Congo tetra
Encyclopedia
Described by Boulenger in 1899, the Congo Tetra is found in the upper Congo Basin
in slightly acidic, murky waters similar to those that tetras from South America
inhabit.
. The Congo tetra requires soft, peat filtered water and a darker substrate. They are most comfortable in an aquarium with lower light levels. The beautiful rainbow colors of this fish will also show best in lower light levels. These fish are easily frightened by aggressive tank mates and loud noises and may wait for you to leave the aquarium before they will feed. It is a peaceful schooling fish and needs a large aquarium to thrive and develop its full beauty. Any aquarium of less than 30 gallons will not be suitable for a proper school of these fish.
Hardness: 4-18 ° dGH
Ph: 6.2
Temperatue: (75-81 ° F) 24-27 ° C
(either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
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.
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.
Author: Pecio, Anna
Folia Biologica, Volume 57, Numbers 1-2, December 2008 , pp. 13-21(9)
Publisher: Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
in slightly acidic, murky waters similar to those that tetras from South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
inhabit.
Aquarium Keeping
In the aquarium, mimic the natural habitatHabitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. The Congo tetra requires soft, peat filtered water and a darker substrate. They are most comfortable in an aquarium with lower light levels. The beautiful rainbow colors of this fish will also show best in lower light levels. These fish are easily frightened by aggressive tank mates and loud noises and may wait for you to leave the aquarium before they will feed. It is a peaceful schooling fish and needs a large aquarium to thrive and develop its full beauty. Any aquarium of less than 30 gallons will not be suitable for a proper school of these fish.
Hardness: 4-18 ° dGH
Ph: 6.2
Temperatue: (75-81 ° F) 24-27 ° C
Description
The Congo Tetra has a typical full-bodied tetra shape with rather large scales. When mature, the iridescent 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. It is not its fluorescent colors that make this Tetra so distinct, but rather its tail fin, which develops into a most beautiful grayish violet feathery appendage with white edges. The males get up to 3.0 inches (8.5 cm). Females up to 2.75 inches (6 cm).Nutrition
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 shrimpBrine shrimp
Artemia is a genus of aquatic crustaceans known as brine shrimp. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, has changed little externally since the Triassic period...
(either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.
Social Behavior
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, peatPeat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
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.
Sources
- Ultrastructural Examination of Spermiogenesis and Spermatozoon Ultrastructure in Congo tetra Phenacogrammus interruptus Boulenger, 1899 (Ostariophysi: Characiformes: Alestidae)
Author: Pecio, Anna
Folia Biologica, Volume 57, Numbers 1-2, December 2008 , pp. 13-21(9)
Publisher: Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences
- IUCN Red list: http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/search