Not furry, but we like them anyway.
Red and Blue Colombian Tetra
Hyphessobrycon columbianus
Also called Colombian tetra, Blue-red Colombian tetra, Blue flame tetra, Colombian red fin tetra
From South America: Río Acandí basin near Acandí, Chocó, north-western Colombia close to the Panama border123
At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Medium-small, deep-bodied scaled characin
A silvery tetra with a sheen of turquoise blue across the upper body that gets stronger toward the back. The fins, especially the tail and anal fin, are a vivid blood red, with a dark edge to the anal fin and pale tips on the dorsal and tail fins. Males are slimmer, brighter and carry a longer dorsal fin.13
Personality what they are like
Generally peaceful and shoals happily with other tetras. Being a bit larger and livelier than many tetras, it suits tankmates of similar size best.13
Daily activity how busy a day looks
An energetic swimmer that needs a longer tank with open swimming space.13
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Easy-going with regular partial water changes and a varied diet. Red fin colour shows best when the fish are active and relaxed.13
Home where they are happiest
Tank with a base of at least about 90 x 30 cm (around 81 litres; Wikipedia suggests 30 US gallons). Temperature about 20 to 28 °C, with 24 to 26 °C often recommended; pH 5.0 to 7.5; soft to medium water (1 to 10 dGH). In nature it lives in small, slow-flowing creeks.132
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Omnivorous forager. Feed quality flakes alongside small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm, Daphnia and Artemia.13
Company who they like around
Keep a group of at least 6 to 10, with similar-sized characins, small catfish or calm medium cichlids.13
The story where it all began
Aquarists knew this fish under informal names from at least 1997, and for years it was mixed up with an Ecuadorian species. Zarske and Géry finally described it scientifically in 2002.312
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
Before its formal 2002 description it was traded under various labels and even placed in the wrong genera, such as Astyanax or Moenkhausia.3
- 2
Its whole known wild range is a single small river system near the Colombia-Panama border.1
- 3
A well-conditioned female may lay up to around 2000 eggs.1
- 4
The bright red fins can fade a little when the fish is resting and light up again when it is active.3
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Data Deficient (assessed 9 October 2014)2
- FishBase
- Listed as a commercial aquarium species2
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Red and Blue Colombian Tetra. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Water changeAbout 25% of the waterevery week
- Water testevery week
- Glass cleanevery week
- Filter rinseRinse in old tank water, never tap waterevery month
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Seriously Fish: Hyphessobrycon columbianus seriouslyfish.comused for range, size, care parameters, diet, behaviour, breeding, history
- FishBase: Hyphessobrycon columbianus fishbase.seused for distribution, max length, habitat, IUCN status, describers
- Wikipedia: Hyphessobrycon columbianus en.wikipedia.orgused for appearance, care, lifespan, history
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.