Home / Fishes / Tetras, piranhas and pacus / Bloodfin tetra
No federal permit to keepBloodfin tetra
Aphyocharax anisitsi
Fishes › Tetras, piranhas and pacus (Characiformes) › Characidae (Tetras)
The bloodfin tetra (Aphyocharax anisitsi) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a characin, belonging to the family Characidae.
Care at a glance
Species-specific aquarium care
- Tank: At least 24 in long and 12 in front to back for one adult (adults commonly reach about 2.2 in / 5.5 cm).
- Water: Freshwater.
- Temperature: 64–82°F (range recorded for this species).
- pH: 6–8.
- Hardness: 0–30 dGH.
- Layout: Uses both the bottom and open water: give open swimming space plus cover near the substrate.
- Diet: A predator: feed meaty foods sized to its mouth (frozen fish, shrimp, worms); it will eat tankmates that fit in its mouth. FishBase classes it as a carnivore.
Calculated from this species' own FishBase record: tank size from its typical adult length and swimming zone, water values from its recorded ranges. The group guide below fills in general care.
Care guide
Species care notes
- Tank: a base of at least 24 × 12 in (roughly 14 US gallons); space needed is rated “modest tank”.
- Water: a fairly wide range, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, 64–82 °F, pH 6–8, 3–25 dGH.
- Behaviour: a shoaling fish best kept in a group of six or more.
- Difficulty: Easy (Seriously Fish rating).
Short excerpts from the species profile:
- Setup: “It looks most at home in a planted aquarium.”
- Diet: “Unfussy and will accept most dried, frozen and live foods.”
- Tankmates: “Peaceful enough but may nip a little at long-finned or slow-moving tankmates.”
- Breeding: “Set up a separate small tank in which to spawn the fish with clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss to act as a spawning medium.”
From the Seriously Fish profile for this species, which has the full habitat, maintenance, diet, behaviour and breeding write-up 167
Tetras
Applies to most species in this group. Habitat: The covered characids include South American river and tributary fishes, from vegetation-shaded bloodfin habitats to sandy flowing rivers occupied by Exodon. [fg156-bloodfin, fg156-exodon]. Individual species can differ, so compare with the species numbers above and the linked sources.
Housing & setup
- For glass bloodfins, use at least 60 × 38 × 30 cm (24 × 15 × 12 in), retaining open upper-water swimming space.
- Provide planted margins and floating vegetation for bloodfins; fit a tight lid for Aphyocharax anisitsi.
- For bucktooth tetras use at least 120 × 45 × 45 cm (48 × 18 × 18 in), efficient filtration and planted refuges from bullying.
- For glass bloodfins maintain pH 6.0–7.5; for Exodon, pH 5.5–7.5.
Climate & lighting
| Water | 73.4–80.6°F |
Diet
- Small dried foods for glass and ordinary bloodfins.
- Daphnia, Cyclops and bloodworms for glass bloodfins.
- For Exodon, chopped prawns, mussels, earthworms and fish rather than live feeder fish.
Social life
- Glass bloodfins need 6–8 or more; ordinary bloodfins at least six. Exodon requires a species aquarium and at least 12 introduced together; small groups can kill one another.
Health watch
- Freshwater ich (white spot disease), a general aquarium risk.
- Bacterial infections associated with stress and poor water quality.
- Fin and scale damage from aggression, especially Exodon.
Understanding the animal
About this animal
About this animal
This fish is found in southern central South America.
Quoted from the Wikipedia article “Bloodfin tetra” (CC BY-SA 4.0) 174
In the wild
In the wild
From this species’ own FishBase record (habitat, bottom type, water and breeding data), not its family. Good care copies these conditions.1
| Where it lives | Lives in freshwater. Uses both the bottom and open water. Adults swim mainly in the upper and middle water layers. Feed on worms, small insects and crustaceans. |
| Water it lives in | Freshwater, 64–82 °F (18–28 °C), pH 6–8, hardness 30 dH. |
| Climate | Subtropical climate. |
| Wild diet | Hunting macrofauna (predator). |
| Behavior to plan for | Breeding: open water/substratum egg scatterers. |
What this means for care
- Keep water within its wild range, 64–82 °F.
