Are you familiar with the bleeding-heart tetra? Would you like to delve into its magnificence and discover interesting facts about it?
The name “Bleeding Heart Tetra” is derived from a red coloration. Its name refers to a red spot that can be seen on the sides, behind the gills, and about where the heart should be.
Scientific name: Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma
Family name: Characidae
Size: 312 inches.
Temperature: ranges from 72 to 82 F.
Alkalinity: not specific
Origin: Peru’s Upper Amazon Basin
The resilient, calm, schooled bleeding-heart tetra should be kept in groups of six or more. It thrives when housed with other peaceful fish like Megalamphodus, Corydoras, and Nannostomus species.
The bleeding-heart tetra enjoys a somewhat gloomy setting. Therefore, it does best in a tank with multiple clusters of large plants (natural or artificial), smaller plants, and enough free area for swimming on the back and sides of the tank. Adding a layer of floating plants is also suggested to soften the light. Finally, keep a close eye on the water’s quality.
The bleeding-heart tetra is a common egg-spattering tetra that needs a breeding tank at least 20 gallons big to reproduce successfully. Males can be distinguished from females by their longer dorsal and anal fins and brighter colors. However, purchasing a group and letting them pair off is still preferable because tetras seem to procreate more readily when they have more control over their partners.
The Bleeding Heart Tetra, also known as Punto Rojo or Red Tipped Tetra, is one of the best fish species for beginning aquarists because it is one of the easiest tropical fish to maintain.
The species is known by the nickname “bleeding heart” tetra because of the red mark on their sides, usually referred to as a “heart.” They are schooling fish, which makes them quite active. They will undoubtedly become the major draw in your aquarium.
The markings on the body of the Bleeding Heart Tetra give it its name. This South American fish has a “bleeding heart” appearance due to the blushing crimson near the gills. This robust tetra is ideal for community aquariums and will make a fantastic choice for aquarists of all levels.
The Bleeding Heart Tetra will eat a variety of tiny meals, including brine shrimp or daphnia, freeze-dried tubifex and bloodworms, micro pellets, and premium food flakes.
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Bleeding Heart Tetras Grow to what Size?
When fully developed, bleeding heart tetras measure 2 inches. In addition, the dorsal and anal fins of the species’ males are spectacular compared to the somewhat rounded ones. The dorsal fin of both sexes has a black and white patch with a silvery shine near the base.
It’s a schooling fish that prefers to hang out in a 20-gallon tank with at least 6–8 others. Although bleeding hearts are often tranquil if they are in a school and the tank has their chosen décor, keeping individual bleeding hearts can make them anxious and start nibbling at other tank mates.
It comprises plants (some floating), a few hiding areas, dark gravel, and soft lighting. This resembles their natural environment, which is the Upper Amazon’s tiny, lushly vegetated rivers and riverbeds. They are mostly found in Colombia and Peru. The subdued lighting partially compensates for their natural habitat’s tanned water.
Though generally resilient, the bleeding heart doesn’t adapt well to abrupt changes in the water’s characteristics. It swims around the tank but prefers to stay there.
The Best Friends for Bleeding Heart Tetra Tanks
Bleeding Heart Tetras typically get along well with other fish and a few invertebrates in a communal tank.
Here are a few excellent fish that can keep your Bleeding Heart Tetra healthy.
Lemon Tetra
Lemon Tetra often has a clear tint, but when it’s content and confident, it displays a lovely lemon-like hue. It is a hardy Brazilian fish that lives in the shallow waters next to rivers or streams in the wild.
A school of six will work for a 15 to 20-gallon tank. However, having a dozen benefits them if you have a larger tank.
Being relatively bashful, they might run into hiding if a raucous fish comes hunting for some “organic lemonade.” If most of your lemon tetras are near the bottom, they are probably terrified. You can usually spot the school swimming in the middle or at the top when they are content and at ease.
Since they are omnivores, a high-quality flake meal makes a great main dish. They will appreciate frozen food and live worms as treats. For a well-rounded diet, you may also give them boiled zucchini.
Dwarf Neon Rainbow
Dwarf neon rainbow fish are an additional little and resilient fish for your planted aquarium, with Bleeding Heart Tetra as the main fish.
Dwarf neon rainbow fish behave similarly to typical rainbow fish. Although they have a grayish body color, the correct lighting reveals lovely blue tones.
Brightly colored fins are one aspect of dwarf neons’ look that sets them apart (red for males, yellow for females).
They primarily reside in the center and top of the tank and are calm. Therefore, a tank at least 20 inches long would provide a suitable footprint for them. Comparatively speaking to bleeding heart tetras, their natural habitat is in a different region of the earth (close to Indonesia). Nevertheless, they are both calm fish that favor a remarkably similar set of water characteristics.
German Blue Ram
Bleeding Heart Tetras can make vivid companions for Blue Rams in tanks more significant than 29 gallons in size.
