Description
Buenos Aires tetras are active, mid-water shoaling fishes found in a range of habitats that include seasonal floodwaters as well as rivers and streams. As they are native to regions that lie just outside the tropics, they soon earned a reputation for hardiness in the early days of the hobby and their ancestors from Argentina were undaunted by unreliable heating or wavering water quality. They can be inclined to damage plants and are on the large side for a tetra, so these are factors to bear in mind when considering their housing requirements.
The combination of size and speed makes these tetras a great choice for combining with territorial species such as small Central American cichlids or Eartheaters, Severum etc providing a useful target for aggression – as long as the aquarium is large enough for them to flee to safety. As “B.A.” tetras are fast and boisterous it’s best to avoid mixing them with long-finned tankmates.
