Glowlight Tetra Care Guide
Hemigrammus erythrozonus · Easy care · 10 gallon minimum
A peaceful nano tetra with a glowing orange-red stripe; understated and lovely in planted tanks.
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How big does a glowlight tetra get?
A glowlight tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus) reaches about 1.5 inches as an adult. Plan tank size and tank mates around the adult size, not the small fish you buy at the store.
Tank size & setup
Give a glowlight tetra a minimum of 10 gallons, with water at 74–82°F and a pH of 5.8–7.5. Keep them in groups of at least 6 — they are shoaling fish and become stressed and washed-out alone. As a easy-care, omnivore species, a stable, cycled tank with the right diet keeps them healthiest.
Good tank mates
Pair a glowlight tetra with peaceful species that share its temperature and pH range. Compatible options include:
- Neon Tetra — 1.5", 10g min
- Guppy — 2.0", 10g min
- Molly — 4.0", 20g min
- Platy — 2.5", 10g min
- Zebra Danio — 2.0", 10g min
About the glowlight tetra
Hemigrammus erythrozonus, the glowlight tetra, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Acestrorhamphidae, the American characins. This fish is found in the Essequibo River and the Courantyne River in Guyana and Suriname. It is silver in colour and a bright iridescent orange to red stripe extends from the snout to the base of its tail, the front of the dorsal fin being the same color as the stripe. Other fins are silver to transparent. The glowlight tetra is a peaceful, shoaling fish. It is larger than the neon tetra, and its peaceful disposition makes it an ideal, and popular, community tank fish. It should be kept with similar sized, non-aggressive species. Hemigrammus gracilis is a senior synonym. The red-line rasbora of Malaysia and Indonesia has markings and coloring very similar to H. erythrozonus, but is a member of order Cypriniformes, not a close relative.
Recommended gear for glowlight tetras
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