Silvertip tetra (Hasemania nana) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Silvertip tetra, Copper tetra
Family
Acestrorhamphidae (American tetras; formerly Characidae)
Origin
The Rio São Francisco basin in Minas Gerais and neighbouring states, eastern Brazil.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
5 cm
Temperature
23–28°C
pH
6–8
Hardness
Medium to hard, 5–20 dGH
Minimum tank
70 litres
Care level
beginner
Temperament
peaceful

Care

The silver-tipped tetra is a lively, coppery little fish with bright white tips to its fins, and a great choice for a general community tank. Keep a group of at least six, preferably ten or more – in a decent-sized shoal they are busy and colourful and much less inclined to nip. A tank with a base of about 60 × 38 cm suits a group. It adapts to most set-ups but looks especially good in a planted tank. For a more natural look, use a sandy substrate with driftwood, twisted roots and a few dried oak or beech leaves. All the fish in the trade are captive bred and unfussy about water chemistry and diet. Aim for 23–28 °C, a pH of around 6.0–8.0 and soft-to-hard water (about 5–20 dGH), with regular partial water changes. Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/hasemania-nana/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Hasemania-nana.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvertiptetra). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Not fussy. Feed good dried flakes and granules alongside small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp, which bring out the males' coppery colour.

Breeding

An egg-scatterer with no parental care that will spawn in a group or in pairs. Males are slimmer and more intensely coloured than females. Use a separate, dimly lit breeding tank with fine-leaved plants or spawning mops (or mesh over the base), and condition the adults well on live and frozen foods. Remove the adults after spawning, as they eat the eggs. Eggs hatch in 24–36 hours; feed the fry infusoria-type foods first, then brine shrimp nauplii.

Compatibility and tank mates

Lively but peaceful in a proper shoal. Good with livebearers, danios, rasboras, other tetras, Corydoras and other bottom dwellers, and generally with gouramis and dwarf cichlids. Avoid larger predatory fish, and be cautious with very slow, long-finned species if the group is small, as it can nip.

Last updated 4 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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