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Characins
/ Characinae / Diamond Tetra
Diamond Tetra, Pittier's Tetra
Moenkhausia pittieri | Pictures
SYN: None
PD: The fin of the male are quite elongated and silver in color.
The female's fins are elongated, but
no as much as the male's.
The fins are transparent.
The body is oval shaped and green to silver in color.
It gets its name from the shimmering
scales that develop when adult.
In reflected light the scales can have a violet to gold iridescence.
The upper part of the iris is red to
orange.
SIZE: To 2.5" (6.4 cm)
SS: None
HAB: South America; found in well-planted shallows of Lake Valencia, the Rio Bue, and the
Rio Tiquirito in Venezuela.
S: middle, top
TANK: 24" (60 cm) or 15 gallons (55 L).
The tank should be well-planted with
of cover of floating plants to help filter the lighting.
Arrange the tank in dark colors to help bring
out the Diamond Tetra's iridescence.
Leave open swimming areas.
This fish prefers peat filtered water.
WATER: pH 5.5-7 (6.7), 2-10 dH (5), 75-82°F (24-28°C)
SB: A calm, peaceful, schooling fish that can be kept in a community tank.
Do
not combine with fin-nipping fish.
SC: Corydoras,
Loricarids, Hatchetfish, tetras, Discus
FOOD: Flake; live; insect larvae, terrestrial insects, Brine Shrimp,
Tubifex.
SEX: Males have more elongated fins, especially the dorsal.
B: After separate conditioning, the pair can be
introduced into the breeding tank.
Use
a small breeding tank (16" or 5 gallons) with peat-filtered water, a pH of 5.5-6.0, and a water hardness of
1-4 dH.
Daybreak and the feeding of mosquito larvae help initiate spawning.
Use fine fiber, fine-leafed plants,
or plastic grass.
The eggs will be laid in this fiber.
Remove the parents after spawning, but sometimes
they will not harm the eggs if fed sufficiently.
The eggs hatch after 24-40 hours-depending on the water temperature-and
hand from glass or plants for 3-6 days, and are free-swimming after that.
Start feeding with
Artemia and other small live foods.
BP: 7.
The Diamond Tetra is a moderately difficult fish to breed.
R: Young fish's coloration is often misleading, as it is very plain and dull, nothing of
the shimmering, diamond-like coloration of the adult fish.
Perform frequent partial water changes in order
to keep the Diamond Tetra in peak condition.
The Diamond Tetra is occasionally bred in Southeast Asia.
DC: 5.
A handsome, but somewhat sensitive fish.
Recent articles about fish
Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest trees
(2/5/2008) Overfishing is reducing the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish in the Brazilian Pantanal, reports Nature. The research suggests that fishing practices can affect forest health.
Scientists find fish that literally lives in trees
(10/17/2007) Scientists have found a fish that literally lives in trees, according to research published in The American Naturalist and highlighted in New Scientist Magazine.
Piranhas originated when Amazon was flooded by seawater
(12/4/2007) South America's piranha family of fish -- notorious as eaters of flesh -- can be traced back to a single ancestor which dispersed when the Amazon was flooded by seawater some five million years ago, report researchers from the Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement (IRD). Today piranhas are exclusively freshwater fish found from the Orinoco River basin in Venezuela to the Parana in Argentina.
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