Tag: care guide

Red Phantom Tetra – Complete Care Guide
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!
August 5, 2023
Ember Tetra – Complete Care Guide
Ember Tetras are beautiful red/orange freshwater fish that can be kept as a pet. They are perfect choices for nano fish tanks due to their small size. They’re peaceful schooling fish that greatly add to most community aquariums. This fish species is excellent if you’re looking to fill your aquarium with tiny fish. This guide will cover Ember Tetra care. It will discuss this specie’s aquarium requirements, food & diet, compatible tank mates, and breeding habits.
Aquarium Requirements
Ember Tetras are very peaceful fish that stay very small. They will be about an inch in length when fully grown. This makes them excellent candidates for nano aquariums as a centerpiece schooling fish or a schooling fish that blends into the background of a large aquarium. A well-planted aquarium with various rocks and driftwood makes the perfect enclosure for Ember Tetras.
How Many Ember Tetras in a 10 Gallon Tank?
A minimum of 6 fish are recommended to be considered a school. You should be able to successfully keep between 10 to 15 Ember Tetras in a 10-gallon fish tank. The max size of Ember Tetras and their incredibly small bio load gives you some flexibility regarding population sizes in a fish tank.
Water Parameters
Learning the water parameters for your aquarium is important to its success. Fish like the Ember Tetra are found in the tropical waterways of South America. This type of water is much different than what can be found in Lake Tanganyika, which has much harder and calcium-rich water. The following are water parameter ranges that will help you successfully keep Ember Tetras.
- Temperature: 72° – 77°F
- pH: 5.5 – 7.0
- Water Hardness: 4 – 8 KH
Based on the water parameters you can see that Ember Tetras do best in softer and acidic water. Some homes have naturally soft and acidic water, but there are many homes such as ones with wells that do not. Often well water is rich in calcium and other minerals that cause a spike in pH levels and hardness. An easy way to test for this is through the use of an aquarium test kit. I recommend purchasing an API Freshwater Master Test Kit and API GH & KH test kit. With these test kits, you can keep an eye on your aquarium’s pH, General Hardness (GH), Carbonate Hardness (KH), ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.
Food & Diet
Ember Tetras stay incredibly small, they may not be able to consume the large fish food that is often provided. They will do great with frozen daphnia, brine shrimp, and Mysis Shrimp. Traditional pellet food may be a little large for them to consume, so I recommend feeding them Ultra Fresh Tropical Micro Pellets and flake food such as New Life Spectrum All Purpose Flake Food. In the wild Ember Tetras eat a variety of foods so it is important to provide the same experiences in the aquarium.
Tank Mates
Ember Tetras, like most peaceful fish, will do fantastic with most other peaceful community fish. Keeping them with Tetras, Rasboras, Corycats, Honey Gouramis, Endlers Livebearers, Guppies, and other community species, should be successful.
Due to their size, I would not recommend keeping Ember Tetras with large fish, fish with large mouths, and fin nippers. Their small size and peaceful temperament do not allow them to hold their own against more aggressive fish. You will want to keep them with community fish that will not harass Ember Tetras.
Breeding
A large enough school will provide you with both males and females. In a well-established and healthy aquarium, Ember Tetras should breed on their own without much intervention. However, getting eggs to hatch before getting eaten and having your fry develop into adulthood will be the challenge.
Ember Tetras scatter their eggs throughout the aquarium after spawning. The eggs are adhesive and will stick to many different surfaces in the fish tank. To provide the best chance for the eggs, a heavily planted aquarium will be needed to provide hiding places for the eggs to adhere to. I recommend many different plant species, especially things like java moss that grow dense which may create cover for eggs. A lot of plants will also benefit from providing cover for the fry once they hatch.
Eggs and fry are likely to get eaten by most other inhabitants of the aquarium. Keeping your Ember Tetras in a species-only aquarium will help cut down on the die-off. For more information on breeding, check out real life experiences of breeding Ember Tetras on Fishforums.
Final Notes
If you enjoy nano fish tanks and micro fish, Ember Tetras might be an excellent choice for you. They are small, stay small, have a nearly non-existent bio-load, and generally are great fish to keep. Their red/orange colorations will pop in a well-planted aquarium and maybe just the final touch you need for your fish tank. If you’re not sold on Ember Tetras, consider checking out other Red Tropical Fish for your Freshwater Fish Tank.
