Lemon Tetra Fact Sheet
The Lemon Tetra , Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnisis an attractive and lively fish reaching a maximum length of about one and a half inches (four cm). This South American Tetra is found in the Tapajós River in Brazil in large numbers.
Conditions
The Lemon Tetra is a tropical fish. In its natural habitat the water temperature stays between 23̊ and 28° C (74° F – 82° F). I suggest a temperature of about 24̊ C or 75̊ F for a community tank including Lemon Tetras. The Lemon Tetra is more flexible in its pH and hardness requirements than most tetras, being able to survive a pH range of from 5.5 to 8, and the Lemon Tetra can take quite hard water. I suggest neutral pH (7) for a mixed community.
Companions
Lemon Tetras are very much a schooling fish and I suggest that at least five and preferably more be kept together. A large group of Lemon Tetras are less likely to shyly hide and more likely to Boldly Swim in the open near the surface of the tank, creating a stunning display. The Lemon Tetra will certainly be less stressed in a large school and more likely to stay healthy.
Common companions for Lemon Tetras include Neon Tetras, Black Widow Tetras, Cardinal Tetras, Emperor Tetras, Head and Tail Light Tetras, Glass Bloodfin Tetras, Glowlight Tetras, Guppies, Endlers Guppies, Neon Tetras, Peppered Catfish, Siamese Fighting Fish , White Cloud Mountain Minnows and Zebra Danios. Note that not all these common companions are compatible with each other.
Fish I would not suggest as companions for Lemon Tetras are the larger and more aggressive fish and the ones that need different conditions. These includes many of the Cichlids as well as such fish as the Whale Shark which requires completely different conditions as well as being on the large size for a community tank of small fish.
Breeding
In the wild the Lemon Tetra breeds with huge numbers of fish at a time. During and after spawning, many fish, including the Lemon Tetras themselves eat some of the eggs. In captivity the Lemon Tetra is considered by many people to be a moderately difficult fish to breed.
The Lemon Tetra is an egg scatterer like most of the tetras and tends to release its eggs over fine leaved plants. Like most tetras, the Lemon Tetra does not look after its babies and will eat both the eggs and the young fish. A group of Lemon Tetras is more likely to breed successfully than a single pair, but if you want to save most of the fry you need to remove the parents.
The fry are difficult to raise for the first few days, but if you can get them past the first critical stage they start getting the hardiness that characterizes the adults.
To feed the babies, you can start with a very fine food like sera micron or hard boiled egg yolk suspended in the water. They can progress to slightly bigger fry food like Sera Micropan or HBH Fry Bites quite soon. The benefit from suitable sized live food at all ages.
Sources
Lemon Tetras
