Congo Tetra – The African Beauty
A somewhat skittish fish hailing from Congo, Africa, the Congo Tetra is a beautiful fish once it establishes itself in the aquarium.
Suitable for the community aquarium, these are highly gregarious fish and should not be kept in groups of less than 6. Make sure there are a mix of both sexes, as males tend to develop better colouration when kept in a group containing a number of female fish to display to.
Large specimens of the congo tetra may also tend to snip at tiny fish, like livebearer fry, and sometimes nibble soft plants. You would need to ensure that there are no fin-noppers like the tiger barb in the tank, as these may bite the flowing fins of the males. In my case, my paradise gourami, is a big bully, but I am not sure if all paradise gouramis are the same.
The Congo Tetra has a full-bodied typical tetra shape with rather large scales. When mature, the fluorescent 
colors of the Congo Tetra run through the fish from front to back starting with blue on top changing to red through the middle, to yellow-gold, and back to blue just above the belly. The fins are grayish violet with white edges.
Tank Setup
The Congo Tetras prefer a dark substrate, and are most comfortable in an aquarium with lower light levels. You can achieve that with floating and planted plants. The beautiful rainbow colors of this fish will also show off best in lower light levels. Ensure lots of room for it to swim about and a good water circulation, as they are sensitive to water conditions.
Feeding your Congo Tetra
In the wild, Congo Tetra is primarily insectivorous, but occasionally feed on plants as well. In an aquarium, Congo Terta accepts most aquarium foods, but you would get the best results from good quality flake food containing colour enhancers. Provide a variety in their diet with food such as bloodworm, daphnia and brine shrimp – live or freeze dried.
Breeding
Egg scatterers, the Congo tetras can lay upto 300 eggs at a time which are mildly adhesive, and tend to drop to the bottom of the tank. This is usually done early in the morning when the first rays on the sun hit the tank. The parents should be removed the tank, else, as is common with egg layers, they may eat the eggs or fry. Some keys to initiate spawning is a large aquarium, peat filtered and acidic soft water with a temperature between 25-27 C (75 – 77 F). The eggs generally hatch in about six days, and the fry should be fed freshly hatched brine shrimp or finely crushed flake food.
Fishy Facts
Common Names: Congo Tetra
Scientific Name: Phenacogrammus interruptus
Family: Characidae
Origin: Zaire River Basin, Congo, Africa
Adult Size: Approx. 3-4 inches for males, 2-3 inches for females
Social skills: Peaceful, good community fish. Should be kept in shoals.
Lifespan: 4 to 6 years
Tank Level: All levels
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons to as big as you can make it
Diet: Omnivore, eats most foods. Need a mix of flakes, frozen and live
Breeding: Egg scatterers
Care: Fairly easy. Not too demanding.
Temperature: 74-81 F (24-27 C)
See a video of this beautiful fish from YouTube
Must reads:
Black Tetra – The Widow In The Butterfly Skirt
Black Phantom Tetra
Neon Tetras – Lighting Up Your Fish Tank
