Bleeding heart tetra

Quick facts

Adult size

7 cm

Lifespan

can live up to 8 years

Tank zone

mid

Temperament

peaceful

Difficulty

beginner

Schooling

recommended 8+ (critical minimum 6, thrives at 10+)

Water parameters

Temperature

22–28°C

pH

5.5 to 7.5

Hardness

1 to 12 dGH

Tank requirements

Minimum volume

150 L

Minimum length

90 cm

Flow

low

Lighting

dim preferred

Substrate

any

Driftwood

preferred

Hiding spots

needed

Open swimming room

needed

Lid

required - jumper

Feeding

Diet: omnivore, feeds primarily at the mid.

Omnivore that eats flake, pellets, frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, and live food. Feeds in the midwater column. Not picky. Larger mouth than most community tetras, so standard-size food is fine without crushing. Feed twice daily. Good coloring requires a varied diet with regular frozen food.

Compatibility

• Larger tetra (6–7 cm) that needs more space than beginners expect. A school of 8 in a 150 L tank is the minimum. In smaller tanks they get nippy and territorial.
• Males spar with each other using lateral displays and fin-flaring. This is normal dominance behavior, not aggression. It intensifies in tanks with females present. Rarely causes injury unless the tank is too small for the losers to retreat.
• Good with medium-sized community fish: other large tetras, barbs, rainbowfish, and peaceful cichlids. Too large and fast to be bullied by most species. Avoid pairing with very small fish (embers, chilis) that might be intimidated by the activity level.
• The vivid red spot on the chest (the "bleeding heart") is present in both sexes and is the identification mark. Males develop elongated dorsal fin rays and are slightly more intensely colored.

Habitat

Native to the upper Amazon basin in Peru and Colombia. Found in slow-moving, shaded forest streams with soft, acidic water. The species (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) was described in 1943 and has been in the hobby since the 1950s. The body is deep, laterally compressed, with a silvery-pink base color, iridescent green-blue sheen, and the characteristic red chest spot. Males are more intensely colored and develop a dramatic sail-like dorsal fin extension with age. A well-maintained adult male is one of the more visually impressive small-tank fish in the hobby. Adults reach 6–7 cm. Wild-caught specimens still make up a portion of the trade, but tank-bred fish are increasingly common. The species prefers soft, acidic water but tank-bred stock handles a moderate range.

Breeding

Egg scatterer, difficult compared to most hobby tetras. Requires very soft, acidic water (pH below 6.0, GH below 3) and dim lighting. Condition pairs with frozen and live food for 2 weeks. The breeding tank should have fine-leaved plants and a dark bottom. Spawning occurs at dawn. Clutch size is small for a tetra of this size (50-100 eggs). Eggs are light-sensitive. Adults eat eggs. Fry need infusoria for the first few days, then baby brine shrimp. The difficulty of replicating the soft-water conditions is the main barrier; the species doesn't spawn reliably in anything above pH 6.5 or GH 4. Commercial breeding overcomes this with RO water and careful conditioning.

Common problems

Fin damage from male-male sparring in small groups. The elongated dorsal fins of males tear during confrontations. The damage heals in clean water but the fins never quite regain their original length. Internal parasites are common in wild-caught specimens; treat with praziquantel. The species is more sensitive to nitrate than many tetras; keep it below 20 ppm for best health and coloring. Columnaris and other bacterial infections appear when water quality degrades. Lifespan is 5-7 years in good conditions.

Bioload

Bioload coefficient: 1.0 (larger-bodied deep-flanked tetra; comparable to congo per-cm).

Bioload coefficients are calibrated against the neon tetra as the anchor (1.0). See the methodology page for the formula and how each value was derived.

Further reading

• How to cycle a fish tank
• Stocking ideas by tank size