Red eye tetra care
Bario sanctaefilomenae · São Francisco, upper Paraná, Paraguay and Uruguay river basins, South America
Red eye tetras are hardy silver tetras with a red ring above the eye and a black band on the tail, one of the easiest schooling fish for a first tank.
- Tank size
- 29 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 73 to 82 °F (23 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 6 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2.8 in
- pH
- 6 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 4 to 15 dGH
- Lifespan
- 3 to 5 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Easy
In a 29 gallon
30¼ × 12½ × 18¾ in outsideHow to keep red eye tetras
Red eye tetras are hardy silver tetras with a red ring above the eye and a black band on the tail, one of the easiest schooling fish for a first tank. Keep six or more in a 29 gallon or larger tank at 73 to 82 °F; they are busy swimmers and suit fish of a similar pace.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, small pellets, frozen and live foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Red eye tetra tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Peppered corydoras
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 64–77 °F
Wrestling halfbeak
2.8 in · 20+ gal · 72–82 °F
Croaking gourami
2.8 in · 15+ gal · 72–82 °F
Bronze corydoras
2.75 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
German blue ram
3 in · 20+ gal · 78–85 °F
Cockatoo dwarf cichlid
3 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Emerald corydoras
3 in · 29+ gal · 72–82 °F
Celebes rainbowfish
3 in · 29+ gal · 68–82 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: red eye tetras need 73 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as red eye tetras.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as red eye tetras.
Demasoni cichlid: Demasoni cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as red eye tetras.
Red zebra cichlid: Red zebra cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as red eye tetras.
What a red eye tetra tank needs
A tank of 29 US gallons or more (such as the 29 gallon) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 20
Rated by the maker for up to 30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon red eye tetra tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 29 gallon red eye tetra tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Pro 100W
Red eye tetras need 73 to 82 °F; most homes run cooler, so a heater holds the temperature.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding red eye tetras.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, so you know it stays within 73 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 29 gallon tank · Heaters for a 29 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common red eye tetra problems
- Their constant motion can stress slow, timid fish such as bettas and angelfish.
- Now and then one nips fins, even in a group; watch long-finned tankmates.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats fish can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Bario sanctaefilomenae. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Red eye tetra Jhartshorn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Peppered corydoras Przemysław Malkowski, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wrestling halfbeak Ahsan_al_hidayat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Croaking gourami Howard Jelks, U.S. Geological Survey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bronze corydoras Quatermass (English Wikipedia), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- German blue ram Eric Mengel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cockatoo dwarf cichlid William Kreijkes, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Emerald corydoras NonstickRon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Celebes rainbowfish Brent Tibbatts, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- White cloud mountain minnow Petrtyl, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pea puffer Beta Mahatvaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Convict cichlid S. Olkowicz, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Jewel cichlid NasserHalaweh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Demasoni cichlid lee Nachtigal, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Red zebra cichlid Maha Dinesh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
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