Blind Cave Tetra

Blind Cave Tetra (Astyanax mexicanus)

A fascinating eyeless tetra adapted to life in complete darkness

The Blind Cave Tetra is a unique and hardy species known for its lack of eyes and pale, almost translucent body. Evolved from surface-dwelling ancestors, this cave-dwelling form relies on heightened senses and lateral line detection to navigate and find food, making it an incredibly interesting fish to observe.

Active and constantly on the move, Blind Cave Tetras are best kept in groups where they display natural schooling behaviour. Despite their unusual appearance, they are robust and easy to care for, making them a great choice for both beginner and experienced aquarists. Best suited to community tanks with similarly active species, though they may occasionally nip slower or long-finned fish.

Need to Know:

Recommended For: Beginner to intermediate aquarists and community aquariums
Minimum Tank Size: 80 litres
Temperature Range: 20–26°C
pH Range: 6.0–7.5
Recommended School Size: 6+ for natural behaviour
Compatibility: Semi-peaceful; may nip slow or long-finned fish
Max Size: 8–10 cm

Shipping Disclaimer:

All fish are usually shipped on Monday or Tuesday mornings via an overnight courier. We use NZ Couriers for all livestock shipping, we find they handle your fish with the best possible care and have quick overnight delivery nationwide.

Special Requests:

If you have any requests for gender/colour etc we will do our best to accommodate them. Please note we can not always accommodate every request due to high stock turnover and what is available at the time. We move all fish sold online into separate holding tanks while they wait to be shipped.

Rural Shipping:

Good news! If you are a rural customer, we can still ship fish to you. Your order will be shipped to your nearest NZ Couriers Depot or Collect/Send Point and you will be phoned once it arrives. You can find your nearest depot/point here: https://nzcextras.co.nz/nearestlocation/