Diamond tetra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diamond tetra |
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The diamond tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri) is a beautiful, small freshwater fish. It belongs to the characin family, which includes many popular aquarium fish. You can find these shimmering fish in the waters around Lake Valencia in Venezuela, South America.
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About the Diamond Tetra
This fish gets its name from its super shiny, iridescent scales. They sparkle like tiny diamonds!
What They Look Like
Male diamond tetras look a bit different from females. Males have much longer fins on their backs (dorsal fins). They are also usually brighter in color. Both male and female diamond tetras are very attractive fish. Their dorsal and anal fins are often purple. Their bodies are silver. You might also see a red mark above their eye and a dark line along their side.
Where They Live
Diamond tetras are only found in a specific area of northern Venezuela. They originally came from Lake Valencia and the streams that flow into it. These fish like to live in slow-moving streams. They prefer places with lots of plants and fallen leaves.
Sadly, these fish are facing threats. Growing cities and pollution are harming their natural homes. It seems they have completely disappeared from Lake Valencia itself. However, in 2009, a photographer named Ivan Mikolji found and photographed some of these fish in a stream near the lake. This was great news!
Keeping Diamond Tetras as Pets
Diamond tetras are popular fish for home aquariums. They are peaceful and fun to watch.
What They Eat
Diamond tetras are omnivores. This means they eat both plants and animals. In the wild, they eat whatever they can find. They especially like small animals, like mosquito larvae.
In a home aquarium, they will eat most standard fish foods. This includes flakes and pellets. It's good to give them a variety of foods. They enjoy live foods like daphnia or frozen bloodworms.
How They Have Babies
Diamond tetras can have babies in an aquarium. A pair or a group will lay eggs in a shaded area. You can create this area with fine-leaved plants like Java moss.
It's best to feed the parent fish very well before they lay eggs. Small live foods are especially good for this.
The fish prefer soft, slightly acidic water. A temperature of about 26–29°C (80–84°F) is perfect. They usually lay their eggs early in the morning. After the eggs are laid, it's a good idea to remove the adult fish. This is because the parents might eat their own eggs.
The eggs usually hatch in about 36 hours. The baby fish, called fry, can swim freely in about 4 days. Diamond tetra fry grow quickly. They can eat special pre-made fry foods. However, tiny live foods will help them grow even faster and stronger.
