Blue Eyed Congo Tetra (Phenacogrammus aurantiacus)

The Blue Eye Congo Tetra is a shy but stunning fish. These are hardy, peaceful schooling fish that typically remain in large groups in the wild. It is therefore imperative that you keep these fish in groups of at least six to eight individuals. This schooling nature creates spectacular bursts of colour that will be the focus of attention in your aquarium. In addition, these fish make an excellent community fish.

Blue Eye Congo Tetras are timid by nature; therefore, it is not advisable to keep them with much larger fish, speedy fish or fish that may be aggressive towards them. The best tankmates for these fish are other Characins, Rainbowfish, Corydoras and Dwarf Cichlids, but this is not to say that various species are not fitting. However, it would be better to keep fish that have more or less the exact nature of the Blue Eye Congo Tetra. Furthermore, it may not be ideal to keep fish that are much smaller than they are together as they can nip at them.

These fish will show their best colours in a planted aquarium with open space for swimming and added driftwood. They seem to prefer dim lighting, and an African biotope tank with floating vegetation, driftwood branches and anubias would be ideal. The water should be on the acidic side of neutral and soft with a good current.

Blue Eye Congo Tetras have dark brown to black slender bodies that display bright blue spots accompanied by a vivid horizontal stripe that can be yellow, orange or greenish. Below that strip, they reveal another horizontal band that is pale blue with many different reflecting colours. In addition, the edge of the stomach has bright blue spots, and their eyes are a brightish blue.

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Feeding

In the home aquarium, the Blue Eyed Congo Tetra will readily accept most good quality dried foods such as granules, flakes and sinking pellets. These modern food products have been developed to provide all adequate nutrition to maintain your fish's health and dietary requirements.

Providing additional foodstuffs such as live, frozen, and freeze-dried meals such as bloodworm, daphnia, and tubifex once or twice a week will provide additional benefits to your fish's health and well-being but is not a must for this fish.

It should be noted that bloodworms should only be given as an occasional treat and should not be used as the staple diet as they are difficult for fish to digest and can potentially cause blockages.

This fish is an omnivore in the wild, meaning it will consume some vegetable matter. Although most modern fish foods take this into account and include them in their products, you can still supplement your fish's diet with blanched vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and zucchini. Ensure you do not overfeed your fish and remove any leftovers the following day.

Sexual Dimorphism

It is effortless to differentiate between male and female Blue Eyed Congo Tetras. The adult males are larger and more colourful, and they also have elongated dorsal and caudal fins that may develop filaments. In contrast, females are duller, more petite and lack long fins.