Diamond Tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri)

Common Name:

Diamond Tetra.

Scientific Name:

Moenkhausia pittieri.

Other Names:

Monk Tetra, Moenk Tetra.

Family:

Tetragonopteridae, but some place it in Charcidae within the subfamily Tetragonopterinae.

Distribution:

Lake Valencia in Venezuela and its surrounding rivers.

Size:

Approx 2.5 inches or 7cm.

Diet:

Aquatic insect larvae, but they'll take most commercially available aquarium foods. Live foods are always appreciated and this may be a good part of a regimen in which they are prepared for breeding.

Water Temperature:

74 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit (22 to 26 degrees Celsius).

Water Chemistry:

They need soft water, but may be able to adjust to hard water through drip acclimation.

pH:

5.5 to 8.5 is all right for long term maintenance, but anything outside of 6-7 requires drip acclimation.

Life Span:

5 years, give or take two.

Description:

These beautiful fish have reflective silver as a ground color, but there is more to them than that. They are speckled with a bright yellow, and have a hint of red on the part of the "iris" that is directly adjacent to the pupil. They have long, elegant fins which are shaped somewhat similarly to those of a Betta splendens.

Species Behaviour:

These can be very peaceful, but very active, and will bother slow-moving fish as well as those with long fins. They need to be kept in schools of at least eight (according to Mark Phillip Smith).

Sexing:

Females that are ready to spawn will be thicker than males in the same condition. They are otherwise isomorphic.

Breeding:

These fish will spawn in water where the light has been diffused, and the dH is between 0 and 4. They generally like to spawn on finer-leafed plants, and will place their eggs there. The parents are oophagous, so their removal immediately after egg-laying is a good idea.

The fry can take either infusoria or pelletized egg layer fry foods at birth, and will quickly graduate to Artemia ssp. brine shrimp within a week. They can take finely-crushed flakes at two weeks of age.

Natural Conditions:

These live in slow-moving creeks and lakes with lots of vegetation.

Minimum recommended tank size:

15 gallons is the barest minimum, but I recommend nothing short of a 20 (Long).

Tank levels:

Top-Middle.

Miscellaneous:

This is one of the few species of aquarium fish whose original description remains valid. While Eigenmann has been correct with his description, Ahl's description of it in 1935 (15 years later) was incorrect with regard to generic and specific names (he called it Opisthanodus haerteli). Ahl's description has therefore been relegated to junior synonymy and rarely (if ever) appears in relevant hobby literature.