Black Widow Tetra (Gynocorymbus Ternetzi)
Native Location: Paraguay, Guapore and Bolivia
Climate: Tropical
Maximum Size: 8cm (3 inches)
Temperament: Mildly aggressive
Diet: Omnivore
Breeding: Moderate
Temperature Range: 20 – 26℃ (68 – 15℉)
Preferred pH Range: 5.8 – 8.5
Minimum Aquarium Size: 58L (15 gallons)
Potential Tankmates: Other Tetras, Gouramis
Care Level: Beginners
One of the best-known members of the Tetra family. With their distinctive Tetra shape and gradient colourings. Black Widow Tetras are a great fish to keep as part of a community tank and an easy-care level for beginners.
Widow Tetras are not picky eaters but will have a diet consisting of insects and plants. They can thrive on flakes and pellets. Provide a variety of foods, including frozen and live foods. Widow Tetra are schooling fish by nature, so keep them in a group of six or more. Try housings with other Tetras and peaceful bottom-dwellers like Danios and Dwarf Cichlids. Widow Tetras, like other Tetras, love to swim around and explore any action happening in the aquarium.
Due to their peaceful nature, they make good community fish. But, have a past of accusations against them of nipping the fins of fish with long, flowing fins like Bettas. Choose a sand substrate of a darker colour to mimic their natural environment. They enjoy densely planted tanks. So, make sure to incorporate tall plants into your aquarium. Widow Tetras spend most of their time in the mid-section of the water column. Watch them dart through the live plants. Add driftwood, rocks and cervices for them to hide.
Black dorsal and anal fins and a black vertical stripe on their body are the recognisable features for a Black Widow Tetra. Females are larger than males with rounder bodies. Their bodies can start dark coloured and slowly begin to fade to a silvery grey. The rest of their body can be white to pinkish hues. Their anal fin runs parallel with the vertical black stripe on the abdomen. Males can have white spots on their caudal fins and are smaller bodied. And have a broader anal and a narrower, more pointed dorsal fin. For breeding, you will need to set up a separate tank. Set up a breeding tank with an ample number of floating plants and have dim lighting. Remove adult fish from the tank once spawning is complete.
