Black Widow Tetra
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Gold Widow Tetra
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Black Widow Tetras and Gold Widow Tetras are another on of those very hardy type larger tetras. Their distinctive shape, hardiness and peaceful nature makes them an ideal choice for a tropical community aquarium, or even in a cold water set up.
Originating in Bolivia and Paraguay, they are found in rivers and streams featuring dense planted areas of weed. For this reason it is recommended you replicate a similar setup for your aquarium.
Like all tetras, we also recommend you keep them in a school of 6 or more. They will however school up with other tetras of similar size and shape.
Black Widow Tetras survive a wide range of water parameters .. the water PH can be anywhere between 6 and 7.5 and the ideal temperature between 22°C and 28°C. These fish however have been well known to survive in cold water.
Female black widows are generally larger than the males and have a
rounder body. In the female the anal fin runs parallel with the vertical
black stripe in her abdomen.
Males are smaller, have a broader anal
fin, and a narrower more pointed dorsal fin. Males occasionally have
white spots on the caudal fin.
To breed them, condition a male and female for several weeks feeding them plenty of frozen food. Remove a male and a female into a bare glass bottom tank. Drop the hardness of the water to 4dGH and the PH to 5.5. Keep lighting to a minimum (promotes fungal growth in the eggs) and add some floating plants. They will scatter eggs within days, and once you have spotted the tiny little eggs, remove the parents and add them back into the community tank once again.
Although these fish can survive in coldwater in an inside aquarium, they are NOT to be put in an outside pond as the temperature there will become too cold for them.
Black Widow Tetra