Lemon tetra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lemon tetra |
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The lemon tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) is a type of tropical freshwater fish. It comes from South America and belongs to the Characidae family. This small tetra grows to about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long. People have kept lemon tetras in aquariums since 1932, making them a long-time favorite.
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About the Lemon Tetra
The lemon tetra has a deeper body shape compared to other tetras like the cardinal tetra. Its body looks a bit like a diamond when you see it from the side. Adult lemon tetras are mostly a clear yellow color. Their scales can even look shiny and pearly.
Their fins have cool black and yellow markings. The anal fin is mostly clear, but it has a black edge. The front part of this fin is a bright lemon-yellow. The dorsal fin is mostly black with a yellow spot in the middle. The tail fin is usually clear, but some males might have a shiny blue color. The pectoral fins are clear, and the pelvic fins are clear yellow. In strong males, these fins can be more solid yellow with black edges.
A special part of this fish is its eye. The top half of its eye is a bright red, sometimes looking like a ruby. This red color shows how healthy the fish is. If the red fades or turns gray, it means the fish might be sick. Like many characins, the lemon tetra has a small, fleshy fin called an adipose fin. This fin might have a black border, especially in males.
How to Tell Males and Females Apart
It's easiest to tell male and female lemon tetras apart by looking at the black edge of their anal fin. In females, this black line is very thin, almost like it was drawn with a pencil. In males, especially strong ones, the black edge is much wider. In breeding males, it can cover up to a third of the anal fin.
Males often have taller, pointier dorsal fins, but some females do too, so this isn't a sure way to tell. Females that are ready to lay eggs will look rounder and fuller, especially when you look down on them from above. This is because their body is expanding to hold the eggs.
Young lemon tetras are usually clear and don't have much color yet. It's very hard to tell if a young fish is male or female because their special features haven't fully developed.
Where Lemon Tetras Live
The lemon tetra is a fish from the Amazon Basin in South America. They were first found in the Rio Tapajos river basin near Santarém, Brazil. You can find them in the Rio Tapajos and parts of the Amazon River in that area.
Lemon Tetra Habitat
Lemon tetras live in clear rivers with a gentle to medium current. They stay in shallower water close to groups of water plants. The water there is usually a little acidic and doesn't have many minerals.
Lemon tetras gather in huge groups called shoals, sometimes with thousands of fish. Their black and yellow colors make it hard for predators to pick out just one fish. When danger is near, the fish in the shoal will weave in and out, confusing any animal trying to hunt them. In the wild, they usually swim in the middle or lower parts of the water.
Caring for Lemon Tetras in an Aquarium
Lemon tetras do best in an aquarium with lots of plants. They should be kept in schools of at least six fish. This helps them act like they would in the wild. If you have space, keeping more than six is even better.
In a planted tank, lemon tetras show off their brightest colors. Young fish in empty pet store tanks often look dull. Your aquarium should have thick plant areas mixed with open spaces for the fish to swim.
Good Tank Mates
Good tank mates for lemon tetras include other tetra species, small barbs, small danios, and small rasboras. Catfish like Corydoras and Otocinclus also make good companions. If your tank is big enough, some types of dwarf cichlids, like smaller Apistogramma species, can also live with them. Choose peaceful fish that aren't too big. It looks more natural if you pick other South American fish. A tank with many lemon tetras and cardinal tetras looks amazing. The blue and red of the cardinals stand out against the bright yellow and black of the lemons.
Water Conditions
Lemon tetras prefer soft water (less than 8° dH hardness) and slightly acidic water (pH around 6.6). However, they are quite tough and can live in many different conditions. They can handle a pH range from 6.0 to 7.4. The best temperature for them is between 21°C and 28°C (70°F to 82°F). They can even handle temperatures up to 32°C (90°F) for a while if the water has enough oxygen. Make sure your tank has good Aeration and a good filter. Avoid very high pH (8.0 or more) and very hard water, as this can stress them out.
Feeding Lemon Tetras
Feeding lemon tetras is easy because they eagerly eat all kinds of fish food. For them to be in top condition, especially if you want them to have babies, offer live foods like Daphnia. Lemon tetras especially love live bloodworms (which are midge larvae). They will gobble them up! They also happily eat prepared foods like flakes and freeze-dried Tubifex worms.
Lemon tetras can live for up to 8 years in an aquarium, but 6 years is more common.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Lemon tetras show an interesting behavior in the aquarium. Males will pick out spots in the tank and use them to show off as they get older. They mostly display to other males. They will hold their fins up to look as big as possible and swim forward with quick body movements. If two rival males get close, they might seem to attack each other. This is a special behavior called 'jousting'. The males dart towards each other but pull away at the last second. They don't hurt each other. Males that are equally matched might do this for 30 minutes or more. This behavior helps them figure out who is in charge and shows females which males are strong and healthy.
In the wild, many lemon tetras spawn together. Thousands of pairs will lay their eggs in thick groups of fine-leaved water plants. This is important to remember if you want them to have babies in your tank.
The male's courting dance involves a trembling motion with his head down. He will flick his fins to create flashes of yellow color for the female to see. If the female is ready to lay eggs, the pair will go to fine-leaved plants like Cabomba or Java moss. The eggs are not sticky and will fall through the plants to the bottom. A large, healthy female can lay as many as 300 eggs.
To breed lemon tetras, you need a tank with good filtration, aeration, and fine-leaved plants. Slowly raise the temperature to 28°C (82°F) over a few days. Feed the pair lots of live foods. The tank should get morning sunlight, as this helps them spawn. Once they have laid their eggs, move the adult fish back to the main tank.
Development of Young Fish
Fertile lemon tetra eggs hatch in about 72 hours at 28°C (82°F). The baby fish, called fry, spend another 24 to 48 hours absorbing their yolk sac. After that, they start swimming freely. At this point, you should feed the fry tiny foods like infusoria or special egg-layer fry food. You also need to do small water changes (about 10% of the tank volume) every 24 to 48 hours.
After 7 days, the fry should be ready to eat newly hatched Brine Shrimp. The fry are almost clear at first, except for their eyes. They don't start to look like the adult diamond shape until their fins are fully formed, which takes about 4–6 weeks. Once their fins are developed, they can eat sifted Daphnia. Slowly lower the temperature for the fry to about 25°C (77°F) once they look like miniature adults.
The black color on their fins might take another two weeks or more to appear. It won't be until the fish are at least 12 weeks old that they fully look like small versions of their parents. Even then, the black color on their fins won't be complete. The black border on the anal fin, which helps tell males from females, won't be fully developed until they are sexually mature, which is around 8 to 9 months after hatching.
Health and Disease
Lemon tetras are generally strong fish, but they can still get common freshwater fish diseases. They can get Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich), which looks like white spots on their skin and fins. They can also get different fungal infections that look like cottony growths.
To keep them healthy, always maintain good water quality by changing the water regularly. Make sure they eat a balanced diet and avoid putting too many fish in one tank. Too many fish can stress them and make them more likely to get sick. It's also very important to quarantine any new fish before adding them to your main tank. This stops diseases from spreading. With good care, lemon tetras can live a healthy life and be a great part of your home aquarium.
See also
- List of freshwater aquarium fish species
Images for kids
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Lemon Tetras at the Vancouver Aquarium.
