Rummy-nose tetra care
Hemigrammus rhodostomus · Lower Amazon and Orinoco basins
Rummy-nose tetras school tighter than almost any other tetra: keep eight or more in a 20 gallon long or bigger, at 75 to 82 °F, in soft water.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 75 to 82 °F (24 to 28 °C)
- Group size
- 8 or more
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 2 in
- pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Hardness (GH)
- 2 to 8 dGH
- Lifespan
- 5 to 8 years
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep rummy-nose tetras
Rummy-nose tetras school tighter than almost any other tetra: keep eight or more in a 20 gallon long or bigger, at 75 to 82 °F, in soft water. A bright red head is the best water-quality signal in the hobby: when it fades, test the water.
Diet: Omnivore: flakes, micro pellets, frozen foods. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Middle of the tank.
Rummy-nose 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.
Honey gourami
2 in · 10+ gal · 72–82 °F
Otocinclus
2 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Amano shrimp
2 in · 10+ gal · 68–80 °F
Bandit corydoras
1.9 in · 20+ gal · 72–79 °F
Bloodfin tetra
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 65–82 °F
Golden dwarf cichlid
2.2 in · 20+ gal · 72–80 °F
Agassiz's dwarf cichlid
1.7 in · 20+ gal · 75–84 °F
Lyretail killifish
2.4 in · 10+ gal · 70–79 °F
Keep apart
White cloud mountain minnow: No shared temperature: rummy-nose tetras need 75 to 82 °F, white cloud mountain minnows 64 to 72 °F.
Pea puffer: Pea puffers belong in a tank of their own.
Fancy goldfish: No shared temperature: rummy-nose tetras need 75 to 82 °F, fancy goldfish 64 to 74 °F.
Convict cichlid: Convict cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as rummy-nose tetras.
Jewel cichlid: Jewel cichlids are aggressive towards peaceful fish such as rummy-nose tetras.
Oranda: No shared temperature: rummy-nose tetras need 75 to 82 °F, orandas 64 to 74 °F.
What a rummy-nose tetra tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below.
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Aquarium Co-Op Easy Flow Sponge Filter, Small
A sponge filter gives gentle flow and cannot pull in small fish. It runs from an air pump, with airline tubing and a check valve, all sold separately.
Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon rummy-nose 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 20 gallon rummy-nose tetra tank without being built for a far bigger one.
hygger Precise Aquarium Heater 100W
Rummy-nose tetras need 75 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 rummy-nose 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 75 to 82 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank · Heaters for a 20 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 rummy-nose tetra problems
- Pale heads mean stress: check ammonia, nitrite and temperature first.
- They do not cope with a new, unstable tank; add them last.
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: Hemigrammus rhodostomus. 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.
- Rummy-nose tetra PierangeloGatto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Honey gourami Antoon Dommerholt (Dutch Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Otocinclus CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bandit corydoras Gonzalo Valenzuela, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Bloodfin tetra VGW2006, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Golden dwarf cichlid Borkowski.robert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Agassiz's dwarf cichlid Cisamarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Lyretail killifish Alexander Prokoshev, CC BY-SA 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
- Fancy goldfish Benson Kua, CC BY-SA 2.0, 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
- Oranda Lawrencekhoo, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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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