Live fish · WA only

A silver tetra with a black tail spot that schools with confidence.

Care levelEasy, a great first fish

EasyModerateExpert

Water temperature23 to 28°C

18°C32°C

Group sizeKeep 5 or more

Adult size5.5cm

LivesMiddle

DietOmnivore

SuitsCommunity tanksPlanted tanks

Blackline Tetra

Moenkhausia costae4.6(26)

Easy carePeacefulKeep 5+

$16.95each, incl. GST

Live fish delivery, WA only$35 Perth metro and Mandurah, $65 rest of WA. One fee covers your whole order, plants and dry goods included. Sent overnight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to a street address (no PO Boxes).

Free pickup in KenwickOpen Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm

A silver tetra with a black tail spot that schools with confidence.

Care levelEasy, a great first fish

EasyModerateExpert

Water temperature23 to 28°C

18°C32°C

Group sizeKeep 5 or more

Adult size5.5cm

LivesMiddle

DietOmnivore

SuitsCommunity tanksPlanted tanks

Pairs well with this fish

Picked by our team to go with this.

About this fish

Costae Tetra is a striking choice for planted aquariums, appreciated for its subtle coloration, active schooling behavior, and adaptability.

Why you will love it

Active mid-water schooling fish in peaceful community tanks (min. 5)
Subtle silver body with delicate markings adds natural elegance
Grows to an approximate size of 4–5 cm
Best kept in groups of 6+ for natural behavior
Peaceful temperament, ideal with similarly sized tankmates

Care requirements

Care level: Easy
Adult size: 4–5 cm
Temperature: 22 to 26 °C
pH: 6.0 to 7.5
Swimming level: Mid
Minimum group size: 5+

Feeding:
Offer a varied diet. A quality staple (flake or micro-pellet) supplemented with frozen or live foods (such as brine shrimp, daphnia, and bloodworms) will enhance health and coloration.

Compatibility:
Best suited to peaceful community tanks with small, non-aggressive species. Avoid housing with fin-nippers or significantly larger, aggressive fish.

School of Scape quality:
We select healthy fish and recommend proper acclimation and stable water parameters to ensure long-term success.

How your fish arrive

Packed in oxygen filled bags inside an insulated box and sent overnight by air express on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Live arrival

8 hour live arrival guarantee. If a fish arrives dead or clearly stressed from transit, contact us within 8 hours of delivery with photos of the fish in the original sealed bag, and we will replace or refund it. Freight is not refundable, and someone needs to be home to accept the delivery. Remote far north WA (Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley) is sent at your own risk.

Read the full policy

Delivery and returns

Free delivery over $100 in WA and $150 elsewhere in Australia. Free pickup from our Kenwick store, Tue to Sat, 12pm to 6pm.

Returns policy

5 stars: 17 (65%)
4 stars: 8 (31%)
3 stars: 1 (4%)
2 stars: 0 (0%)
1 star: 0 (0%)

Schooling beautifully

Got a group of them and they shoal together constantly. Such a great look in my display tank.

Beautiful fish, fast post

Couldn't be happier. Packed well, posted quickly and arrived looking fantastic. They've become the centrepiece of my tank.

Healthy, hardy and gorgeous.

Good size and health

Decent size on arrival, no signs of stress and acclimated without any issues. Recommend to anyone.

Good experience

Smooth ordering and the fish were healthy on arrival. Took a couple of days to come out of hiding but totally normal.

Great

Lovely little fish, very active.

Love them

Such characters. Always out the front of the glass.

Happy customer

Arrived safe and sound interstate. The heat pack was a nice touch given the cold snap we've had.

Lovely temperament

Peaceful and a great fit for my community setup. They get along with everything else in there.

Colours came through

Were a little pale on arrival as expected from transit, but coloured up stunningly within a few days. So glad I bought these.

So vibrant

The colours pop under my LED lights. Genuinely some of the nicest specimens I've added to my tank.

All survived transit

Every single one made it through delivery to Melbourne in great shape. Carefully bagged and double boxed. Couldn't ask for more.

Excellent service

Had a small concern about timing and the team responded quickly and sorted it out. Fish arrived perfect. Great customer service makes all the difference.

Thriving

A few weeks in now and they've grown and coloured up beautifully. Eating everything I offer and very active.

Recommend

Quality fish at a fair price. Will buy again.

Very pleased

These are exactly what I was after for my aquascape. Active, colourful and clearly healthy. Acclimation was easy with no losses.

Settled in fast

Honestly impressed. Within two days they were schooling and showing off their best colours. The kids love watching them.

Beautiful colouring

Bigger than expected

Pleasantly surprised at the size when they arrived. Strong, alert and eating within the day. Will definitely order from School of Scape again.

Real showstopper

This fish is the talking point of my tank now. Stunning in person and full of personality.

Healthy and active

Arrived in great condition, all swimming happily within an hour of acclimating. Colours are even better than the photos. Really happy with the whole experience.

Quality stock

Clearly bred and raised properly. No deformities, great finnage and they ate flake straight away.

Perfect addition

Added these to my community tank and they fit right in. No aggression, great colour, and the delivery was quicker than I thought it would be living regionally.

Great little fish

Bright, active and curious. They explore the whole tank and are always interested in feeding time.

Very happy

Came packed beautifully with heat pack and plenty of oxygen. Acclimated over an hour and they're thriving. Highly recommend.

Impressed

Better than my local store by a mile. Quality you can see straight away.