GLOWLIGHT TETRA - A Superb Fish to Keep in Community Aquariums

Tetra Glowlight Hemigrammus erythrozonus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Originating from river Essequibo in Guyana, Glowlight tetra fish comes from very turbulent water. The river runs through mountains and forests. In its journey into the Atlantic Ocean, the river has many waterfalls and rapids. Naturally, the fish is accustomed to staying in water currents.

The maximum size of Glowlight tetra fish is about 1.4 inches. It has a silvery color for its body and there is one bright stripe running throughout the body right from the snout to the tail. The color of the stripe is usually red but sometimes you can find Glowlight tetras with an orange stripe. The fins are normally transparent, but sometimes you can find silvery fins also. Innovative breeders are successful in bringing out color variations on their body. So these days you can have Glowlight tetra fish with the golden body also!

The fish is mainly described as schooling fish and it should be kept in a group of at least six. If you are able to keep a bigger group, the fish will be able to live happily. However, keeping only a single one or a pair is never desirable. The fish will develop stress and it will get sick. The life of the fish will also be shortened as they do not feel safe and they will not swim freely. But if they are kept in a bigger group, they will always be active and will show natural behavior.

Glowlight tetra fish usually tend to stay in the middle part of the aquarium, slightly above the bottom. However, when they are fed, they will immediately come to the surface of the water and try to grab the food. They are happy eaters and if you keep them well, they can live up to 4 to 5 years.

If you are planning to keep them in a community aquarium, you should always select nonaggressive species to stay with them. Cardinal tetras are good partners for Glowlight tetra fish. The color combination of both the fish will make your aquarium really beautiful. Cardinal tetras will form their own group and they will swim along with Glowlight tetras all the time. This will make your aquarium great.

Regarding keeping conditions of water in the aquarium, there are no complicated requirements. The temperature of the water should be within a range of 74-84 °F and the pH level of the water should be between 6.0 to 7.5.

If you are able to set up a medium-sized aquarium that is fine for Glowlight tetra fish. An aquarium of 10 gallons is good for them but if you are able to provide an aquarium of about 25 gallons that will make their stay comfortable. You should try to replicate the natural living conditions for them including a lot of plants with fine leaves, a good area for swimming and continuously flowing water.

The lighting of the aquarium should be moderate and the color of the substrate should preferably be dark.

Regarding their food, they love to eat worms and plants. However, they will be happy to eat food flakes as well as boiled vegetables.

Glowlight tetra fish are available easily from a lot of pet shops and they are not very expensive. So they are ideal for beginners as well as experienced fish-keepers.

By Chintamani Abhyankar Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way. Article Source: EzineArticles

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