The diamond tetra (''Moenkhausia pittieri'') is a small

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

of the

characin Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationshi ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

(family

Characidae Characidae, the characids or characins is a family of freshwater subtropical and tropical fish, belonging to the order Characiformes. The name "characins" is the historical one, but scientists today tend to prefer "characids" to reflect their st ...

) of

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Characiformes Characiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising the characins and their allies. Grouped in 18 recognized families, more than 2000 different species are described, including the well-known piranha and tetras.; Buckup P.A.: "Relationshi ...

. It is found in and around Lake Valencia in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, South America.

Description

This species exhibits clear sexual dimorphism, with males having much longer dorsal fins than the females. Males also tend to be more brightly coloured, but both sexes are attractive fish and have become popular with

aquarists Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a piscicultural fishkeeping industry, serving as a branch of agriculture. Origins of fishkeeping Fish have ...

. The dorsal and anal fins are purple and the body is silver. The eye is marked with red above the pupil, and there is a dark band running along the midline of the body. Their common name comes from the bright,

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

scales along the flanks. This species very much resemble Metynnis and Myleus species. Although the patronym was not identified, it is probably in honor of Swiss-born geographer-botanist

Henri François Pittier Henri François Pittier de Fabrega (August 13, 1857 in Bex, Switzerland – January 27, 1950 in Caracas, Venezuela) was a Swiss-born geographer and botanist who started Venezuelan National Park history. Biography He graduated as an engineer ...

(1857–1950), who lived in Venezuela and collected some specimens for Eigenmann.

Habitat

Diamond tetras are endemic to the northern area of Venezuela. They hail originally from the waters of Lake Valencia, located between the states Carabobo and Aragua, and its tributaries. They inhabit slow moving streams with abundant vegetation and leaf litter. These fish are threatened by urban growth, which destroys and pollutes their habitat. The species has seemingly disappeared completely from Lake Valencia, where they were collected initially. In 2009 the Venezuelan underwater photographer Ivan Mikolji was able to find and photograph a population of this fish in a stream nearby Lake Valencia.

In the aquarium

Nutrition

The diamond tetra is an omnivore. In the wild they eat whatever they can forage, with a preference for small animal food items, especially mosquito larvae. In a home aquarium they eat most standard fish foods, such as flakes and pellets. They benefit from a variety of food such as live daphnia or frozen bloodworms.

Breeding

A pair or group of diamond tetras will spawn in an aquarium with a shaded area, which can be created by including fine-leaved plants such as

Java moss Java moss is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Taxiphyllum barbieri'' *''Vesicularia dubyana ''Vesicularia dubyana'', known as Java moss or Singapore moss, is a species of moss native to Asia. It is common in the aquarium tra ...

or a spawning mop. The fish should be well conditioned beforehand with nutritious food, preferably small live foods. Soft acidic water in the pH range of 5.5–6.5 is preferred, and a temperature of around 26–29°C (80–84°F) is suitable. The fish usually spawn in the early morning. If not removed from the tank, the adults will eat their eggs. It is recommended to remove them after spawning. The eggs normally hatch within 36 hours and the fry are usually free swimming in around 4 days. Diamond tetra fry grow quickly. They can feed on pre-made fry foods, but suitably sized live foods will help at all stages of development.

References

*http://aquatic-experts.com/ARTICLE_First_Ever_Photos_of_Diamond_Tetras_in_their_natural_habitat.html *http://aquatic-experts.com/Moenkhausia_pittieri.html * * *Riehl R. & Baensch H: Aquarium Atlas (vol. 1), Voyageur Press, 1996, *https://web.archive.org/web/20110120185420/http://www.bettatrading.com.au/Diamond-Tetra-Fact-Sheet.php *https://mikolji.com/article/diamond-tetras-moenkhausia-pittieri-wild Tetras Taxa named by Carl H. Eigenmann Fish described in 1920 {{Characiformes-stub