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anyone keeping Hemiodus Tetras???

Magnum Man

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they get larger for a tetra, & almost look predatory, though they are supposed to be peaceful... I would suspect they would eat anything that fits in their mouths...

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one of the sellers I buy from has a few ( like 8 ) for $4.99 Each US... I expect they might eat Neons ( like my Dominant Angel eating small Cardinals ), but this fish should be OK with the other Tetras I have in my South American Tetra tank... on the smaller pictures on my phone it almost looked like a Fresh Water Barracuda mouth... but on my computer it looks like a normal tetra mouth... but at 5-6 inches suspect smaller tetras would be at risk
 
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The main characteristic of Hemiodontidae is lack of teeth on their lower jaws. They mostly feed on small, softer things, both on the bottom and on the water column. They are not predatory and even small tetras will be completely out of their dietetic realm. However, they can be very boisterous, and very fast and assertive at feeding, and can overwhelm and scare small fish.
Tonight I can post pictures of my 3 adults, not gracilis, but a larger species, possibly H. Orthonops. I have had them since 2018. They are now about 8” long, and gorgeous.
 
Yes, they look similar to H. orthonops, but the taxonomy of Hemiodus is difficult, with a nmber of similar species, and without knowing the locations of origins of what is available, it becomes nearly impossible, except for the few species with very distinct and visible characters. Orthonops is from southern SAmerica (Paraguay), so although mine look like it, I doubt that's what they are. For instance, H. unimaculatus (northern SAmerica) seems very possible as well. Both orthonops and unimaculatus grow large. H. gracilis stay smaller, I have not seen them above 4", usually below.
My fish were placed in a planted 75g (4') when I got them (~2018), and after about a year, they graduated to a planted 125g (6'). They remain there, sharing with a group of lemon tetras, a long-nose angelfish, some green cories and a few assorted fish. I wish I had a larger tank and that I had a group, but I don't and 3 large Hemiodus it is. They are very fast fish but don't swim around all the time. (In the picture there is a flagtail Prochilodus, which is no longer there).
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A colleague in the MFK's forum has a large group (>30 specimens) of H. gracilis in a large tank, and apparently he has observed some aggression from dominant fish to smaller, weaker fish (same species), leading to some mortality.
 

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