Scratched Inpa Tetra - Inpaichthys parauapiranga

Scratched Inpa Tetra (Inpaichthys parauapiranga)

The Scratched Inpa Tetra, Inpaichthys parauapiranga, is a rare and recently described South American tetra with a compact body, bright red to orange colouration and distinctive dark “scratched” markings that give the fish a bold, unusual appearance. This attractive new Inpaichthys species is still uncommon in the hobby, but captive-bred offspring have already appeared in the European trade. It is best suited to mature planted aquariums with peaceful tank mates, stable water quality and a proper group of its own kind.

Common Name:
Scratched Inpa Tetra, Red-blotched Tetra, Fire Tetra, Rio Para Tetra, Parauapiranga Inpa Tetra.

Scientific Name (Latin):
Inpaichthys parauapiranga

Maximum Size:
Around 2.5–3 cm, with FishBase listing a maximum standard length of 2.6 cm.

Water Type:
Freshwater

Origin / Natural Habitat:
Native to Brazil. The type locality is a tributary of the Rio Canamã, in the Rio Aripuanã basin, upper Rio Madeira basin, Aripuanã, Mato Grosso State. As with many small Brazilian tetras from forest tributaries, it should be provided with clean, stable water, shaded cover, plants, wood and calmer areas rather than harsh open conditions.

Water Parameters:
Temperature: 23–27°C
pH Range: 5.5–7.0
Hardness or Salinity: Soft to moderately soft freshwater preferred; avoid hard, alkaline conditions and sudden changes.

Temperament:
Peaceful and sociable. Scratched Inpa Tetras should be kept in a group and housed with calm, similarly sized tank mates. They are not aggressive, but may become nervous if kept in small numbers or placed with large, fast or boisterous fish.

Diet:
Omnivorous micro-feeder. Offer fine flakes, micro pellets, crushed granules, frozen daphnia, cyclops, baby brineshrimp, small bloodworm and other suitably small foods. Small live or frozen foods are useful for conditioning, colour and natural feeding behaviour.

Minimum Tank Size:
A minimum of 60 litres is recommended for a small group, with 90 litres or more preferred for a larger shoal in a planted community aquarium. A mature, stable aquarium is more important than using the smallest possible setup.

Behaviour & Activity:
A small mid-water shoaling tetra that looks best in groups of at least 8–10, with larger groups preferred where space allows. It spends much of its time moving through open water near plants, roots and shaded areas. Males may show stronger colour and pattern contrast when settled, especially when displaying within the group.

Aquarium Category:
Community Fish
Suitable with peaceful small community fish such as other small tetras, pencilfish, dwarf rasboras, peaceful dwarf cichlids with care, Corydoras-type catfish, Otocinclus, small gouramis and calm nano community species. Avoid aggressive cichlids, fin-nippers, large predators, boisterous barbs and any fish large enough to swallow them.

Special Requirements or Care Notes:
Best kept in a mature, well-planted aquarium with gentle to moderate filtration, subdued lighting and stable soft water. Wood, leaf litter, floating plants and darker substrate can help reduce stress and bring out the red/orange colouration. As this is a rare and newly described fish, avoid mixing with similar Inpaichthys species if breeding purity is important. Captive-bred stock is preferable where available.

Suitable for:
Intermediate fishkeepers

Availability:
Rare / specialist import or captive-bred where relevant

All images are a visual representation of the fish you will receive, made to be as accurate as possible. Please note that Mother Nature is a wonderful thing, and variation in patterns and colours will occur — that is part of the unique beauty of these animals.