Fun Croaking Tetra Facts For Kids

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis) is a peaceful and active group of fish of the genus Mimagoniates. The tetra is mostly spotted in freshwater rivers and streams. The tetras are also kept in community tanks and in the aquarium with plants and rocks. Easy to care for, these tetras are mostly kept in community pet stores for their nature and appearance. The tetra fish has inherited the name due to the croaking sound they generate. The tetra fish is flexible regarding suitable temperatures and a suitable environment for their breeding season but prefers a 6.8 pH condition. Swimming is the primary activity, being an active member of the family Characidae. Apart from being social, these fishes are emotional and are noticed to get upset over the death of their mates or when separated and kept in different tanks. They need a lot of plants in the surroundings to hide or move across them. The presence of plants restricts the sunlight to reach them as well. So, they are pretty fast to move past the plants and the rocks present.

If you like this, you might want to read about rockfish facts and monkfish facts.

What type of animal is a croaking tetra?

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis) fish is a kind of South American fish. Belonging to the genus mimagoniates, they are known to be extremely peaceful and attractive species of freshwater.

What class of animal does a croaking tetra belong to?

Being a member of the Characidae family, the croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis) belongs to the Actinopterygii class of animals. Considered to be easy-to-care-for fish, they are widely adopted and kept in aquariums or tanks.

How many croaking tetras are there in the world?

The croaking tetra fish is not listed under any category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in their Red List, so calculating the exact numbers of the individuals present on Earth is quite difficult.

Where does a croaking tetra live?

A member of the genus Mimagoniates, the croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis) fish is mostly noticed in the freshwater environment of South America. In this area, these fishes are widely considered as a pet due to its beautiful appearance and are found in the community tanks along with the tank mates and in aquariums.

What is a croaking tetra's habitat?

Croaking tetra habitat includes the upper area of the natural freshwater of the river and the streams where they are found in groups of around five to six members. Apart from this, they could be seen with their tank mates in a group in the community tanks or aquarium. Mostly being freshwater fish, in rare scenarios they can be spotted in mushy and dark water as well in search of adequate food. The tetras are known to be extremely particular about certain parameters of the surroundings they are living in. Temperatures ranging from 73.4-78.8°F (23-26°C) are mostly preferred by them with a pH range between 5.8-7.6. Although the ideal pH is considered to be about 6.8 for their breeding, as well as the incubation period.

Who do croaking tetras live with?

Tetras are found in a group or in pairs. Although they require their own space, on most occasions they are extremely social in nature and are noticed to be highly active around their tank mates. They live a peaceful life and are known to be living in harmony in small groups.

How long does a croaking tetra live?

The tetra species, like the blood tetra or bloodfin tetra, are known to have an average lifespan of around five to seven years. Although this range might differ considering the variance in the surrounding and in the environment. Since the tetra fish is easy to care for, when kept in captivity provided with proper food, they can live a better and longer life.

How do they reproduce?

There is not much information available about the reproduction procedure of the croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis). However, any given tetra fish, undergo quite a unique procedure for reproduction. They are school fishes and are usually kept together until the females acquire a plump belly. Once identified the males and females are kept in separate water tanks. Both the female and the male tetra fish are kept in the upper parts of the water tanks for nearly four weeks and are given food two to three times a day. Their diet would include shrimp and bloodworms.

After this, five to six pairs are then put together in the water tanks of around 10 gallons of water for the spawning process. This process might last from one to four hours. During this period the perfect temperature would be between 73.4-78.8°F (23-26°C). Although the temperatures might vary at times. The ideal level of pH is 6.8. Once the spawning is done, the adults are separated and the female lays up to 200-300 eggs. Within the next 24 hours, the eggs hatch. Almost after five days from birth, the fry can eat shrimp and worms. It takes almost four to five weeks for an average baby tetra to grow into an adult with proper coloration and growth in their shape and size.

What is their conservation status?

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis, Mimagoniates lateralis) is not listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in their Red List. Although due to massive changes in their environment a decreasing trend in their population has been noticed. Due to this, special care has been taken by different spawning centers in terms of conserving the species in tanks with suitable food.

What do croaking tetras look like?

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates microlepsis) is an extremely attractive and beautiful fish. The species has a slender body, the female body being thinner than the male, while both have beautiful coloration. Their entire body is covered in a blueish and purplish sheen and is somewhat transparent with two stripes running down either side.

How cute are they?

Needless to say, tetras are extremely cute by their appearance and small size. Due to their adorable features, they are mostly owned by humans as pets for their aquarium.

How do they communicate?

It is claimed by certain articles that the croaking tetra makes a faint chirping sound in order to communicate. Although most of their communication is restricted to their stiff fin movement and body movement based on the required situation.

How big is a croaking tetra?

A croaking tetra (Mimagoniates microlepsis) is small in size but the females are usually slimmer than the males. The fishes could be up to 2.4 in (6.1 cm) and are almost half the size of an average cardinal tetra.

How fast can a croaking tetra swim?

The tetra fish is known to have a fast pace. The pace is required for them to stay in the groups while traveling through the water. The exact speed of the species is not known as of now.

How much does a croaking tetra weigh?

Tetra fish is a small fish by size. However, the average weight of a croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis) has not been quantified.

What are the male and female names of the species?

They have no sex-specific names.

What would you call a baby croaking tetra?

The croaking tetra baby is called a fry.

What do they eat?

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates Inequalis) is an omnivorous species and feeds on a variety of food. They feed on flakes, granules, frozen dried worms, and shrimp.

Are they dangerous?

No, there has been no record of tetras being dangerous to humans or any other species. Apparently, these fishes are quite peaceful by nature and enjoy being in harmony with their tank mates.

Would they make a good pet?

They make excellent pets. Due to their beautiful appearance and considerable small size, they are widely adopted by humans as pets for their aquarium. They are lively and live a happy life around their mates. However, they do tend to get lonely and do well with other fish in their living spaces.

Did you know...

Most of the tetras are school fishes and are comparatively more active when kept in small groups.

The major activity of these fishes is swimming. The fishes are found swimming generally towards the upper portion of the water.

Some cool tetras include the neon tetra, the crystal red tetra, and the coffee bean tetra.

Do tetras make bubble nests?

There is no information about the tetras making bubble nests to lay eggs.

How did croaking tetras get their name?

The croaking tetra (Mimagoniates inequalis) has got the term croaking in their name due to the croaking sound they make. They makes a faint chirping sound occasionally when they surface to gulp air and hence the name. Interestingly, this sound is thought to play a part in the courtship process of croaking tetras as well.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our African lungfish facts and pilchard facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable croaking tetra coloring pages.

*Please note that this is an image of a bucktoothed tetra and not a croaking tetra. If you have an image of a croaking tetra, please let us know at [email protected]