Should I buy it?
Black phantom tetra
Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Also known as: phantom tetra
A 3.5 cm deep-bodied tetra in black or red morph. Males spread fins in display in competition. A school of eight or more produces constant passive display behaviour.
Black phantom tetra tank mates · 80L tank size hub
peaceful · beginner care
Sources & confidencehigh · partially verified · beginner: good
Checked against several solid care sources that mostly agree. Numbers here are a careful starting point. Your tap water, tank size, and habits decide the rest. How we evaluate.
Best for: Planted community tanks 80L or more with soft to neutral water and a school of eight.
Avoid if: You keep fin-nippers or aggressive mid-water fish that prevent natural display behaviour.
Common mistakeBuying only one morph and calling the tank finished is how keepers miss the visual point of phantoms. Red and black morphs school together, and the contrast is the effect. A single-morph handful in a short tank also concentrates male harassment — stock six or more with midwater escape structure.
Top things that go wrong
- Group welfare — not a solo display fish. Plan at least **6** together for normal behaviour; smaller groups often mean stress, colour loss, or nipping depending on species.
- Shrimp & snails. Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
What most shops don't tell you
- 1.Myth: one pair of phantom tetras is enough for a nano community centrepiece. Reality: males harass without other phantoms to share line order — keep six or more, preferably mixed morphs, with midwater cover and calm schoolers, not a lonely show pair in forty litres.
- 2.A single pair in 40L. Males harass without other phantoms to share line order.
- 3.Mixed with nippy or fast surface fish, no mid-water escape structure.
- 4.A mix of sexes settles the school. Two males alone in a small tank will bicker for line order. Fine-leaved plants and dim light pull the body colour out.
About this species
Black phantom tetras are dimorphic characins: males show a tall dorsal, females and mixed groups show a softer brown-grey body. A planted-tank species that stays peaceful in a school of six or more.
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No reverse lookups listed yet.
Plan grid
Key limits are above. Here: pH band, swim level, bioload, and activity.
Swim zones
Care snapshot
Quick compare before you buy. Not a score of how “good” the fish is.
- Beginner ease78
- Peacefulness90
- Community fit91
- Small-tank fit100
- Hardiness76
- Energy54
Numbers are deterministic planning indices from Fishori fields — not a scientific score of your individual fish.
Example setups
Starting points only. Run the pair checker for every fish you add.
Rough 90L+ layout: one calm centrepiece, 8–12 small tetras/rasboras, 6–8 corydoras-type bottom fish — verify every name in the pair checker before buying.
Safer directions include: Chili Rasbora, Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra.
Prioritise 6+ of Black phantom tetra in 80L+ with filtration sized for messy feeding — add only mates that already pass pair checks with this species.
Compatibility
Tank mates for Black phantom tetra
Usually safer (engine GOOD): Chili Rasbora, Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra, Glowlight Tetra, Harlequin Rasbora. Conditional (CAUTION — read the pair page before buying): Corydoras Catfish, Kribensis, Pea Puffer, Tiger Barb, Yoyo Loach. Avoid (RISKY): African Cichlid, Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, Oscar. Every name links to a live pair check — the lists are a shortlist, not a stocking plan.
Usually safer
Open a pair page with this fish as the starting point.
Needs planning
Read the blocking rule on each pair page before experimenting.
Usually avoid
Do-not-stock combinations on conservative hobby rules.
Compare with
Run a real pair check: Black phantom tetra + Chili Rasbora
- Try Chili Rasbora — open the pair check.
- Try Dwarf Gourami — open the pair check.
- Try Ember Tetra — open the pair check.
- Try Glowlight Tetra — open the pair check.
Behaviour and temperament
Phantom tetras are peaceful midwater schoolers that stay calmer in groups of six or more. Males still sort line order inside the school. Stress shows as relentless chasing of a single female when the group is too small or the tank is bare and bright.
What sets them off
- Sudden crowding
- Poor water quality
Fin nipping: Not a habitual fin-nipper; stressed or crowded individuals can still test fins.
Predation: Not a predator toward similarly sized community fish; fry and dwarf shrimp are still fair game for most species.
Territory: Not strongly territorial, but still needs room so its working space does not overlap the next fish.
Planted tanks: excellent — easy plant ideas
In the glass: typical and warning signs
- Six or more hold midwater; mixed morphs flash black and red fins together.
- Mild male display inside the school is normal ownership.
- One pair in a short tank usually means harassment, not a bad strain.
