Veilfin tetra

Where they come from

Veilfin tetras (Hyphessobrycon elachys) come from the Paraguay River basin in South America, where they live in slow, plant-choked side waters and quieter stretches. Think tea-colored water, leaf litter, and lots of cover. That background explains pretty much everything about how they act in an aquarium: they like calm, they like plants, and they look best over darker bottoms.

Setting up their tank

If you want to actually enjoy veilfins, give them room to school and a layout that breaks up sight lines. They are not huge fish, but they get nervous in bare tanks and you end up with washed-out color and skittish behavior.

• Tank size: 20 gallons long is a nice starting point for a proper group. You can keep a smaller group in a 10, but they look and act better with more swim space.
• Group size: 10-12 minimum if you can. With 6 they survive, with 10+ they settle in and you see the fin displays.
• Flow: gentle to moderate. They come from quieter water, and they do that annoying "hover and fight the current" thing if the flow is too strong.
• Plants: yes. Stem plants, crypts, floating plants, whatever you like. Floating cover (frogbit, salvinia) calms them down fast.
• Substrate and decor: dark sand or fine gravel, plus wood and leaf litter if you like the look. Indian almond leaves work great and help them feel at home.

Water-wise, they are happiest in soft to moderately soft water. Slightly acidic to neutral is the vibe. The bigger deal is stability and cleanliness. They do not love brand-new tanks, so I treat them like an intermediate fish and wait until the tank is well-cycled and settled.

What to feed them

Veilfins are easy to feed once they are comfortable, but new arrivals can be picky for the first week. In my tanks, they do best when you rotate foods and keep portions small. They are little pigs, and overfeeding shows up quickly as bloat and water quality issues.

• Daily staple: a good small tropical flake or micro pellet (they have small mouths).
• Best "make them look great" foods: frozen daphnia, baby brine shrimp, cyclops, finely chopped bloodworms (as a treat).
• If they are shy: live baby brine shrimp or live daphnia usually flips the "oh, food" switch fast.

How they behave and who they get along with

They are peaceful schooling tetras with a little bit of sparring in the group. The "veilfin" part is mostly about the males flashing at each other. In a good-sized school, that stays as harmless posturing. In a too-small group, the bossy fish has nobody else to focus on and starts picking.

• Good tankmates: other calm small tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, corydoras, small plecos, otocinclus, peaceful dwarf cichlids (apistos) in the right setup.
• Use caution with: long-finned fish (they can get curious and nip if cramped), very fast or boisterous fish that keep them pinned in the corners.
• Shrimp: adults usually do fine with them, but shrimplets are snack-sized.

Breeding tips

They are egg scatterers like a lot of Hyphessobrycon. Spawning is doable at home, but raising fry takes a little planning because the parents will absolutely eat the eggs and the babies are tiny.

• Breeding tank: 10 gallons is plenty. Keep it dim, add a sponge filter, and use a mesh screen or a thick layer of marbles so eggs fall out of reach.
• Spawning media: java moss, spawning mops, or fine-leaved plants.
• Conditioning: feed frozen/live foods for a week or two and do a couple of cooler water changes. That often triggers them.
• After spawning: pull the adults the same day if you can.

For first foods, think microscopic. Infusoria, rotifers, or a commercial liquid fry food helps for the first days, then move to baby brine shrimp once they can take it. Clean water matters a lot here, but keep the suction gentle so you do not vacuum up your entire future school.

Common problems to watch for

Most issues I have seen with veilfin tetras come down to stress from being under-grouped, kept too bright and bare, or dumped into a tank that is still swinging around with parameters.

• Shyness and fading color: usually not enough cover or too small a group. Add plants and bump the school size.
• Fin damage: can be nipping, or it can be rough netting and transport. Watch for secondary infections if the edges look white and fuzzy.
• Ich after purchase: pretty common if they were shipped and stressed. Quarantine new fish if you can.
• Bloat/constipation: often from too much dry food. Skip a feeding and offer daphnia.