Freshwater Fish
Congo Tetra.
A shimmering, iridescent tetra with long, flowing fins that catch the light as a school moves together. Peaceful and beginner-friendly; they look their best in a group in a planted 30-gallon-plus tank with gentle lighting.
Prices change with size and with each shipment. Call to check today's price.
Call (814) 456-9445We keep this species. What's in our tanks changes with every delivery, so call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Hardy, and forgiving of the swings a new tank throws at it.
- Temperament
- Leaves tankmates alone.
- Community
- Safe in a mixed tank with other peaceful species.
- Adult size
- 3"
- Min tank size
- 30 gallons
- Diet
- Eats meat and greens both.
- Scientific name
- Phenacogrammus interruptus
Good tank mates
The Congo tetra is peaceful and community-safe, so it pairs well with other calm community fish of roughly its size: other medium tetras, rasboras, corydoras, peaceful gouramis, and livebearers like mollies or swordtails. Avoid persistent fin-nippers, much larger or aggressive fish, and anything small enough to fit in its mouth. Keep it in a group of six or more so it feels secure and shows its best color.
Good to know
The Congo tetra is native to the Congo River basin in central Africa, one of relatively few aquarium tetras that come from Africa rather than South America.
What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
Bronze Cory
Peaceful, non-territorial bottom-dwellers with matching soft, slightly acidic water requirements (pH 6.0–7.8). Occupy a completely different depth zone, leaving mid-water free for Congo Tetras to school. No fin-nipping risk and no size mismatch concerns.
Cardinal Tetra
Near-identical soft, acidic water requirements and peaceful temperament. Cardinals are a compatible Congo Tetra companion. Congo Tetras are not fin-nippers — they are themselves vulnerable to fin-nipping, so the direction of risk is reversed. Large mixed schools of both species do well.
Harlequin Rasbora
Excellent water parameter overlap (pH 6.0–7.5, dGH 2–12) and a peaceful, non-aggressive schooling temperament. At 1.75–2" they are proportionally similar to Cardinal Tetras (also a safe pairing), with no known harassment or predation in this pairing.
- K
Kribensis
Pelvicachromis sp. are compatible Congo Tetra tankmates. Water parameters align well (pH 5.0–7.5, soft to slightly hard). Stays near the substrate. Congo Tetras at 3–3.5" are large enough to absorb any temporary territorial behavior from a breeding pair in a properly sized (4ft+) tank.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.