A tiny, glowing orange-red nano tetra ideal for planted and shrimp-friendly aquariums. Peaceful and easy to keep, it shines best in a tight shoal against a dark background.
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South America (Araguaia River basin, Rio das Mortes, central Brazil)
Origin
New World
Climate
🌴 Tropical
Water type
💧 Freshwater
Family
Characidae
Genus
Hyphessobrycon
Part of the Tetras
Small, often brightly colored characin fishes popular as peaceful shoaling community aquarium fish. Tetras are kept in groups, appreciate soft, slightly acidic water and planted tanks, and range from tiny nano species to larger schooling fish.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
Photo coming soon
Minimum
Shoal nano planted
10 gal / 38 L planted
Hyphessobrycon amandae reaches just under 1 in. 10-gallon planted nano with a shoal of 8+, soft acidic blackwater, dense plants, and gentle filtration. Peaceful — pair with shrimp or other nano-shoaling species.
Photo coming soon
Recommended
Aquascape shoal
15 gal / 57 L aquascape
15-gal aquascape with shoal of 12+, mosses, driftwood, leaf litter, and dim lighting. Brilliant orange colour against green plants.
Photo coming soon
Ideal
Amazon biotope shoal
20 gal+ / 76 L+ biotope
Amazon biotope with leaf litter, driftwood, very soft acidic water, and a large shoal of 20+. Closest to wild Araguaia tributary behaviour.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Photo coming soon
Egg
Fish eggs are small, translucent spheres, often laid in clutches on plants, substrate, or in a nest — or carried/brooded by a parent in livebearing and mouth-brooding species. A dark eye spot and the curled embryo become visible inside as development progresses.
Photo coming soon
Fry
Newly hatched fry are tiny and semi-transparent, frequently still carrying a yolk sac that fuels them before they feed freely. They lack full fin structure and adult coloration, staying near cover until they can swim and forage on their own.
Photo coming soon
Juvenile
Juveniles look like miniature adults but with developing fins and muted or different markings; many species shift pattern and color as they mature. Growth is rapid at this stage given clean water and steady feeding.
Adult
Adults show the species' full size, finnage, and mature coloration, and are sexually mature. Many fish develop sex-specific differences in size, color, or fin shape, which can intensify during breeding.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Embers are perfect for nano and planted tanks; a group can be kept in as little as 40 L (around 10 gallons), though larger tanks allow bigger, more impressive shoals. Use a dark substrate, dense planting, floating plants, driftwood, and leaf litter to mimic their slow, tannin-stained South American stream habitat and to make their fiery color pop.
They prefer soft to moderately hard, slightly acidic to neutral water with a pH around 5.5-7.0 and a temperature of roughly 22-28 C (72-82 F). Gentle filtration and stable, clean water suit these small fish, which can be added to mature, well-planted tanks alongside dwarf shrimp.
Substrate
A dark, fine substrate (sand or small gravel) intensifies their fiery orange glow and reduces skittishness in this tiny species. Pair it with leaf litter or botanicals for a tannin-tinted, natural look.
Equipment & setup
A planted 10+ gallon tank with a gentle sponge filter and subdued lighting suits these nano fish, kept at 73-84F; they thrive in soft, slightly acidic water. Floating plants and fine-leaved cover like java moss provide the shade and security they prefer.
Diet
Ember tetras are micro-predators with small mouths, so foods must be appropriately tiny. Offer finely crushed flakes, micro-pellets, and small live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp, microworms, cyclops, and daphnia.
Feed small amounts once or twice daily. A varied diet rich in small live and frozen foods deepens their orange-red coloration.
Behavior & temperament
This is an exceptionally peaceful, gregarious shoaling fish that should be kept in groups of at least 8-10; larger groups display the best color and natural schooling. They occupy the middle and upper water column and are active but never aggressive.
Their small size and gentle nature make them ideal companions for dwarf shrimp, other nano fish, and heavily planted aquascapes. Dense vegetation and subdued lighting provide security and encourage them to swim in the open.
Health
Embers are generally hardy but sensitive to poor water quality and chilling due to their tiny size. The usual freshwater ailments apply, chiefly ich and bacterial or fungal infections, almost always linked to stress, unstable parameters, or an immature tank.
Quarantine new fish, acclimate slowly, and maintain stable temperatures and clean, soft water. Avoid keeping them with fish large enough to eat them, which is a common, preventable cause of loss.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Keep a shoal of 10 or more for the best display, as larger groups color up and swim out in the open confidently. Feed crushed micro-pellets, baby brine shrimp, and powdered foods sized for their tiny mouths; a dense planted corner gives fry a chance to survive without a separate breeding setup.
