Ember tetra

Overview

The ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) is a tiny, glowing scrap of orange — one of the smallest tetras in the hobby at around 2 cm. What it lacks in size it makes up for in personality: a shoal of embers drifting through green planting looks like a scatter of live coals. They’re peaceful, hardy once settled and perfectly scaled for nano and planted tanks, which makes them a favourite for smaller aquariums.

Tank & water

Small fish, but still shoaling fish that need room and numbers:

• A cycled tank of at least 40 litres — cycle the aquarium before stocking, and check how many fish in an aquarium for a nano.
• Temperature 23–28 °C with a small heater; embers like it warm.
• Soft to neutral water (pH 5.5–7.0) and gentle filtration — they dislike strong flow.
• A densely planted layout — live plants and a dark substrate bring out their orange best.

Feeding

Embers are omnivores with minuscule mouths, so food must be small. A fine powdered fry food, crushed micro-flake or micro-pellet works as a staple, with frozen or live baby brine shrimp, cyclops and micro-worms for variety. Feed a tiny pinch once or twice daily. Our fish food and best fish food guides cover suitable small-grain foods.

Tankmates

Peaceful and delicate, embers suit calm nano and community tanks. Pair them with other small, gentle fish and invertebrates — neon and cardinal tetras, pygmy corydoras, small rasboras, dwarf shrimp and snails. Avoid anything large, fast or nippy that would out-compete or eat them. In a shrimp-friendly planted tank they’re an ideal top-layer shoal.

For a small, warm, planted setup see our best nano aquarium and best aquarium for beginners guides — embers are one of the most rewarding nano shoals you can keep.