The Tetra Diamonds

In case you did not know, there are many freshwater fish that are on the verge of extinction, not only due to indiscriminate fishing but also due to the destruction of their natural habitats. However, surely, it would never cross your mind that the fish commonly known as Diamond Tetra, an endemic animal of Venezuela, be one of them. Although these fish are very prolific and can be easily raised in fish tanks, they are slowly disappearing from Venezuelan rivers.

It is important to note that ornamental fish Known as tetras, they are characterized by having an internal row of teeth, by having a suborbital bone under their eyes, a part of their body without scales, and by not having a vertical keel. Tetras fish belong to the tetragonopterini group. And there are different genres.

One of these genres, the moenkausia, or tetra diamonds, they were named in honor of the zoologist William J. Moenkhaus, and are characterized by strong teeth and messy scales on their body. In addition to this they have a quarter of the tail fin with scales, while their body contains scales with small spines on their surface. Generally in their wild state, these animals have dorsal and anal fins with beautiful purple coloration.

It should be noted that the diamond tetra fish are originally from the Lake Valencia Basin in Venezuela, so if you want to have them in your aquarium at home, it is important that the pond has more than 80 liters of capacity, that it has enough plants on the back and sides, and that you also add peat to the filtering system. I also recommend using a dark substrate and reducing the lighting so that you can better emulate its natural habitat.