Bucktooth Tetra
Bucktooth Tetra
Bucktooth Tetra (Exodon paradoxus) is one of the most extraordinary and misunderstood fish in the hobby — a scale-eating specialist that is sold as a community fish by shops that don't know better, with predictably disastrous results. The large, prominent teeth evolved specifically for rasping scales from other fish. In the wild, enormous schools attack prey fish in coordinated raids, stripping scales before the victim can escape.
Feeding & Care Tip: Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Bloodworms and Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Baby Brine Shrimp are excellent primary foods. Hikari Micro Pellets and Sera Vipan Tropical Flakes are accepted as supplemental dry foods. Feed 2–3 times daily.
Native to the Amazon and Tocantins basins in Brazil. The species name paradoxus — 'paradoxical' — refers to the counterintuitive solution: keep more of them. In very large groups (15+), Bucktooth Tetras are so busy chasing each other that they inflict relatively minor damage to the school as a whole.
Keep in a species-only aquarium in groups of 12 or more — this is not optional. In smaller groups, dominant individuals relentlessly attack subordinates. Any other fish in the tank will have its scales stripped.
For the aquarist who wants something genuinely different — a fish with real predatory behavior and extraordinary schooling dynamics — the Bucktooth Tetra is rewarding. A large species tank is a spectacular display of natural behavior.
Care & Ideal Parameters
| Difficulty | Easy (specialist) |
| Temperament | AGGRESSIVE — Species only tank |
| Typical Adult Size | 3.0 inches (7.5 cm) |
| Min. Group Size | 12 minimum — species only |
| Ideal Temp | 73–82°F (23–28°C) |
| Ideal pH | 6.0–7.5 |
| Ideal GH | 3–12 dGH |
| Ideal KH | 1–8 dKH |
| Staple Food | Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Bloodworms; Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Baby Brine Shrimp |
| Treat / Supplement | Hikari Frozen or Freeze-Dried Brine Shrimp; Hikari Frozen Daphnia |
| Origin | Amazon and Tocantins basins, Brazil |
| Notes | Scale-eating specialist — CANNOT be kept in community aquariums. Paradoxus = 'paradoxical' — larger groups are safer. 12+ minimum. Large prominent teeth visible externally. |
