Black Tetra - in The Aquarium

In The Aquarium

The black skirt tetra is a common fish that can be readily acquired from aquarium dealers. It will live in warm water (78 degrees F or 26 degrees C), but, coming partly from the Paraquay section of the Rio Paraguay south of the tropic of Capricorn, it will also take slightly cooler water than some tropical fish, and is sometimes kept in unheated aquariums in rooms that do not get cold. This fish, like most tetras, needs soft, acid water, pH 6.5-6.8, with plenty of plants, although it is one of the more adaptable tetras, and is suitable for a community aquarium with a neutral pH, and a temperature of about 24 degrees C ( 75 Degrees F). Although not generally aggressive towards other species, avoid slow moving, long finned fish like male Betta splendens with this fish. Black tetras can be violent amongst themselves, with weaker fishes sometimes chased and nipped by their superiors.