I just recently got a 55g and I'm going for a Central American theme. Currently in there is 1 Electric Blue Acara, 1 Firemouth Cichlid, and 4 Diamond tetras. If anyone could suggest so good Central American tetras or maybe some South American ones that would go good with those fish
I've never seen any true Central American tetras in the hobby. Some of the CA tetras from the genus
Astyanax can reach good sizes (4" plus), have reputations for being tough, and would hold up well with cichlids that couldn't eat them. I've actually been trying to find
Astyanax fasciatus (I think this species pushes 6") for years, but I know they're illegal to import into some southern states due to the potential to become invasive. That and the fact they're not especially colorful severely limits demand, I'm sure.
The blind cave fish is actually a CA native, and gets 4" plus. They'd probably fit in and are sometimes available. In general though, most CA tetras that I've found on line just aren't as showy as their SA cousins and so probably don't get imported.
I've used buenos aires tetras as a stand in. They hit 3" and are pretty tough. I've used them as dither fish for African cichlids and they can take a bit of abuse when they get hit by an ornery cichlid.
WYite