116. Top 5 Characins

Characins are a vast and diverse family of fish that are hugely popular in the aquarium hobby. With well over 1000 species, how could you ever pick a favorite? In this episode, the Water Colors team does just that, narrowing the list down to our top 5 species of characins. Some are classics, and some are rare and unique. What are your favorites?

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Species mentioned in this episode:

• Ember tetra (Hyphessobrycon amandae)


• Lapis tetra (Hyphessobrycon cyanotaenia)


• Cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)


• Crystal tetra (Protocheirodon pi)


• Emperor tetra (Nematabrycon palmeri)


• Jellybean tetra (agadesia roloffi)


• Congo tetra (Phenacogrammus interruptus)


• Blue tetra (Knodus broki)


• Beckford’s pencilfish (Nannostromus beckfordi)


• Espei pencilfish (Nannostromus espei)


• Purple pencilfish (Nannostromus rubrocaudatus)


• Lampeye congo tetra (Phenacogrammus aurantiacus)


• Serpae tetra (Hyphessobrycon eques)


• Marbled hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)


• Bucktooth tetra (Exodon paradoxus)


• Wimple piranha (Cataprion mento)


• Redbellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri)


• Lemon tetra (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis)


• Tucano tetra (Tucanoichthys tucano)


• Green fire tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus)


• Ruby tetra (Axelrodia riesei)


• Blueberry tetra (Hyphessobrycon wadai)