Ulrey's Tetra

About

Ulrey's tetra (Hemigrammus ulreyi) is a small, peaceful characin from the Paraguay River basin in South America, and finding a genuine specimen is half the challenge. Other tetra species are frequently sold under this name, so sourcing true H. ulreyi takes a little patience. Adults top out around an inch and a half, with the slender, silvery build typical of the Hemigrammus group. In the aquarium it's a genuinely undemanding fish, well suited to beginners, though it really needs to be kept in a group of at least six and ideally ten or more. A lone individual or a small group will tend to look washed out and stay hidden; a proper school is where this species comes alive. Because it's on the gentle side, it won't hold its own against rowdy or much larger tankmates. It fits naturally alongside other South American community fish. Peaceful tetras, pencilfish, Corydoras, Apistogramma, and small Loricariids are all good company. Its slim profile also makes it safe to house with larger but non-aggressive cichlids like angelfish. Like all Hemigrammus species, its taxonomic position remains unresolved, and a broader revision of the genus is widely expected by scientists working in that area.