The King Of The Peruvian Blues
It seems like we see a new species of Tetra from south America once a week. While this is probably an exaggeration, the place is a veritable treasure trove of cool little schooling fish, and we hope this trend continues. As the most gorgeous of these become a bit more commonplace, they start to get aquacultured, sometimes before they even get formally classified! Such is the case with today's beauty, The Aquacultured Peru Blue King Tetra, (Chrysobrycon sp). They are a nearly translucent fish that develops a strong neon blue stripe over a black bar with a yellow tint to their bellies and tail fins.
Wild caught specimens of this fish are found in small streams in wooded areas of Northern Peru. These streams are full of branches, leaf litter, rocks, and other cover. The amount of growing plants is sparse because of the lack of light. The water is soft with a low pH (ideally 5.5-6.5) and ranges in temperature between the low 70s and the low 80s Fahrenheit. Depending on the stream the water may or may not be tea stained from the decomposing wood and leaves.
The Peru Blue Kings we currently have in stock are aquacultured, and so these exact parameters are of slightly less importance, though they would still look good in a display that encompassed most of the previous paragraph. They do very well in densely planted displays too, even though this is not a common environment for them to be found in. A group of seven Peru Blue King Tetras could be kept in a display as small as five gallons, but we suggest both a bigger tank and more fish.
Seven should be the absolute minimum number you consider for this species and 15 to 20 would be a much healthier group. They can and should be mixed with other peaceful community minded fish, including other small tetras. They will also do well with fish like Hatchets, small Plecos, Otocinclus, and Corys. They could be used as dither fish for larger displays of things like Discus as well. They are unlikely to bother any plants or inverts, though if you are breeding ornamental shrimp, the newest of the baby shrimp could be at risk.
Feeding Peru Blue Kings is easy as fish food (or pie if that's your thing, but don't feed them pie, just you.) They are omnivores in the wild, whacking back pretty much everything they can get their mouths around like tiny crustaceans, worms, bugs, algae etc. While ours have been aquacultured, and are eating prepared foods like Nutramar's Freshwater Algae and Color Boost pellets, they would still relish some other treats, like appropriately sized meaty foods from Gamma, or even small live foods like live brine from Nutramar, or some home raised tubifex! Whatever you decide to feed them, ensure they have a well-rounded diet, and they will reward you with robust health and incredible colors!
If you're interested in breeding these Tetras, which would be rewarding given their rarity in the aquarium world so far, this can be done in the home aquarium. In fact, in a well-nourished, densely planted and well-maintained home display you may get babies without intervention, though it is unlikely as they are egg-scattering fish and the eggs nearly always get eaten, sometimes by other Perus Blue King Tetras. To get around this, commercial operations use false bottoms made of a mesh that the eggs can settle through, but the fish cannot get past.
Bringing fish into spawning condition means feeding a lot of good food, and doing large, slightly cool water changes. Males will be slightly more streamlined and smaller than females. When they are ready to spawn, the females will become visibly swollen with eggs and the morning they are noticeably skinnier, it's time to remove everyone from the false bottom tank. Keep this tank dark and you should have free swimming fish in a few days that will need really tiny food (see our articles on homegrown food – infusioria, vinegar eels, etc.)
If your community tank needs some activity, and you're the kind of person who can't have the same tetras everyone else has, we have a solution for you: Peru Blue King Tetras! (and, TBH, you should check out our ever-growing Tetra page for more ideas... https://www.qualitymarine.com/aquatropic/fish/tetras/.)
Once you've picked some more fish to go with your new aquacultured Peru Blue King Tetras, head over to your Local Fish Store and get a dozen or more of each! Just make sure you get them from Aquatropic to ensure you get the best fish!