Genus name: Hemigrammus Erythrozonus

Distribution:  South America

Length:  up to 1.6" (4cm)

Water Temperature: 75-83F (24-28C)

Diet: Worms, small crustaceans, plant matter, dried food

Water: soft to slightly hard water

Lives: In the lower areas of the aquarium

Glowlight Tetra have been popular amongst aquarists since the 1940's.  The Glowlight Tetra is silver in colour with a bright iridescent orange/red stripe which extends from the nose to the tail.

They are peaceful fish, and should be kept with similar, avoid putting Glowlight Tetra in an aquarium with larger, aggressive fish.  They particularly like to shoal with other tetra, especially Neon Tetra, Rummy-Nosed Tetra, Cardinal Tetra and similar.  It is best to have anywhere from 5 to 8 tetras at least in an aquarium.

The aquarium should have plenty of plant-life so the Glowlight Tetras can hide, as well as a good expanse of open water as they like to be active

Glowlight Tetra are good for the novice aquarist, as they are relatively easy to keep, and they should live anywhere from two to four years in an aquarium.

As with most tetras, the male Glowlight Tetra is more slender than the female, who has a more rounded body.  It is fairly difficult to get them to breed in captivity, but if they do, they will both turn upside down in the water, and the female will lay her eggs like this.  This results in the eggs being scattered on the leaves and the bottom of the aquarium.  It is advisable to remove the adult Glowlight Tetra after spawning as they will eat their own eggs and young.