Although it has been a very fragile fish to own, the perfect beauty and brilliant colors may make all the necessary care worthwhile. Despite their intimidating name, “ram,” they avoid smacking against other fish or the tank walls.
Due to the blue ram’s extreme sensitivity to water factors, a sound filtration system and frequent partial water changes are strongly advised. The bleeding hearts’ water hardness and pH requirements match up nicely with theirs, but you’ll need to determine whether the tetras are happy with the ram’s heating requirements.
Despite being bottom feeders, Bleeding Heart Tetra leftovers could not tempt them. They adore staying close to the tank’s bottom and eat by taking a mouthful of the substrate. So it will be far better for them to sift through a piece of sand than a substrate made of pebbles. They can benefit from sinking pallets, occasionally combined with bloodworms and brine shrimp.
Mosquito Rasbora
Although bleeding and mosquito may not seem like a good combination, bleeding heart tetra and rasbora get along just fine. Beautiful small Asian fish called mosquito rasbora prefer to dwell in groups of at least ten and plated aquariums. They frequently take up residence in the tank’s middle levels. They prefer low lighting in their tanks because their habitat’s water is brown from decomposing organic waste. In addition, they are accustomed to marshes that move slowly so that a strong river might frighten them.
You may replicate their natural habitat by leaving a few leaves in the aquarium. Although they are not particularly picky eaters, they prefer to live fed more regularly than only once a week, unlike many other fish species. Additionally, pairing them with “accommodating” Bleeding Heart Tetras frequently works, despite the fact.
Kuhli Loaches
From Southeast Asia, kuhli loaches are robust, eel-like bottom dwellers. They favor being around other members of their kind and gentler water. Therefore, it makes sense to keep roughly six of them. They typically hide behind or beneath decorations since they are timid introverts (which you should provide plenty of).
Because neither fish stress the other out or enters the other’s home, they make excellent Bleeding-Heart Tetra tank mates. Their bodies are long and eel-like, with massive black spots covering the orange or yellow base. They will stand out against a white sandy substrate in terms of aesthetics, but it might not go well with their reserved temperament.
It is common for them to remain concealed for weeks at a time. They are typically more active at night (when they believe no one is watching). It’s also a good idea to feed them at night. They prefer sinking food, whether palates, flakes, wafers, or frozen feed. Make sure the meal is chopped or split up into small bits because they, too, have small lips.
Amano Shrimp
Amano shrimp are adept algae feeders and adore a tank with many plants. Because they are huge enough not to fit in the mouth of the tetra, Amano shrimps are sturdy, soft to moderate water-loving fish that go great with bleeding hearts.
They are highly well-liked by aquarists since they are simple to maintain and keep food detritus and algae under control. Unfortunately, they are translucent and constantly moving, giving the impression that your tank is a busy office (where the boss, Bleeding Heart Tetra, is looking down on the busy-body Amano shrimps).
They are omnivores and love a variety of fish. Therefore, they will rush to the morsels and pallets when you start feeding them. Additionally, because they will consume nearly everything from the substrate, be careful not to overfeed them by putting in too much.
Whiptail Catfish
Despite its intimidating moniker, the whiptail is a relatively gentle fish. Typically brown with black stripes, this South American fish resembles a camouflage color scheme. It enjoys a landscaped tank with lots of hiding places.
Even though they are omnivores, they don’t eat their smaller tank mates due to their tiny mouths. They favor eating algal wafers and catfish pellets instead. Sand is preferable to gravel for them since they eat off the substrate.
They don’t bother or bother bottom-dwelling fish like bleeding-heart tetras or other middle- or top-dwelling fish. Instead, they are the fish that prefer to let things go and are ideal for a community aquarium because fin-nipping fish are not aggressive enough to annoy the tranquil whiptails.
Fun facts about Bleeding Heart Tetra
Rival males engage fascinatingly, and their coloring is accentuated as they compete for female attention. Its biotope contains so many acids that are derived from the forest’s organic materials that the salt concentration is almost negligible. Due to its beauty and rustic appearance, a viral tetra species in the aquarium can be mistaken for other “blood tetras” like H.
Conclusion
The Bleeding-Heart Tetras have their own lovely school. It’s a good idea to consider how they will look in the tank when choosing tank mates for the tetras. These tetras could take some getting used to, but once they do, they will be the backbone of a vibrant waterscape in your aquarium.
Even though Bleeding Heart Tetra is tough to fish, an unclean or overcrowded tank won’t make them happy. If you plan to keep Bleeding Heart Tetra fish in a community aquarium, calculate the bioload, keep fish that thrive in the tank’s water conditions, and maintain the water’s cleanliness. You can keep your Bleeding-Heart Tetras happy and healthy by having a bleeding heart for their well-being and having the proper knowledge.