The Yellow Finned Congo Tetra: Hemigrammoptersius Caudalis
By Chase Klinesteker
1997 Issue #9
The Yellow Finned Congo Tetra is a beautiful but rarely seen fish from Zaire, Africa. It is an active, peaceful, somewhat timid, schooling fish that is a good addition to a community tank. They are 3 inches in size, although my pair is about 2 inches and growing extensions on the dorsal and middle of the tail fin. Highlights of brilliant white border the dorsal, anal and ventral fins giving the fish a delicate, flowing appearance. The tail fin was a dark border with areas of bright and more diffused yellow within it. The tail "spike" is a dark long extensions starting at the base and extending far out from the center of the tail. The female is quite plain both in fins and color.
These fish eat all foods, including dry, frozen and live. I recommend some live foods to keep them in top condition. They are what I call "splash feeders" since when they grab a bite, and do a quick turn and dart down to safety. This can make a noise and even get you a little wet! Water conditions should be clear and clean. Softer and slightly acid water is probably preferred, although mine bred in alkaline (pH 7.8) water of normal hardness.
I have not seen articles on their breeding, but they breed quite similarly to the Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus). I was fortunate to get some eggs from a pair that I acquired several months ago. I had them in a well planted 10 gallon tank with an undergravel filter and a few other tetras. I was making frequent 50% water changes and heavy feedings to get them to spawn. One evening I observed them scattering eggs among the plants and managed to collect about 50 eggs with a clear cylinder siphoning of the gravel surface. The eggs were clear, quite large, and slow sinking, which is very similar to those of the Congo Tetra. I rinsed the eggs off and placed them in rainwater with methylene blue under light aeration.
The eggs took about 7 to 12 days to hatch. There was a large size difference in the fry because the hatching time was so spread out. The fertility rate was quite low as I only got about 15 to hatch. After about two days of free swimming (I fed them lightly on Liquifry), the fry began taking newly hatched brine shrimp. Once on brine shrimp, they did quite well although the size difference was a problem.
The Yellow Finned Congo Tetra is a challenge to breed and somewhat delicate to keep, but it is a very beautiful and interesting addition, availability will improve in the future.