Cherry spotted tetra - Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma

This fascinatingly beautiful ornamental fish gets its name from its cherry red spot on the body. The Cherry Spotted Tetra (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) from the Amazon Basin in South America is a very sociable and very peaceful somewhat larger growing tetra. This pretty ornamental fish grows to an impressive 8-9 cm in length. The females reach a slightly larger body length than the male cherry spotted tetra.

Cherry spotted tetras are characterized by their pink body. The otherwise white dorsal fin is adorned with a large, dynamic diagonal black spot. The caudal fin is transparent. The more or less transparent anal fin of the Cherry Spotted Tetra is strikingly elongated. It has a whitish pattern on the belly and tapers to red in the tail area. The bright red iris of the eye and the name-giving intensive red shining cherry spot in the body center is remarkable. The males are more intense in color than the females.

Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is a very social and peaceful schooling fish, which sometimes hangs around the aquarium individually in a relaxed mood, but immediately joins the group when stressed. A group size of 10 Cherry Tetras is therefore a minimum requirement. The males form territories and show territorial behavior, but do not fight each other. Since the Cherry Spotted Tetra grows quite large, the aquarium should have 200-250 l capacity. Along the edges the aquarium should be well planted, in the middle the fish like some space to swim. Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma prefers soft to maximum medium hard water. The water temperature in the aquarium should be between 23 and 28 °C.

This pretty, somewhat larger growing schooling fish fits very well in a community aquarium with other peaceful not too small fish. Also a keeping in an aquarium with few and peaceful dwarf shrimps is conceivable. Dwarf shrimp may be eaten, but larger shrimp such as Amanos or fan shrimp have nothing to fear.

As a typical tetra, the strikingly colored Cherry Spotted Tetra is an omnivore that feeds on insects and larvae, worms and small crustaceans as well as plant material in nature. In the aquarium, you can feed it well with the usual high-quality flake foods or granulated foods for omnivorous fish. From time to time you should enrich the menu of the Cherry Spotted Tetra with live food and frozen food .

Breeding Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is a bit more complicated than other tetras. The breeding tank needs very soft and slightly acidic water with a total hardness of about 3 and should not have less than 80 liters. Very important: The water should not contain nitrates if possible and should be enriched with humic substances. Here a pair of cherry spotted tetras is used. The planting is important: fine finned aquatic plants such as Javamoos help to preserve the eggs - typical for the tetra, the cherry spotted tetra is quite a spawn predator. A spawning grid or thick pebbles on the bottom also help. As a free spawner, the female simply lays her eggs in the open water where they are fertilized by the male. The parent fish are retrieved after spawning and returned to the community aquarium. The larvae of the Cherry Spotted Tetra hatch after about one to two days and are then raised on rotifers and artemia euplii.

Our food recommendation: This NatureHolic Main Feed is a professional staple feed for all aquarium fish. Main feed we supply in the form of soft granules, which thanks to its grain size of half a millimeter can be easily absorbed by small to medium-sized fish. The soft consistency resembles the texture of insect larvae in nature and protects the fish mouth from micro-injuries.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free from algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.