Diamond tetra

Overview

The diamond tetra (Moenkhausia pittieri) earns its name once it matures: plain silver as a youngster, an adult in good condition scatters light from thousands of iridescent scales, with a violet sheen and, on males, a long flowing dorsal fin. Hardy, peaceful and adaptable, it’s an easy community shoaling fish that simply needs time and the right conditions to reveal its full sparkle. A settled group is one of the more understatedly beautiful tetras you can keep.

Tank & water

An easy, medium-sized tetra that needs room and numbers:

• A cycled tank of at least 75 litres — cycle the aquarium before stocking and check how many fish in an aquarium.
• Temperature 24–28 °C with a reliable heater.
• Soft to slightly hard water (pH 6.0–7.5). Gentle to moderate filtration keeps conditions stable.
• A planted layout with subdued light — plants, a dark substrate and calm lighting make the iridescence glitter rather than wash out.

Feeding

Diamond tetras are unfussy omnivores. A staple of quality tropical flake or micro-pellet, plus frozen or live daphnia, brine shrimp, bloodworm and some plant matter, keeps them in top colour and condition. Feed small amounts once or twice a day. See the fish food hub and best fish food picks.

Tankmates

Peaceful and adaptable, diamond tetras suit calm community tanks. Good companions include other tetras like lemon, black neon and congo tetras, rasboras, corydoras, peaceful gouramis and dwarf shrimp. Their fins can be nipped, so avoid known fin-nippers, and skip very large or aggressive tankmates. A shoal of diamonds makes a shimmering feature in a planted display.

For a stable, planted community, our best aquarium for beginners guide covers the foundations — the diamond tetra rewards a little patience with real sparkle.