Watermelon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon sp. “Coerulean”) – Brazil
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For the safety of our animals, we now ship live fish exclusively via UPS Next Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS Next Day Air as a shipping option during checkout.
The Watermelon Tetra is a striking and uncommon Brazilian characin known for its warm blush tones, subtle iridescence, and confident midwater schooling behavior. Hyphessobrycon sp. “Coerulean” displays a soft gradient of rose and silver that intensifies under balanced lighting, with hints of blue reflecting across the lateral line as the school turns in unison.
Collected from Brazil, this species thrives in structured, plant-rich aquariums that emphasize stability, subtle tannins, and natural depth. It is a tetra for aquarists who appreciate rare coloration without sacrificing community compatibility.
What We Love About This Fish
• Warm Rosy Undertones: A distinctive “watermelon” hue that glows in planted aquariums.
• Tight Schooling Movement: Confident midwater presence with coordinated turns.
• Rare Brazilian Lineage: Less commonly available than standard community tetras.
• Peaceful Nature: Excellent addition to thoughtfully balanced soft-water aquariums.
Quick Care Guidelines
• Temperature: 74°–82°F (23°–28°C)
• pH: 5.8–7.2
• KH: 1–6 dKH
• Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
• Diet: Omnivorous; thrives on high-quality micro pellets, fine flake foods, and frozen or live foods such as daphnia and brine shrimp.
• Social Behavior: Schooling species; best kept in groups of 6–10 or more.
• Community Tank Suitable: Yes – Ideal for peaceful soft-water community aquariums.
• Shrimp Safe: With Caution – Generally safe with adult shrimp; small fry may be at risk without dense plant cover.
• Origin: Collected – Brazil
• Average Adult Size: 1.5–2 inches (4–5 cm)
• Average Purchase Size: 0.75–1.25 inches (2–3 cm)
Live Arrival Guarantee:
All Aquatic Arts brand plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee, plus free email support!
Hyphessobrycon sp. “Coerulean” originates from freshwater systems in Brazil, where warm temperatures, soft mineral content, and organic material shape the ecosystem. These waterways often contain submerged roots, leaf litter, and gentle flow. Slight tannin influence and stable parameters are typical of their natural environment.
The Watermelon Tetra performs best in aquariums designed around layered structure and filtered lighting.
Plants:
Use flowing background stems, Amazon Sword, Rotala, or Vallisneria to create vertical movement while preserving open swimming lanes. Floating plants help soften lighting and intensify body coloration.
Hardscape:
Incorporate driftwood branches and smooth river stones to create visual depth without interrupting midwater movement. Clear central pathways enhance schooling behavior.
Botanicals:
Aquatic Arts–branded botanicals such as Indian Almond Leaves, Catappa Bark, and Alder Cones introduce subtle tannins and natural texture, encouraging confident behavior and deeper coloration.
The Watermelon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon sp. “Coerulean”) is an omnivorous micro-predator that feeds primarily in the midwater column. In the wild, it consumes small aquatic invertebrates, insect larvae, and suspended organic material.
In the aquarium, offer a varied staple diet consisting of high-quality micro pellets, premium tropical flakes, and small sinking pellets that remain accessible in the water column. Regular supplementation with live foods and frozen foods such as brine shrimp, daphnia, and cyclops enhances coloration and supports natural hunting behavior.
While primarily carnivorous-leaning omnivores, occasional finely prepared fresh vegetables can contribute trace nutrients and support digestive balance.
In established aquariums, naturally occurring biofilm and microflora growing on plants, botanicals, and decor provide supplemental grazing opportunities between feedings. The presence of driftwood and structured hardscape encourages beneficial microbial growth, contributing to long-term ecosystem stability.
Frequent, smaller feedings are preferred over infrequent large meals to maintain water quality and support tight schooling behavior.
Best housed with peaceful tetras, rasboras, pencilfish, dwarf Corydoras, and soft-water dwarf cichlids. Avoid aggressive or fin-nipping species that may disrupt schooling patterns.
(Caution)
Generally compatible with adult freshwater shrimp in well-planted aquariums. Due to midwater feeding behavior, very small shrimp fry may be vulnerable unless dense mosses and structured hiding spaces are provided.
An egg-scattering species that deposits eggs among fine-leaved plants. Adults do not guard eggs, so separation is recommended for successful breeding. Soft, slightly acidic water improves hatch rates.
How large does the Watermelon Tetra grow?
The Watermelon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon sp. “Coerulean”) typically reaches 1.5–2 inches in length.
Are Watermelon Tetras beginner friendly?
Watermelon Tetras are suitable for beginner to intermediate aquarists who can maintain stable soft to moderately soft water conditions.
How many Watermelon Tetras should be kept together?
Watermelon Tetras are schooling fish and should be kept in groups of at least 6–10 to encourage natural behavior.
Are Watermelon Tetras aggressive?
Watermelon Tetras are peaceful community fish and are not considered aggressive toward similarly sized species.
Are Watermelon Tetras safe with shrimp?
Watermelon Tetras are generally safe with adult shrimp, though very small shrimp fry may be at risk in sparsely planted tanks.
What do Watermelon Tetras eat?
They accept fine flake foods, micro pellets, and benefit from frozen or live foods such as brine shrimp and daphnia.
Do Watermelon Tetras require soft water?
They prefer soft to moderately soft water with slightly acidic to neutral pH, but stability is more important than exact numbers.
Are they good for planted aquariums?
Yes. Watermelon Tetras thrive in planted aquariums with open swimming space.
Can Watermelon Tetras live with dwarf cichlids?
They can live with peaceful soft-water dwarf cichlids in structured aquariums.
Do they prefer tannin-influenced water?
Light tannins can enhance coloration and help replicate natural Brazilian conditions.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
