Brilliant Rummy Nose Tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri or Petitella bleheri)

The Brilliant Rummy Nose Tetra (Hemigrammus bleheri, also classified as Petitella bleheri) is a highly popular, vibrant freshwater fish native to the Amazon River basin. It is famous for its striking red face, mirror-like silver body, and black-and-white striped tail. They are legendary in the aquarium hobby for their unusually tight schooling behavior, moving together across the tank like a single organism.

Profile Overview

Adult Size: 2 inches (5 cm).

Lifespan: 3 to 5 years (up to 7 years in optimal care).

Diet: Omnivore.

Temperament:

Exceptionally peaceful.

School Size: Minimum of 6, but 8 to 12+ is highly recommended.

Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons (75 liters) due to their active swimming needs.

The "Aquarium Canary

"Rummy Nose Tetras are famously known as the "canaries in the coal mine" for aquariums. Their bright red heads act as a live health meter for your tank:

Vibrant Red: Indicates pristine water, low stress, and good health.

Pale or Faded Face: A direct warning of poor water quality (ammonia spikes or high nitrates), illness, or temperature shock.

Diet & Feeding

Because they have small mouths, they prefer micro-sized foods and typically feed in the middle of the water column.

Daily Foods: High-quality flakes, micro-pellets, or slow-sinking granules.

Color Enhancers: Regular treats of frozen or live baby brine shrimp, daphnia, or bloodworms will make their red faces pop.

Ideal Tank Mates

They do wonderful in community tanks with other non-aggressive, similarly sized tropical fish.

Great Matches: Other tetras, small rasboras, Corydoras catfish, bristlenose plecos, Ram cichlids, and Discus.

Avoid: Large, aggressive fish or predators like adult Angelfish and Silver Dollars, which can easily swallow them.

Shrimp Caution: Safe with larger invertebrates, but they may eat tiny baby shrimp fry.