Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri) - Tank-Bred!
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
* 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 *
This tetra is an ever-popular community and planted tank fish that is known for its beauty and elegant appearance!
The Emperor Tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri) is a very attractive shoaling fish for the community aquarium. Its distinctive coloration consists of a mostly cream-colored body that is highlighted by a thick horizontal black stripe and yellow edges along its fins. Adult males also display a very noticeable purple sheen above their black stripe, especially when competing for the attention of females. In addition, adult males have dramatically elongated dorsal and caudal fins, including an extended middle ray that creates a “trident” tail. Females are generally smaller and thicker in size. The Emperor Tetra typically breeds in pairs and must be kept in shoals of at least 6 to 10 fish. Males will posture and compete for females, but this aggression is not a problem in aquariums with ample space and plenty of décor.
The Emperor Tetra typically occupies the top and middle level of the water column, although it can often be seen swimming and feeding in the middle and bottom levels as well. It is safe to keep with other peaceful, small fish. Though it has a relatively robust, larger body than many smaller tetras, it has a very small mouth. Adult dwarf shrimp are possibly safe tankmates as well, but adult Emperor Tetras may eat small dwarf shrimp and their fry. Larger, peaceful invertebrates can also make good tankmates. Since they are tank-raised, Emperor Tetras are fairly adaptable, but their natural habitat contains soft, acidic water rich in tannins and leaf litter.
While not a picky eater, the Emperor Tetra will thrive and remain very colorful on a varied diet of meaty foods. High-quality flake food, pellets, and frozen or freeze-dried tubifex and bloodworms will all be readily accepted.
- Elegant coloration and finnage, especially in males
- Peaceful disposition with fish and peaceful invertebrates
- Very active and noticeable fish in any aquarium
- Hardy and adaptable
- Temperature: 73° - 81° F (23° - 27° C)
- pH: 5.5 - 7.5 (more acidic water is preferred)
- KH: 4 - 8 dKH
- Minimum tank size: 20 gallons
- Diet: Omnivorous. Will easily accept high quality dry and frozen foods
- Social behavior: Peaceful, schooling/shoaling.
- Origin: Tank-bred, but indigenous to South America
- Average adult size: 1.4 - 1.7 inches (3.5 - 4.2 cm)
- Average purchase size: 1/2 - 1 inch (1.3 - 2.5 cm)
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.