Native climate (measured)
Native climate (measured)
| Warm-season highs | about 90°F (up to 92°F in the hottest sampled areas) |
| Cool-season lows | about 51°F (down to 47°F in the coldest sampled areas) |
| Average temperature | 66–78°F across sampled records |
| Relative humidity | 71–75% on average (driest month about 64%) |
| Rainfall | about 1344 mm a year |
Measured at 105 wild occurrence records sampled against WorldClim 2.1 climate data (1970–2000 averages). Air conditions in the range are ecological context, not enclosure settings: microhabitats such as burrows, leaf litter or basking rocks can be cooler, warmer or more humid.
From the sources
From the sources
Quoted from the matching sections of reputable sources for this exact species. Specialist databases are used first; Wikipedia (community-edited, CC BY-SA 4.0) only fills gaps. Other sources are short credited quotes.
| Overview | The bloodfin tetra (Aphyocharax anisitsi) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a characin, belonging to the family Characidae. This fish is found in southern central South America. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
| Where it lives | Home ranges Population dynamics Growth parameters Max. ages / sizes Length-weight rel. Length-frequencies Mass conversion Recruitment Abundance Life cycle Reproduction Maturity Maturity/Gills rel. — FishBase |
| Reproduction | In the tank, spawning occurs usually in early morning, after a period of very active driving by the male. Female lays numerous glass-clear eggs, sometimes 700 to 800, which sink to the bottom of the tank. Eggs hatch in about 20 to 25 hours. — FishBase |
| Appearance and size | Maximum length 5.5 cm tl male/unsexed. — FishBase |
| Biology | Adults swim mainly in the upper and middle water layers. Feed on worms, small insects and crustaceans. Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 60 cm. — FishBase |
| History and naming | The bloodfin tetra was first formally described in 1903 by the American ichthyologists Carl H. Eigenmann and Clarence Hamilton Kennedy, with its type locality given as Asuncion, Paraguay. This species is classified in the genus Aphyocharax, which belongs to the subfamily Aphyocharacinae, the glass characins, which is part of the family Characidae within the suborder Characoidei of the order Characiformes. — Wikipedia (community-edited) |
Data and studies
The numbers
The numbers
Each bar is what one source reports. Where several sources weigh in, the dashed gold band marks their average.
Adult length
Maximum recorded length. Measured as total length. Fish in home aquariums often stay smaller than wild records.
Water temperature
Range the species tolerates in nature; aim for the middle.
Water hardness
Minimum tank footprint
Seriously Fish recommends a tank base of at least 24 × 12 in (about 14 US gallons).
Veterinary & husbandry research
Veterinary & husbandry research
- Concentration and environmental fate of ivermectin in floodplain wetlands: An ecosystem approach Mesa L et al., The Science of the total environment 2020
Peer-reviewed papers that mention this species alongside captivity, zoos, veterinary care or aquaculture. Some cover several species or mention it only in passing, so check the abstract. 170
Sources for this sheet
- FishBase (Froese & Pauly, eds.), version 24.07 Peer-reviewed researchThe global scientific database on fishes, maintained by a consortium of research institutions; every value is referenced.
- Seriously Fish species profiles Experienced keeper or breederLong-running aquarium reference written and peer-checked by experienced fishkeepers and ichthyologists; each profile covers habitat, tank size, water, diet, behaviour and breeding.
- Seriously Fish: Prionobrama filigera Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Exodon paradoxus Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Seriously Fish: Aphyocharax anisitsi Experienced keeper or breederAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders and Diseases of Fish Zoo, university or veterinaryAdded in the 2026 source-checked care-guide review.
- Wikipedia (species article) Community referenceFree encyclopedia; useful overviews with their own citations. Intro text is quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Peer-reviewed researchIndex of peer-reviewed veterinary, zoo and husbandry research.
- iNaturalist (captive observations) Community referenceCommunity observation platform run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic; observations marked captive show animals living in homes, zoos and aquariums.
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