August 1, 2023
Harlequin Tusk – Complete Care Guide
Harlequin Tusk Facts
Harlequin Tusk fish (Choerodon fasciatus) is a species of saltwater wrasse that can be found in the Indian Ocean and Australia. They are very similar in appearance in both regions however, the Australian Harlequin Tusk has more pronounced blue streaks running vertically throughout its body. This fish species always gets heads turning because of its eye-catching coloration. On top of the beautiful colors on this fish, it also sports blue pointy teeth that will make you think twice before putting your hand in the fish tank.
Choerodon fasciatus will be 10 inches when it is fully grown. You should also be very cautious if you plan on keeping this fish in a reef tank. This guide will discuss why and also how to care for Harlequin Tusks. If you know all about the Harlequin Tusks, consider checking out 5 Unique Predatory Fish for Saltwater Aquariums!
Aquarium Requirements
Because of how large Choerodon fasciatus becomes, it is recommended for fish tanks that are 125 gallons or larger. The aquarium itself should have plenty of rockwork that creates different sized caves for the Harlequin Tusk. Juveniles of this species are often very timid so it is great to provide hiding spaces.
Most saltwater fish have similar water parameter requirements. That is not any different with Harlequins. This fish does best under the following water parameters:
- Temperature: 72°-78° F
- DKH: 8-12
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.020-1.025 sg
From my experiences and research, it does not seem like Harlequin Tusks are known to be jumpers. However, a well-fitted lid is always recommended because you never know with fish.
Is the Harlequin Tusk Reef Safe?
These fish are cautiously kept in reef tanks, primarily because although they will not eat your coral, they will devour most invertebrates that are in the aquarium. However, they are often kept in Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) aquariums.
Food and Diet
The Harlequin Tusk fish is strictly a carnivorous fish. They hunt and prey on small invertebrates such as snails, crabs, shrimp, and more in the wild. Their diet should replicate something similar to what they would eat in the wild. When they are small, they can be fed an assortment of Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, and Krill. Once they are older, Mysis Shrimp and Brine Shrimp may not sustain a hungry Harlequin Tusk. I would recommend feeding it larger meaty foods such as Krill, Clam on a Half shell, and squid. They may also eat large pellets and flake food. Most invertebrates are not safe with this fish in the aquarium. Harlequin Tusks and Cleaner Shrimp are not even a safe combination.

Do Harlequin Tusk Eat Aptasia
There is very little information on whether Harlequin Tusks eat aptasia. I can safely assume that they will not eat aptasia because they will not mess with coral or anemones in a reef tank. If anyone has any concrete information on this, please share! If you need to remove aptasia, consider purchasing peppermint shrimp but beware because they may destroy other coral.
Do Harlequin Tusk Eat Bristleworms?
Being invertebrates and Harlequin Tusks being wrasses, I can assume that this fish species will eat bristleworms. Perhaps not as well as a Sixline Wrasse or Arrow Crab, but Harlequin Tusks should eat some bristleworms when the opportunity arises. However, I do not have concrete evidence to prove this.
Do Harlequin Tusk Eat Clams?
Most of the searching I have done assumes that Harlequin Tusks do not eat clams. Being the rowdy carnivores that they are, I would still be a little cautious owning clams and Harlequins.
Tank Mates
The Harlequin Tusk has a reputation for starting life as a small timid fish, but it becomes more aggressive once it settles into a fish tank and grows. Choerodon fasciatus should be kept with fish that grow larger and can hold their own. I would recommend fish such as Triggerfish, Surgeonfish/tangs, Lionfish, large Angelfish, and Groupers. Smaller fish such as Chromis, Clownfish, Firefish, and many others are commonly eaten by Harlequin Tusks. Also, there may be increased aggression and fighting towards other wrasses.
Can you Keep More Than One Harlequin Tusk?
The simple answer is no. Harlequin Tusks become incredibly territorial and aggressive when they are grown and will fight others of their species. They wreak havoc on other fish and wrasses of different species, so it’s a bad idea to consider adding two Choerodon fasciatus together. Our aquariums are not large enough to comfortably keep more than one in a system.
