The Silvertip Tetra, Hasemania nana, is occasionally called the Copper tetra. It comes from the Sao Francisco River and its tributaries in Brazil. Although the Silvertip Tetra will grow to about 2 inches (5 cm) in length, most seen are just over half that.
Other scientific names that have been used for this fish are Hasemania marginata, Hasemania nana, Hemigrammus nanus, and Tetragonopterus nanus.
water conditions
This little tetra is less fussy than some tetras about water parameters. It can handle a slightly wider temperature range than most tropical fish, but it’s definitely a tropical fish, not a cold-water fish. It should be happy in a community tank at 75 degrees F (24 degrees C).
You can take a pH between 6 and 8. Neutral (7) is a good pH to aim for. Although in the wild, the Silvertip Tetra has soft water, it can take on moderate hardness.
The tank must be well planted.
food
The Silvertip Tetra is an easy to feed omnivore. It will eat all normal fish foods, although it will like the occasional live food, such as mosquito larvae and daphnia. Frozen foods like bloodworms are also good.
companions
The Silvertip Tetra is a schooling fish and in a school it is normally very peaceful. I suggest at least 6 Silvertip Tetras be kept together. More would be even better. It is compatible with other reasonably peaceful fish.
The Silvertip Tetra is also fast enough to keep up with slightly agile fish such as: Black Widow Tetras, Rosy Barbs, Tiger Barbs, Paraguay Tetras, Buenos Aires Tetras, and Colombian Tetras.
A school of silvertip tetras is sometimes fine, even with long-finned, slow-moving fish like Siamese fighting fish, guppies, and Endler’s guppies, but I would be very cautious when putting them together. If you have fewer silvertip tetras so that they cannot form a school, I would definitely not recommend them as mates for these three types of fish.
Avoid big or very aggressive fish with these little beauties.
sexed
The male Silvertip Tetra tends to have brighter colors than the female, as well as being slimmer. The females become noticeably fatter when loaded with eggs.
Breeding
The Silvertip Tetra is an easy to breed egg spreader. It can be raised in a small school or in pairs.
Ideally, males and females should be separated and well conditioned with rich foods like mosquito larvae and daphnia, as well as frozen foods like bloodworms.
If breeding in pairs, select the male with the most vibrant colors and the bulkiest, best-looking females.
With breeding in school, select a few of each sex.
The breeding tank should be dimly lit and contain fine-leaved plants such as Java moss. If possible, have something at the bottom of the plant to prevent the parents from reaching the falling eggs. Some people use marbles for this task, while others prefer a mesh of the appropriate size.
The parents will eat the eggs and the babies, so they are normally removed after spawning.
The eggs should hatch in a little over a day and the fry should be free swimming in another 3-4 days. They will need fine food such as infusoria (Protozoa) for a few days. This can be supplemented with very fine commercial fried foods. Soon they will be able to eat slightly larger foods. At all stages, live food of the right size is good for them.
Be aware that both eggs and fry can be damaged by bright lights; subdued lighting should be used for the breeding and rearing tank.
plague fish
Although Silvertip Tetra is a peaceful and well-behaved fish in a community aquarium, the same precautions need to be exercised to prevent its accidental release into ecosystems to which it is not native. They could certainly harm other ecosystems.