Finfern honest freshwater care

Species · Tetras & rasboras

Ember Tetra

Hyphessobrycon amandae

A tiny ember-orange nano schooler — peaceful, easy, and perfect for a small planted tank. Keep a decent group and it glows.

Difficulty: Beginner Tropical community tank ✓ Fact-checked care guide

Illustration of a Ember Tetra

Quick facts

Adult size~2 cm / 0.8 in
Minimum tank~30 L / 8 US gal for a shoal — SeriouslyFish recommends a 45 × 30 cm base
Temperature23–27 °C / 73–81 °F (within the species range of 20–28 °C / 68–82 °F)
pH5.0–7.0 (soft, acidic to neutral)
Hardness1–10 dGH (soft water)
Filtration & flowCycled, gentle filtration — this is a tiny, delicate-mouthed nano fish
DietMicro-omnivore — very small/crushed flake and tiny live/frozen foods
SocialShoaling — keep at least 8–10
TemperamentVery peaceful
Lifespan2–4 years

Overview

The ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae) is a jewel of a nano fish — barely 2 cm of glowing ember-orange. In a planted tank a shoal of them looks like drifting embers.

It is peaceful and easy in a mature, soft-water tank, asking mainly for a proper group and food small enough for its tiny mouth.

Get the water right first. Almost every "my ember tetra looks off" problem starts with the water. If you're new, read the nitrogen cycle before anything else.

💷 Costing it out? See how much a ember tetra really costs to keep — the ember tetra itself is usually the cheapest part.

Water & tank

Embers like soft, acidic-to-neutral water (pH 5.0–7.0, 1–10 dGH) at 23–27 °C / 73–81 °F, in a calm, planted nano tank. Add them to a cycled, settled aquarium.

A small shoal is happy in ~30 L / 8 US gal (SeriouslyFish recommends a 45 × 30 cm base) — an ideal planted-nano centrepiece.

Feeding

A tiny mouth means tiny food — finely crushed flake, micro-pellets, and small live/frozen foods (baby brine shrimp, cyclops, daphnia). Feed small amounts once or twice a day.

Behaviour & tankmates

Utterly peaceful — ideal with other tiny, calm species and dwarf shrimp (with cover). Keep a real group of 8–10+; a few embers are shy and washed-out.

Avoid larger or boisterous tankmates that will out-compete or eat such a tiny fish.

What to expect

A confident shoal drifts mid-water and glows warm orange; shy, pale, hiding embers usually just need a bigger group and calmer tankmates.

Myths, kindly busted

“Tiny nano fish are easy to feed anything.”

Their mouths are minute — food must be small (crushed flake, micro-pellet, baby brine shrimp) or they can't eat it.

“A trio of embers is fine.”

They are shoaling fish; keep 8–10+ for colour, confidence and natural behaviour.

🐟 Did you know? — Ember Tetra fun facts

Little true delights about the ember tetra — each one checked against a named source, no pet-shop myths.

  • The ember tetra is a true miniature, reaching only about 20 mm (under an inch) in standard length. SeriouslyFish
  • It hails from Brazil's Rio das Mortes, the “River of the Dead”, a tributary of the Araguaia in the Amazon basin. SeriouslyFish
  • In nature the ember tetra is a micropredator, hunting tiny invertebrates and other zooplankton. SeriouslyFish

More freshwater fun facts →

When to act

We triage, not diagnose — but these are worth a closer look (starting with a water test):

  • A thin, hollow-bellied ember — often it can't get food small enough, or is out-competed; offer tiny foods and check tankmates.
  • Pale colour, hiding, clamped fins — test the water and check the group size.

Heading to a vet? Print the Ember Tetra vet-prep sheet — what to bring, what to tell them, and the questions to ask.

Sources & further reading

  • SeriouslyFish — Hyphessobrycon amandae — Adult ~20 mm SL; recommended 45 × 30 cm base; temperature 20–28 °C / 68–82 °F; pH 5.0–7.0; hardness 1–10 dGH (soft); very peaceful shoaling nano fish.

Written & fact-checked by The Finfern Team against the sources above — kind, general guidance, not a diagnosis. If something looks wrong, test your water and, if it persists, contact a fish-savvy vet.

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