- Torn fins after nippy neighbours appear mean the mix failed.
- In-school male pressure rises hard when numbers are too low.
- They rarely start wars with calm tetras and cories in an honest school.
- Increase school size before removing a ‘mean’ male.
- Remove nippy surface fish at the first tear.
Fish behaviour can vary between individuals and tank setups. Always observe new fish closely after introduction.
Water, food, and grouping
Hardness
soft
Diet
omnivore
Black phantom tetras are small midwater omnivores that take micro-pellets, flake, and frozen foods in a school of six or more. Food monopolised by frantic surface fish leaves phantoms thin. Feed where the school holds among plants, and keep both red and black morphs together if you want the contrast effect people buy them for.
Shrimp & snails
Cherry shrimp and other dwarfs can coexist with peaceful small fish; baby shrimp are food for almost anything that finds them.
Schooling species — buy 6+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- Hold 22 to 28 °C steadily on a real thermometer, not the dial on the heater.
- Aim for pH 5.5 to 7.5 and a hardness you can re-test in two weeks. A one-time strip in the shop car park is not a water test.
- Schooling species. Buy 6 or more from the same tank on the same day before adding any centrepiece fish.
- Tank volume meets or exceeds 80L published minimum for adults.
- You can stock at least 6 individuals (group welfare).
- Heater can hold 22–28°C without cooking cooler-water tank mates.
- No known fin-nippers paired with long-finned fish unless you accept documented risk.
Explore and stocking hubs
Tank-mates hub, matching guides, category peers, and litre stocking lists around this species’ minimum tank.
Plan with tools
Check mates as pairs first, then add this fish in the tank builder for the full stocking.
Filtration & heating
A 80L minimum tank needs a filter rated for at least 320L/hr turnover and a heater to hold 22–28°C reliably.
Plant suggestions
Black phantom tetra does well in planted tanks. Plants compatible with 22–28°C and pH 5.5–7.5:
Research: partially verified · Confidence: high · 3 linked source(s). We do not invent citations.
How Fishori evaluates compatibility (same logic as pair and tank tools).
- Seriously Fish. Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Primary: aquarium size, water chemistry, behaviour, and compatibility (URL verified in upgrade script; recheck if site content changes).
- FishBase. Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Secondary: taxonomy, distribution, and maximum length in nature; cross-check with aquarium import lines and measured tank parameters.
- Wikipedia. Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Secondary: general species context; verify all husbandry numbers against a dedicated aquarium care sheet and your test kit, not a single table row.
Evidence notes
- The Seriously Fish profile for the binomial in this record was successfully reached as the primary aquarium reference.
- FishBase contributes natural-range size and habitat context. Translate those numbers through your heater, your water report, and your tank footprint before stocking.
- Wikipedia is only cited if the article URL returned OK. Use it for orientation, not as the only care sheet for an import.
- All compatibility text reflects typical hobby experience and the Fishori model. Individual fish, shop stress, and the order tank mates are added in can still defy a single-paragraph label.
Common questions about Black phantom tetra
- How big do Black phantom tetra get?
- Black phantom tetra adults reach about 3.5 cm. Shop fish look smaller; stock for the adult length.
- What size tank does Black phantom tetra need?
- 80L is the planning floor for adult swimming space and bioload. A 98L+ tank is the more comfortable long-term footprint. Length and depth matter as much as raw litres for active or territorial fish.
- Are Black phantom tetra aggressive?
- Phantom tetras are peaceful midwater schoolers that stay calmer in groups of six or more. Males still sort line order inside the school. Stress shows as relentless chasing of a single female when the group is too small or the tank is bare and bright.
- Do Black phantom tetra need to be kept in a group?
- Schooling species — buy 6+ together. Smaller groups stress and lose colour.
- What is the most common mistake with Black phantom tetra?
- Buying only one morph and calling the tank finished is how keepers miss the visual point of phantoms. Red and black morphs school together, and the contrast is the effect. A single-morph handful in a short tank also concentrates male harassment — stock six or more with midwater escape structure.
- What fish can live with Black phantom tetra?
- The Black phantom tetra profile lists Chili Rasbora, Dwarf Gourami, Ember Tetra, Glowlight Tetra among its safer pairings (engine-checked GOOD). Corydoras Catfish, Kribensis, Pea Puffer, Tiger Barb are conditional (CAUTION): workable only with the specific conditions on each pair page. Avoid African Cichlid, Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, Oscar (RISKY). Run the pair checker for your exact water and tank size before stocking.