X-Ray Tetra Fun Facts for Kids

• # 1. During the rainy season, X-Ray Tetra return to the flood-lands to spawn. Unlike many similar fish who give birth to live young, the female X-Ray Tetra lays between 300 – 400 eggs by scattering them amongst the vegetation. (when she is ready to spawn, the see-through skin means that her eggs can also be easily seen) X-Ray Tetra fry begin to hatch as early as 24 hours later and become free swimming within a few days. Once able to swim, the small and dull white young, are able to find better food sources and soon develop their characteristic adult markings. X-Ray Tetra usually live for three or four years in the wild but can get to older ages in captivity.
• # 2. Like many other small species of fish that live in the Amazon, X-Ray Tetra is an omnivorous animal whose diet is made up of both animals and plants. X-Ray Tetra primarily hunt worms, insects and small crustaceans that live close to the river bed and their fry tend to feed on Insect larvae. Although they are also known to supplement their diet with aquatic plants, they are predominantly micro-predators that feed on small invertebrates.
• # 3. In artificial communities, X-Ray Tetra need a variety of food sources including Brine Shrimp and Bloodworm alongside the standard flakes and pellets to ensure that they have a fully nutritious diet.
• # 4. The small size of the X-Ray Tetra means that they should not be kept in the same aquarium as larger, predatory fish, but will co-inhabit the tank peacefully with other small, schooling fish that pose them no threat. In the wild, X-Ray Tetra are preyed upon by a number of aquatic predators including larger fish and frogs, and are also threatened by birds and snakes if they are closer to the water’s surface. Populations are thought to be the most under threat from the rising levels of pollution in the water and habitat loss in general.
• # 5. The Weberian apparatus (the bony structure) in the X-Ray Tetra’s body works by transmitting sound waves through their vertebrate, that have been received by the swim bladder and are then taken to the inner ear, meaning that the X-Ray Tetra has excellent hearing. The transparency of their skin is thought to be a form of protection as predators find it much harder to spot them (along with their light yellow markings) amongst the dense vegetation, and shimmering water.