Ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) care guide

Group
Freshwater fish
Other names
Amanda's tetra, Dwarf red tetra, Red tetra, Fire tetra
Family
Acestrorhamphidae (American tetras; formerly Characidae)
Origin
Araguaia River basin in Mato Grosso, Brazil, including the Rio das Mortes; minor tributaries, backwaters and oxbow lakes with leaf-strewn beds.
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
2 cm
Temperature
22–28°C
pH
5–7
Hardness
Soft to medium, 1–10 dGH
Minimum tank
41 litres
Care level
beginner
Temperament
peaceful

Care

A tiny, bright orange shoaling fish that is ideal for nano and planted tanks. Keep at least 8–10 together – more looks better – in a tank with a base of at least 45 × 30 cm (around 41 litres). They colour up best in a heavily planted tank with a dark substrate, some floating plants to soften the light, driftwood and a few dried leaves. Filtration should be gentle; an air-driven sponge filter is fine. Aim for about 22–28 °C with soft to moderately hard, slightly acidic to neutral water (pH roughly 5–7). Like most small tetras they prefer a mature tank and regular small water changes. They are tough for their size and generally easy to keep once settled. Sources: Seriously Fish (seriouslyfish.com/species/hyphessobrycon-amandae/); FishBase (fishbase.se/summary/Hyphessobrycon-amandae.html); Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embertetra). Checked October 2026.

Diet

A micropredator in the wild. It will take small flake and micro-granules, but should also get regular small live or frozen foods such as baby brine shrimp (Artemia nauplii), Moina and grindal worms. Keep food pieces small.

Breeding

An egg-scatterer with no parental care. Ember tetras spawn often in mature, planted tanks, and some fry may survive among dense moss. For more fry, use a small separate tank with mesh or spawning mops and slightly acidic to neutral water, and remove the adults after spawning. Males are more intensely coloured, especially when spawning, and females have noticeably rounder bodies. Fry are very small and need infusoria or similar first foods before moving on to newly hatched brine shrimp.

Compatibility and tank mates

Very peaceful and a great companion for other small, gentle fish: small tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, hatchetfish, small Corydoras and other small catfish. They make good dither fish for dwarf cichlids such as Apistogramma. Avoid anything large or boisterous enough to bully or eat them.

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

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