Lemon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon Pulchripinnis)

The lemon tetra, fish also known as Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis comes from a species of tropical fresh-water fish of the Characidae family native to South America and the Tapajós River basin of Brazil. The fish is a long established aquarium which was introduced in 1932. It is a small tetra which grows up to a length of about five centimetres. The male tetra can grow up to 1.5 inches long with a weight of approximately 1.4 grams and the female develops to lengths of 1.4 inches can be as heavy as 1.2 grams. However, several aquarists have bred larger species of up to 2.4 inches


Just like other members of the genus Hyphessorbrycon, the Lemon tetra body appears to be medium-tall and with a compressed shape which is translucent and has slight yellow tinge with shimmering lateral stripes which runs from the gill cover to the caudal fin. Its front fins are bright yellow with the edge of the dorsal fin and the back rays of the anal fin having a black color. The upper parts of the lemon tetra eyes have strong red colorings.


Since the Lemon tetra fish is known to originate from tropical rivers, the fish does well in tropical habitats with water temperatures of between twenty to twenty-eight degrees Celsius. However, the fish can be easily bred in home aquariums with clear waters of pH from five to eight although acidic pH is highly recommended. The water requires to be soft to medium hard with a dH not exceeding twenty five. Regular water changes are necessary in order to enhance and maintain the water quality.


After establishing an ideal aquarium for the Lemon tetra fish, it is important to ensure that the temperature inside the aquarium is kept and maintained in correspondent to temperatures of the tropical climate. This is because the fish can only tolerate such conditions as the tropical habitats. The temperature ranges from twenty three to twenty eight degrees Celsius. The Lemon tetra is usually an omnivore and can feed on crustaceans, worms and plants matter.