The dawn tetra, panda tetra, or [Rio] Paraguay tetra (Aphyocharax nattereri) comes from the Rio Paraguay basin in Paraguay and Brazil.

It is a schooling fish; suitable temperatures for the Paraguay tetra are 24 to 27 °C (75 to 81 °F).

This species is omnivorous with a strong preference for animal food.

The dawn tetra is an egg-scattering species.

[3] This tetra is very active and extremely aggressive towards fish of similar or smaller size or those that are slower moving.