- Common name
- Bleeding heart tetra
- Scientific name
- Megalamphodus erythrostigma
- Category
- Freshwater fish
- Group
- Tetras
- Environment
- Mature planted freshwater aquarium with shaded cover and open midwater swimming room
- Origin
- Upper Amazon basin in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Adult size
- Up to about 6 cm standard length
- Expected lifespan
- Plan for approximately 5–8 years and potentially longer under stable schooling care.
- Minimum housing
- At least 120 L with a 90 cm or longer footprint for eight or more fish
- Temperature
- 23–28 °C
- pH
- Unknown; use stable source-matched water
- Hardness / minerals
- Unknown; stable source-matched mineral content
- Salinity
- Freshwater, 0 ppt; routine salt addition is not recommended
- Lighting
- Subdued to moderate with shaded refuge
- Placement / zone
- Middle water
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the complete adult bleeding heart tetra group, with guarded intakes and accessible mechanical capture. Keep flow gentle to moderate with open midwater lanes and shaded refuge where the fish lives, and maintain undetectable ammonia and nitrite.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface agitation and oxygen exchange at all times. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, heavy feeding or any sign of rapid breathing.
- Maintenance
- Perform regular matched-water changes guided by nitrate and waste, remove uneaten food and trapped detritus, clean mechanical media without disrupting the biofilter, and record feeding, body condition, respiration and aggression.
Identity and search names
Single-species profile for Megalamphodus erythrostigma. Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is retained as the former combination for searching.
Search names: Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma
Environment and housing
Use dark substrate, wood, plants or leaf-litter-style cover at the margins and a clear central swimming lane.
Social structure: Keep at least eight; larger shoals improve confidence and spread minor sparring
Feeding and nutrition
Feeding ecology: Omnivore taking small invertebrates and suitable prepared foods
Feeding routine: Offer small high-quality prepared, frozen and live foods once or twice daily; spread food across the shoal.
Breeding, reproduction or spread
Egg scatterer
Detailed care and app-ready planning
- Identity scope
- Single-species profile for Megalamphodus erythrostigma. Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma is retained as the former combination for searching.
- Adult size and space
- Up to about 6 cm standard length. At least 120 L with a 90 cm or longer footprint for eight or more fish. Adult dimensions, activity and social structure matter more than sale size.
- Social structure
- Keep at least eight; larger shoals improve confidence and spread minor sparring
- Swimming zone or placement
- Primary zone: Middle water. Keep that zone usable and provide escape routes, feeding access and uninterrupted movement appropriate to the species.
- Feeding ecology
- Omnivore taking small invertebrates and suitable prepared foods
- Feeding plan
- Offer small high-quality prepared, frozen and live foods once or twice daily; spread food across the shoal.
- Water stability
- Maintain 23–28 °C; pH: Unknown; use stable source-matched water; hardness/minerals: Unknown; stable source-matched mineral content. Stable temperature, oxygen and nitrogen-cycle control matter more than chasing unsupported exact numbers.
- Habitat structure
- Use dark substrate, wood, plants or leaf-litter-style cover at the margins and a clear central swimming lane.
- Compatibility plan
- Choose peaceful midwater and bottom species that will not outcompete or harass the shoal.
- Breeding or reproduction plan
- Egg scatterer. Parental care: No parental care; adults may consume eggs or fry. Do not trigger reproduction without capacity for aggression, eggs, fry and rehoming.
- Quarantine
- Quarantine in a separate cycled aquarium with dedicated nets, containers and siphons. Match temperature and mineral chemistry gradually, confirm normal feeding, respiration, skin, fins and waste, and never pour transport water into the established aquarium.
- Welfare checks
- Check shoal confidence, body depth, fin condition, respiration, feeding access and persistent male aggression.
- Biosecurity and release
- Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Check the exact accepted identity in current BICON and applicable South Australian rules before import, sale or movement; import eligibility does not authorise release or wild collection.
- Main risk
- Small groups become timid or may concentrate chasing. Older Hyphessobrycon naming should remain searchable but not be presented as current.
- Adult projected load
- Project biological load from the full adult bleeding heart tetra group, adult body mass, feeding pattern, activity and social requirement rather than juvenile sale size. A school of larger deep-bodied tetras creates a moderate-to-high combined biomass and repeated fine-food load.
- Filtration
- Use mature biological filtration sized for the complete adult bleeding heart tetra group, with guarded intakes and accessible mechanical capture. Keep flow gentle to moderate with open midwater lanes and shaded refuge where the fish lives, and maintain undetectable ammonia and nitrite.
- Aeration
- Maintain reliable surface agitation and oxygen exchange at all times. Increase aeration during warm weather, medication, transport recovery, heavy feeding or any sign of rapid breathing.
- Maintenance
- Perform regular matched-water changes guided by nitrate and waste, remove uneaten food and trapped detritus, clean mechanical media without disrupting the biofilter, and record feeding, body condition, respiration and aggression.
- Overridable warnings
- Non-overridable: do not accept persistent ammonia or nitrite, oxygen distress, starvation, chronic aggression or inadequate adult space. Different equipment, stocking or maintenance methods may be used only when measured water quality and adult welfare remain equivalent or better. A group of eight or more and enough swimming footprint are mandatory; older Hyphessobrycon naming remains an alias, not the current accepted name.
Compatibility, welfare and risk
Compatibility: Choose peaceful midwater and bottom species that will not outcompete or harass the shoal.
Welfare: Check shoal confidence, body depth, fin condition, respiration, feeding access and persistent male aggression.
Main warning: Small groups become timid or may concentrate chasing. Older Hyphessobrycon naming should remain searchable but not be presented as current.
Biosecurity and release
Never release fish, fry, eggs, aquarium water, sediment, plants or foods into drains, dams or natural waterways. Check the exact accepted identity in current BICON and applicable South Australian rules before import, sale or movement; import eligibility does not authorise release or wild collection.