Head-and-taillight tetra

The head-and-taillight tetra is a classic community fish native to the slow-moving rivers, tributaries, and floodplain lakes of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru, and Brazil. Its common name comes from two distinctive golden or silvery patches — one just behind the eye and another at the base of the tail — that catch the light and create the appearance of illuminated 'headlights' and 'taillights'. Reaching only about 4.5 cm, this peaceful characid is one of the most popular tetras in the hobby and is commercially bred in vast numbers, predominantly in Eastern Europe.

These tetras are highly adaptable but shine in a blackwater-style setup with dim lighting, driftwood, dried leaf litter, and soft acidic water. A tank of at least 60 cm x 37.5 cm x 30 cm (70 litres) can comfortably house a small shoal. They also do well in heavily planted aquaria. Although they tolerate a range of conditions, they show their best colours toward the lower end of the hardness range and prefer a pH below neutral. Temperature should be maintained between 24–28 °C.

One of the best tetras for the general community aquarium, the head-and-taillight is lively but peaceful and mixes well with most livebearers, danios, rasboras, other tetras, and peaceful bottom-dwellers like Corydoras. They should be kept in groups of at least six, preferably ten or more, to feel secure and display natural shoaling behaviour. Their diet is simple — quality dried foods supplemented with small live and frozen fare such as bloodworm, Daphnia, and brine shrimp will keep them in top condition.