Description
Hyphessobrycon wadai is a tiny tetra of up to 3.5 cm from the upper Tapajós, in Brazil. It received its scientific name in 2016, after years in the trade as the «blueberry tetra», and carries the surname of the breeder Luiz Wada. It is told apart by a single humeral blotch, with no blotch on the caudal peduncle and no well-defined dark lateral stripe.
It lives in clear-water streams with moderate to rapid current over a sand bottom. It is a shoaling fish: it asks for a group of eight or more and looks its best in a planted tank with some current.
Behavior
Peaceful and active, it is a shoaling fish: like other Hyphessobrycon, it can be expected to get stressed and hide in a small group. It likes plants, some current and soft light.
It lives well with other small tetras and rasboras, and with dwarf corydoras.
Avoid housing it with large fish that would eat it and with lively fish that take its food.
Habitat
Hyphessobrycon wadai lives in the upper Tapajós River, in Brazil, in clear-water streams with moderate to rapid current over a sand bottom. It eats filamentous algae, organic debris, insect larvae and fragments of terrestrial insects and other arthropods.
Hyphessobrycon wadai is a schooling species, which means that in the wild it lives and moves in large, coordinated groups.
Keep at least 8 individuals so they feel comfortable and their stress level stays low.
Details
🌊 Water parameters
🐠 Minimum tank size
Breeding
Its breeding is not documented. Hyphessobrycon scatter their eggs among fine plants and do not tend the clutch.
Diet
A small-mouthed omnivore, eating algae, organic debris and insects in nature.
- Staple: fine quality dry food, in flakes or granules.
- Supplement: brine shrimp, daphnia and mosquito larvae, live or frozen, and some spirulina.
What about your tank?
Enter your tank's values to see only the compatible species that fit them. Litres apply to fish.
Compatible fish
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–25 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 24–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–25 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–24 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 27–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–6.5 and 23–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.2 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–24 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.6–7.2 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.2 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 26–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 25–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–6.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 23–27 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.2 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 24–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 23–27 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 24–27 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
Compatible invertebrates
General guidance based on water parameters, behaviour and known exceptions; always review the individual animals' and aquarium's specific needs.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–6.5 and 22–24 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–25 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 24–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 26–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.8–6.8 and 22–24 °C.
They share water: pH 5.8–6.8 and 22–24 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–27 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 27–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7.5 and 27–28 °C. They only meet at the very edge, so the tank has to hold that value.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 23–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–26 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 6.5–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 7–7.5 and 22–28 °C.
They share water: pH 5.5–6.5 and 22–24 °C.
Sources
- FishBaseFroese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2026. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
There is no source for this species' water: none of the accepted sources records its pH, temperature or hardness, and the profile's ranges are estimated from its congeners or species of the same genus.
Water: the ranges (pH 5.5-7.5, 2-12 dGH and 22-28 °C) are estimated from those of Hyphessobrycon amandae, H. eques, H. herbertaxelrodi, H. pulchripinnis and H. myrmex, of the same genus and in the catalogue. Size: 3.5 cm SL. Distribution, habitat and diet: from FishBase (upper Tapajós; clear-water streams with moderate to rapid current over sand; filamentous algae, detritus and larvae and terrestrial insects). Family: GBIF keeps it in Characidae and FishBase in Acestrorhamphidae; the profile follows GBIF. Name «blueberry tetra»: the one the trade gave it before its description, recorded in the title of FishBase's main reference. Shoaling, behaviour and breeding: FishBase does not record them; the text is general knowledge of the genus, not of the species.
Litres per fish, tank sizes and lifespan: the profile's own judgement. The sources consulted do not give them.
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