Breeding
Breeding is not really possible with this species in an aquarium setting. They are incredibly territorial and will fight their own species. Also, it’s incredibly hard and/or impossible to determine whether saltwater fish are males or females.
Final Notes
Harlequin Tusks are probably one of the most beautiful saltwater fish available. If you can look passed their temperament (and their cost) I would highly recommend them if you have the correct setup. If you’re not ready to pick up a Harlequin Tusk, check out some other fish that are great for 30 Gallon Aquariums.
April 7, 2022
Crested Gecko – Full Care Guide
Crested Gecko Information
Crested geckos are a great introductory reptile for first time hobbyists. For reptile standards they are quite low maintenance and easy to care for. They are inexpensive for a reptile and also incredibly docile. They can be handled by their keeper but it’s not recommended until a month or two after introduction.
A Crested Gecko can grow to a size between 7 to 9 inches as adults. They have a good chance of losing their tail in captivity but it is completely normal. The tail will not grow back and stay a small nub. The Crested Gecko can live anywhere between 15 to 20 years in captivity if conditions and health are optimal!
Vivarium Requirements
A single Crested Gecko or a pair of adults (1 male, 1 female) can be housed in a 20 gallon tank (18x18x18) but, larger habitats are always preferred. A Crested Gecko will prefer height over length for their enclosure. Its habitat should have a combination of vines, cork bark and standing driftwood to give it something to climb on!
Fake and live plants are excellent to add into a Crested Gecko vivarium. Plants such as:
- Pothos
- Mother Fern
- Nerve Plant
- Shingle Plant
- Mosses
Are fantastic plants that bring a new life into a vivarium. Be certain that plants chosen are safe for Crested Geckos before purchasing. Also, plants purchased from stores like Walmart or Home Depot need thorough rinsing to remove any pesticides that may be present. Lastly, coco fiber substrate is great for your gecko.
Keep your Crested Gecko in temperatures ranging between 74 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. They do not require special lighting for their enclosure but keep in mind your live plants will. Use a digital thermometer and hygrometer to ensure the temperature and humidity levels are at the proper levels. Temperatures should be between 74 & 78 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 60 and 70%. Mist the vivarium to maintain the proper humidity.
Lastly, a clean water dish should be provided in the vivarium so your gecko always has a source of water. Dehydration is a big problem for geckos especially when they are shedding their skin.
Diet
Crested Geckos eat a mixture of fruit and insects in the wild. Zoo Med Crested Gecko Food will provide a well rounded diet for your gecko. Feed juvenile Crested Geckos everyday and adults three times a week. Crickets & waxworms are excellent treats for your gecko and should be given once a week!
Tank Mates
A vivarium is normally setup to only house Crested Geckos. They do not fair well with other animals because of habitat requirements or territorial disputes. A single Crested Gecko will do fine in a vivarium. A pair of adults should do well in an appropriately sized enclosure. Do not keep more than one male in the same enclosure because they will fight for territory and dominance. Young Crested Geckos will show aggression towards each other so do not keep them in an enclosure together.
Breeding
A pair of Crested Geckos have the possibility of breeding in an vivarium. Crested Geckos normally breed between March & September. Each offspring will need to be kept in its own enclosure. Breeders will sometimes use 6 quart plastic bins from Walmart or Target and modify them with small screens and holes for ventilation.
The offspring’s enclosure should be easily cleaned and easy to break down. Use paper towels and old toilet paper rolls and clean out the enclosure weekly. Feed offspring daily and mist their small enclosure to maintain proper humidity levels. Place the offspring into their own 10+ gallon vivarium once they reach 10 grams in weight.
Give time for the female to rest between breeding seasons by removing the male from the enclosure. This will give the female the opportunity to relax and regain some weight for the next breeding season.
Final Notes
Crested Geckos are one of the easiest and hardiest reptiles to keep in the hobby. They mostly care for themselves but with consistency & practice handling this reptile is a possibility. Lastly, really consider getting a Crested Gecko if you are looking into acquiring a reptile!
December 14, 2020