Glass Bloodfin Tetra
Prionobrama filigera
Characidae
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About
A see-through characin from the Amazon floodplains of Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, where it holds in loose shoals over sandy shoals and among aquatic plants in whitewater rivers. The body is glassy enough to read the spine through, and the only colour is a scarlet caudal fin that flickers as the shoal moves. Do not confuse it with the bloodfin tetra Aphyocharax anisitsi, which is also in this library and is a different fish: the bloodfin is stockier and silvered with red in the anal, pelvic and caudal fins, while Prionobrama filigera is longer, slimmer, near-transparent, and red only in the tail. The upturned mouth tells you where it lives — the top few centimetres — and that is also the reason a lid is not optional. It is undemanding about chemistry, tolerating up to 30 °dGH, which makes it one of the easier South American tetras for hard Lithuanian tap water.
Care
Keep eight or more in a tank from 70 litres with at least 60 cm of length, a tight-fitting lid and open water at the surface. Temperature 23-27 °C, pH 6-7.5, hardness up to 30 °dGH — hard tap water is no obstacle. Peaceful towards anything of similar size and a good match for corydoras, small loricariids, dwarf cichlids and other characins; rival males squabble briefly among themselves and a full-sized group settles it. Some current and a little planting round the edges suit it, but leave the middle of the tank open to swim.
Diet
Surface-feeding omnivore. Flake and small floating pellets as the base, with frozen or live Daphnia, cyclops and bloodworm rotated in; food that sinks straight past is food it will not eat.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (227)
Possible with care (137)
Avoid (54)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
What works for this species, most reliable first.
- Belly depthA hint only · only on well-fed adults, and only as a comparison
For most tetras, barbs and rasboras this is all there is: a conditioned female is deeper through the belly than a male of the same length.
Also in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Glass Bloodfin Tetra need?
- A Glass Bloodfin Tetra needs an aquarium of at least 70 litres (18.5 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Glass Bloodfin Tetra need?
- Glass Bloodfin Tetra does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 6–7.8 and a general hardness of 2–30 °dGH.
- What group size does a Glass Bloodfin Tetra need?
- Glass Bloodfin Tetra is a social species — keep a group of at least 8 so natural behaviour emerges and stress stays low.
- Is the Glass Bloodfin Tetra suitable for beginners?
- Yes — Glass Bloodfin Tetra is one of the easier species to keep and forgives typical first-tank mistakes, as long as the aquarium is cycled and maintained.