Glowlight Tetra - Hemigrammus erythrozonus 1-2cm

The Hemigrammus erythrozonus, commonly known as the Glowlight Tetra, is a captivating and peaceful freshwater fish native to the Essequibo River basin in Guyana.

These charming tetras are renowned for their distinctive colouration, featuring a translucent, silvery-peach body adorned with a brilliant, iridescent red-orange stripe that runs horizontally from the snout to the base of the tail, resembling the filament of a glowing light bulb.

Growing to a modest 3-4 centimetres in length, Glowlight Tetras are active schooling fish that add a warm, glowing presence to any community aquarium, particularly under subdued lighting where their stripe truly shines.

As with all tetras, Glowlights are highly social, shoaling fish that must be kept in groups of at least 6-8 individuals to feel secure and display natural behaviour—solitary specimens become stressed, pale, and reclusive.

In proper schools, they are lively and confident, occupying the middle water levels where their glowing stripes catch the light.

These peaceful fish are excellent community inhabitants, compatible with a wide range of similarly sized, non-aggressive species such as rasboras, Corydoras, dwarf cichlids, and other tetras.

Omnivorous by nature, they are unfussy eaters that readily accept quality flake foods and micro-pellets, though their colouration and health are best maintained with regular offerings of small live or frozen foods like daphnia, brine shrimp, and bloodworms.

They appreciate a well-planted aquarium with dimmed lighting or floating plants to replicate their natural blackwater habitat, along with open swimming space.

With proper care including regular water changes and stable water parameters, Glowlight Tetras typically live 3-5 years, making them delightful, glowing additions to peaceful community setups.