Region: All - These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.
 Photo © Animal-World Courtesy Steve Foss |
The Pristella Tetra are very peaceful and a good community fish. They are ideal for a community aquarium with other peaceful fish. They can be kept in large schools and will do best if kept in a school of at least 6 individuals. Tetras can be easily spooked into hiding so situate the tank appropriately. The best tank mates for this fish are other small tetras, pencil fish, Corydoras, small rasboras, most livebearers and loaches.
In a slightly brackish water aquarium they can be housed with Kribensis Cichlids Pelvicachromis pulcher, Orange Chromide Cichlids Etroplus maculatus, small gobies and other small non-predatory fish.
- Venomous: No
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Compatible with:
- Same species - conspecifics: Yes - A minimum school of 6, but more are better.
- Peaceful fish (): Safe
- Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
- Aggressive (): Threat
- Large Semi-Aggressive (): Threat
- Large Aggressive, Predatory (): Threat
- Slow Swimmers & Eaters (): Safe
- Shrimps, Crabs, Snails: Safe - not aggressive
- Plants: Safe
The male is more slender with a sharply pointed swim bladder. The female is more rounded and you can actually see the eggs in a mature female.
The Pristella Tetra fish are egg layers. The female will spawn 300-400 eggs. The hard part is finding a compatible pair since they seem to be picky about who their partner is and sometimes the male is just unresponsive. Other than that they are easy to breed. to See a general description of how to breed egg layers in Breeding Freshwater Fish: Characins.
- Ease of Breeding: Moderate - It may take several attempts before a compatible breeding pair is established.
The Pristella Tetra is very hardy and disease is not usually a problem in a well maintained aquarium. That being said there is no guarantee that you won't have to deal with health problems or disease. Anything you add to your tank can bring disease to your tank. Not only other fish but plants, substrate, and decorations can harbor bacteria. Take great care and make sure to properly clean or quarantine anything that you add to an established tank so not to upset the balance.
A good thing about the Ornate Tetra is that due to their resilience, an outbreak of disease can often be limited to just one or a few fishes if you deal with it at an early stage. When keeping more sensitive types of fish, it is common for all fishes to be infected even before the first warning signs can be noticed. The best way to proactively prevent disease is to give your Flame Tetra the proper environment and give them a well balanced diet. The closer to their natural habitat the less stress the fish will have, making them healthier and happy. Stressed fish are more likely to acquire disease.
As with most fish they are prone to skin flukes, parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.), ichthyobodo infection, parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.), bacterial infections (general), and bacterial disease. It is recommended to read up on the common tank diseases. Knowing the signs and catching and treating them early makes a huge difference. For information about freshwater fish diseases and illnesses, see Aquarium Fish Diseases and Treatments.
The Pristella Tetra is readily available and moderately priced. It is also commonly sold as the X-Ray Fish, Golden Pristella Tetra, and X-ray Tetra.
- Animal-World References: Freshwater Fish and Plants
- Dr. Rüdiger Riehl and Hans A. Baensch, Aquarium Atlas Vol. 1, Publisher Hans A. Baensch, 1991
- Glen S. Axelrod, Brian M. Scott, Neal Pronek, Encyclopedia Of Exotic Tropical Fishes For Freshwater Aquariums, TFH Publications, 2005
- Joseph S. Nelson, Fishes of the World, Wiley, 2006.
- Neale Monks, Brackish Water Fishes: An Aquarist's Guide to Identification, Care & Husbandry, TFH Publ., 2006
- Pristella maxillaris (Ulrey, 1894) X-ray tetra, Fishbase.org
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