Common name: Penguin Tetra or Penguinfish

Scientific name: Thayeria boehlkei

Family: Characidae

Origin: Amazon Basin, South America.

Maximum size: 1.5 inches

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons

Temperature: 75-79 degrees

Care: Very undemanding. This tetra makes a good community fish for beginners. The Penguin Tetra swims in a zig-zag motion with its head higher than its tail.

Feeding: Accepts flake food and live foods such as bloodworms and brine shrimp.

Sexing: Hard to determine.

Breeding: Can be bred. Remove eggs or change water after spawning and the males produce a large amount of sperm.

IME these fish like a well planted tank with plenty of hiding space. If they are startled then they will group together but otherwise they tend to split the tank into territories and fight aggressively between them.

Keep an eye on them after a move or a re-scape, if there isn't suitable division of territories then the weakest could end up without one and get picked on heavily resulting in death.

Generally they are peaceful towards other fish but in the run up to spawning they become more possessive and will chase off anything that moves!

When they aren't organising themselves then they tend to just hang around gently, as if waiting for something interesting to happen.