Hemigrammus barrigonae · Barrigona Tetra

Overview

A peaceful small tetra, Hemigrammus barrigonae benefits from companions of its own kind and competes poorly with much larger or boisterous fishes. It sometimes arrives mixed into shipments of other tetras, making identification useful before planning its care.

Distribution & habitat

It inhabits slow rivers and tributaries of the Meta and Orinoco basins in Colombia and Venezuela.

Aquarium setup

Sand, branches, roots, and a little dried leaf litter form a sheltered setup with lightly stained water. Replace excessively decomposed leaves before they foul the aquarium. Submerged plants are not essential to a natural-style layout, although a well-maintained planted tank also works. Keep lighting subdued, particularly for fish likely to be wild-caught.

Diet & feeding

An unfussy omnivore, it accepts fine flakes or granules together with small live and frozen foods. A varied menu is straightforward to provide.

Behaviour & compatibility

Keep at least six, preferably ten or more. Similarly sized peaceful tetras, pencilfishes, small catfish, and suitable dwarf cichlids are options, as are gentle small cyprinids. Avoid companions that dominate feeding or are substantially larger.

Sexual dimorphism

Mature females may have rounder bellies, although this is not a confirmed precise sexing method.

Breeding

Captive breeding is unreported. Methods used for relatives offer an experimental approach: a separate dim aquarium with fine plants or mops, egg-separating mesh, and gentle sponge filtration. Condition fish with small live foods before trying pairs or a group.

If eggs appear, remove adults to protect them and prepare infusoria-sized first foods, progressing to microworms and Artemia nauplii. Related-tetra methods emphasize dim conditions for eggs and young, but do not establish a proven incubation timetable here.