How long do Black-skirt Tetras live?
They live about 3-5 years with reasonable care. Their hardiness means beginners usually keep them successfully longer than the more delicate neon-type tetras.
What do Black-skirt Tetras eat?
They are unfussy: flake, pellets, and frozen/live foods like bloodworms and daphnia all work. The main error is overfeeding, which fouls water; feed what they finish in two to three minutes, once or twice daily.
Tank size and water parameters
A 15-20 gallon (57-75 L) tank suits a school of 6-8. Target 70-85°F (21-29°C), pH 6.0-7.5, moderate hardness, zero ammonia and nitrite, nitrate under 30 ppm. Keep in groups of 6+; the long-fin morph is even more prone to fin-nipping so tank mates should have short fins.
Common mistakes with Black-skirt Tetras
Key errors: too-small groups that trigger fin-nipping of slower fish; housing them with angelfish, guppies or bettas whose fins they shred; and buying the dyed 'painted' tetra, a cruel color-injection process best avoided on welfare grounds.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Keeping them in too small a group — lone or paired black-skirts nip the fins of slow tank mates.
- Housing with long-finned fish (angelfish, bettas, guppies) they will harass.
- Buying dyed 'painted' tetras — the color injection is harmful and avoidable.
- Overfeeding — these unfussy eaters will take more than is good for the water.