How many Black Skirt Tetras should be kept together?

Keep at least 12. A proper shoal spreads normal chasing and greatly reduces the chance that slower tank mates become targets.

What size tank do Black Skirt Tetras need?

About 70 litres with a base near 75 × 30 cm is a sensible minimum for the recommended group. More swimming length is preferable.

Do Black Skirt Tetras nip fins?

They can, especially in a group that is too small. Keep a large shoal and avoid delicate, slow, long-finned companions.

Are White Skirt Tetras a different species?

No. White Skirt Tetras are pale captive forms of Gymnocorymbus ternetzi and belong to the same canonical species record.

FreshwaterTropicalBeginner

Black Skirt Tetra

Gymnocorymbus ternetzi

A hardy, deep-bodied tetra for a roomy freshwater community. Keep a proper shoal and its lively chasing stays focused on its own group rather than slower tank mates.

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Ideal Conditions

Temperature: 20 – 26 °C
pH range: 6 – 8
Hardness: 5 – 19 dGH
Adult size: 5 – 7.5 cm
Min. tank size: 70 litres+
Lifespan: 3 – 6 years
Diet: Omnivore / small-invertebrate feeder
Water flow: Gentle to moderate
Preferred setup: Open mid-water bordered by dense planting, with a dark substrate and subdued light

About the Black Skirt Tetra

The Black Skirt Tetra is a long-established aquarium fish from the Rio Paraguay basin. Adults are usually 5-7.5 cm long and spend most of their time in the middle and upper water. Captive-bred fish are adaptable, but the species should not be treated as a small-tank option: a group of at least 12 needs open swimming room.

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Is it right for your tank?

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Where Black Skirt Tetra comes from

Native range

Rio Paraguay basin, Pantanal floodplain

Countries / regions

Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina

Habitat

Slow-moving creeks, tributaries, floodplain lakes and lagoons with abundant marginal or aquatic vegetation and shaded water.

Illustrative basin centroids only, not occurrence records. A 2015 revision restricts the native range to the Rio Paraguay basin, treats upper Paraná and Paraíba do Sul populations as introduced, and separates Madeira-basin fish as Gymnocorymbus flaviolimai.

Similar species

Neon Tetra
Paracheirodon innesi
Cardinal Tetra
Paracheirodon axelrodi
Tiger Barb
Puntigrus tetrazona

We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.

Compatible tank mates

Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.

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Panda Corydoras
Corydoras panda
A peaceful bottom-dwelling group with overlapping cool-tropical water requirements and little competition for swimming space.
Great
Zebra Danio
Danio rerio
Both are robust, active shoaling fish, with useful overlap at the cooler end of tropical aquarium temperatures.
Great
Siamese Fighting Fish
Betta splendens
The water ranges overlap, but an under-sized Black Skirt Tetra group may nip a Betta's long fins. Use a large shoal and keep a separation plan.
Compatible with caution
Ocellaris Clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Ocellaris Clownfish are marine; Black Skirt Tetras are strictly freshwater.
Not recommended

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