Fellow Creatures
Freshwater Fish

Ember Tetra

Hyphessobrycon amandae

Small orange tetra for nano planted tanks  ·  Beginner

Ember Tetra

Klaus Rudloff · CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons

Lifespan
2-4 years
Adult size
2 cm / 0.8 in
Min. habitat
Aquarium 40L+ / 10gal+, heated and filtered
Social needs
Shoaler; keep 8-10+ together
Diet
Omnivore; micro pellets, crushed flakes, frozen foods
Time
Low; daily feeding, weekly water change
Cost
Low

Overview

  • The ember tetra is a tiny characin from the slow, vegetated waters of the Araguaia basin in Brazil, named for its warm orange-red colour.
  • Rarely exceeding two centimetres, it is one of the smallest popular tetras and well suited to planted nano aquariums.
  • Captive-bred and hardy, embers are genuinely beginner-friendly once a tank is cycled.
  • Their small size means they are easily bullied or eaten, so tankmate choice matters more than for larger species.

Housing

  • A shoal of eight to ten fits comfortably in 40 litres (10 gallons), filtered and gently heated to 23-28C.
  • They look best against dark substrate in a densely planted tank with driftwood and light tannin staining.
  • They prefer soft, slightly acidic to neutral water and low flow, as strong current tires such small fish.
  • Stable, well-cycled water and plenty of planted cover let timid embers leave the back of the tank and colour up.

Diet

  • Embers are micro-predators with tiny mouths, so food must be small.
  • Offer fine micro-pellets, crushed flake and powdered foods as the staple, supplemented with frozen or live cyclops, baby brine shrimp and microworms.
  • Feed small amounts once or twice daily, only what is eaten quickly.
  • Larger frozen foods such as whole bloodworm are often too big; chop them or choose smaller items so every fish gets fed.

Health

  • Embers are robust for their size but vulnerable to the usual stress-linked diseases, ich and fin rot, when chilled or kept in unstable water.
  • Their small bodies show problems quickly, so daily observation is the best early warning.
  • Stable temperature, soft water and weekly partial changes prevent most issues.
  • Acclimatise gently, quarantine new fish, and avoid sudden parameter swings, which hit nano species hard because small volumes buffer poorly.

Temperament

  • Peaceful, shy and social, embers shoal loosely and drift through midwater plants.
  • A larger group gives them the confidence to swim in the open rather than hiding at the back of the tank.
  • They suit calm nano communities with other tiny, gentle species such as pygmy corydoras, small rasboras and dwarf shrimp.
  • Keep them away from anything large enough to swallow them or boisterous enough to outcompete them at feeding.

A good fit for

  • Planted nano and desktop aquariums
  • Beginners wanting an easy colourful shoal
  • Peaceful shrimp-friendly community tanks
  • Keepers with limited space

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Food too large for their tiny mouths
  • Housing with fish big enough to eat them
  • Keeping too few, causing them to hide
  • Parameter swings in small, poorly buffered tanks
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