Red Phantom Tetra Facts
Red Phantom Tetras, as the name suggests, are beautiful red fish with a black-tipped dorsal fin. They are freshwater schooling fish and great additions to many community aquariums. They look similar to other tetra species such as the Bleeding Heart Tetra and Serpae Tetra. It is best to keep this species in groups of 6 or more. This guide will detail the Red Phantom Tetra’s aquarium requirements, dietary needs, compatible tank mates, and more.
How Big Do Red Phantom Tetras Get?
The Red Phantom Tetra will be about 1.5″ – 2″ in length when fully grown.
Are Red Phantom Tetras Fin Nippers?
Red Phantom Tetras should not nip on other fish species when they are in large enough groups, but there is always a possibility. If their school is too small, they may resort to bullying and nipping on the fins of other fish. Red Phantoms are also less commonly known as fin nippers compared to the similarly looking Serpae Tetra, which has a reputation for nipping on the fins of other fish.
Aquarium Requirements
To make them comfortable and give them the best chance at thriving in your fish tank, Red Phantom Tetras should be kept in 20-gallon aquariums or larger. They will also do best in a well-planted fish tank with a variety of rocks and driftwood to provide cover when stressed. Driftwood also releases tannins over time which can help soften your water and lower its pH. The side effect is that it may also tint your aquarium brown. Consider checking out Coral Driftwood and/or Spiderwood which are some of my favorite looking types of wood. You can follow the link which will take you to their store page on Amazon!
Although Red Phantom Tetras aren’t commonly known as jumpers, I would still recommend placing a well-fitted lid on the fish tank to truly prevent it from happening. Most fish can potentially jump out of the aquarium when they are startled.
Water Parameters
Water parameters are an important aspect of keeping your fish happy. Every fish species has specific water parameters they do best with. The following are the parameter ranges for the Red Phantom Tetra.
- Temperature: 72°F – 78°F
- Water Hardness: 4 – 8 KH
- pH: 5.5 – 7.5
Keeping your water parameters within this range doesn’t always guarantee your fish will succeed in your aquarium, but it will help give it the best chance. You can keep your temperature stable with a heater and thermostat. Check out what are in my opinion, the 6 best Heaters for Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums! Furthermore, to know what kind of water you have, you’ll have to purchase testing kits. My go-to testing kits are the API Freshwater Master Test Kit and API GH & KH Test Kit. The master test kit lets you test for pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. The GH & KH test kits will help you figure out what the hardness levels of your aquarium are.
Food & Diet
Red Phantom Tetras are omnivores and often readily consume any type of food introduced into the aquarium. I would recommend providing a variety of different food to give them a well-rounded diet. They should consume frozen daphnia, bloodworms, and brine shrimp with no problems. I would also provide them with flake foods such as the New Life Spectrum All Purpose Flakes and Omega One Mini Pellets.
Tank Mates
This species of fish is generally very peaceful and will mostly spend time tightly and loosely schooling with other Red Phantom Tetras. They should do perfectly fine with most other community fish like Neon Tetras, Mollies, Platies, Rasboras, Corydoras, and many other peaceful fish. In a large enough aquarium, they should also be fine with different species of Ram, Angelfish, Rainbowfish, and Barbs.
I would not recommend keeping them with African Cichlids, and other aggressive and large fish like Oscars, Jack Dempsey, Pike Cichlid, and other similar types of fish. Anything that can easily fit a Red Phantom Tetra into its mouth should be avoided.
Can I Keep Red Phantom Tetras With Shrimp?
Red Phantom Tetras will not actively hunt shrimp. However, many fish are opportunistic eaters so there is a possibility that they may try. Most adult shrimp’s exoskeletons will protect them from becoming a meal, but they are vulnerable when they molt because they shed their hard battle armor. Also, newborn shrimp and very small shrimp can become food for Red Phantom Tetras.
If you’re looking to mix these two, I would recommend providing an abundance of hiding spots like caves and well-planted sections where the shrimp can take refuge.
Breeding
Before discussing breeding, you have to know how to tell the difference between male and female Red Phantom Tetras. The easiest way to do this with this species it to look at their dorsal fins. Males will have a much large dorsal fin compared to the female. During spawning, the males should also pop in color more than the female does.
This fish species should breed on their own in a well-established aquarium. It is best to keep them in slightly acidic water to encourage breeding. You will see males courting the females in the aquarium when it’s time to breed. They do not care for their eggs. Instead, they scatter them throughout the aquarium and leave the eggs to develop on their own. Some aquarists will put their spawning Red Phantom Tetras into a breeding tank to release their eggs. Once the eggs are released, the breeders are removed from the breeding fish tank. This way, the eggs have the highest chance of survival because the parents and other fish will not prey on the eggs.
Final Notes
Red Phantom Tetras are wonderful fish and likely the peaceful counterpart of the Serpae Tetra. They’re fantastic fish to add to a community aquarium and will add a striking red color to the environment. Larger schools of these are always preferred to get the full effect of this fish species. However, if the Red Phantom Tetra isn’t for you, consider checking out a few other Red Tropical Fish for your Freshwater Aquarium!