Albino Tetra      

Mexican tetra

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A. mexicanus only grows to a length of 12 cm (4.7 in) in the recommended minimum of 30 US gallons. The blind cave tetra is a fairly hardy species. They are not picky on food, as they will eat anything from standard flakes to sinking carnivore pellets. Their lack of sight does not hinder their ability to get any and all food before it hits the bottom. They prefer subdued lighting with a rocky substrate, like gravel. It is recommended that the tank mimic their natural environment, so artificial or natural rock is highly appreciated. They become semi-aggressive as they age but are by nature, schooling fish, and a group of at least three is a good idea. However, it isn't imperative, as they can be kept as a single specimen. As stated earlier, they can get to their food rather swiftly, even more so than fish with the ability to see, so they aren't really good for a community, but one is OK for a semi-aggressive community. They are also incredibly fast, so catching them with the net is a chore in itself while conducting maintenance.

Evolution research

The surface and cave forms of the Mexican tetra have proven popular subjects for scientists studying evolution.

A recent study suggests that there are at least two distinct genetic lineages among the blind populations, arguing that these represent a case of convergent evolution.

One theory to the cave fish's evolution says that because of its dark habitat, the fish embryo saves energy it would normally use to develop eyes to develop other body parts, and this developmental choice would eventually dominate the population. This is called economical adaptation. However, studies have shown that blind cave fish embryos begin to grow eyes during development but then something actively stops this process and flesh grows over the partially grown eyes. Another theory is that some Mexican tetra randomly don't develop eyes (which is represented by broken genes in the fish's genome), and this lack of eyes spreads to the rest of the population despite having no advantage or disadvantage. This is called the neutral theory.

In one experiment studying eye development, University of Maryland scientists transplanted lenses from the eyes of sighted surface-form embryos into blind cave-form embryos, and vice versa. In the cave form, lens development begins within the first 24 hours of embryonic development, but quickly aborts, the lens cells dying; most of the rest of the eye structures never develop. Researchers found that the lens seemed to control the development of the rest of the eye, as the surface-form tetras which received cave-form lenses failed to develop eyes, while cave-form tetras which received surfac

More Pet Info About The Albino Tetra

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