• Scientific name: Aphyocharax nattereri
• Synonyms: Hyphessobrycon paraguayensis, Aphyocharax paraguayensis, Chirodon nattereri, Chirodon pulcher, Cheirodon steindachneri, White spot tetra
• Common name: Dawn Tetra
• Group: Characins
• Habitat: South America; Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay in Rio Paraguay Basin.
• Size: 3-4 cm
• Biotope: Inhabits shady parts of rivers and streams where lots of floating plants or overhanging vegetative cover found.
• Social behavior: A quite peaceful, active schooling fish, that can be kept in a community tank, but may nip the long finned tankmates. Do not keep with large cichlids or any aggressive fish. It would be an excellent choice beside Corydoras catfishes and South American dwarf-cichlids. Best keep them in large groups where any aggression is spread between individuals.
• Diet: Omnivorous; they prefer live and frozen foods, but good quality dried foods are also accepted.
• Breeding: Hard
• Tank: Minimum 60 litres
• Population: 8-10 fish for 80 litres
• Decoration: They require a densely planted tank with dark substrate. Leave some open areas in the middle of the aquarium for swimming. The lighting shouldn’t be too bright, and their tank must be covered as they are good jumpers.
• Temperature: 22-27 °C
• pH: 5.5-7.5
• Hardness: 1-15 NK°
• Lifespan: 2-5 years

Description: Dawn Tetra has a silvery body and the anal fin is marked with a black and white band, while the caudal peduncle has a black spot tipped with white. The fish is very similar to Corydoras hastatus in coloration. During daytime Dawn Tetra is usually swims within a few inches of the surface of the water, while during the night it will rest closer to the gravel. Not a popular tetra in the hobby, and rarely seen in the stores, most often imported as a contaminant amongst shipments of other species. Dawn Tetra is often referred to as Aphyocharax paraguayensis, but that name has been considered a synonym of Aphyocharax nattereri since 2003.

Females are plumper especially when full of eggs, while males have stronger markings on their anal fin. They can be bred in pairs in a smaller, separate aquarium. Choose the best colored male and the fattest female and place them into the breeding tank. Use soft (gH 2-5°), and acidic water (pH 5.5-6.0), or consider the use of reverse osmosis water to achieve the desired effect. Also place a few clumps of fine-leaved plants such as Java moss. Condition the pair with plenty of live foods. Dawn Tetras will usually spawn on the following morning, and the eggs are deposited among the plants, but they aren’t adhesive, so many will fall to the tank floor. Once the eggs are noticed in the aquarium, the adult fish should be removed, as they will eat the eggs. The eggs hatch in 24 hours, and the fry can be fed with newly hatched Artemia nauplii, or similar sized live foods.