[3] This fish is of roughly tetragonal shape, light grey in coloring, with a black patch, surrounded by iridescent silver edging, posterior of the gills on each side.

A long-finned variety, apparently developed by captive breeders, is sometimes sold in the aquarium trade (the male has elongated dorsal and anal fins even in the wild form).

The black phantom tetra's natural diet consist of small crustaceans, insects, and worms.

While it is not particularly colorful, it makes up for this by its display behavior: the males are territorial and defend their space against their neighbors by presenting themselves in profile with the dorsal and anal fins fully extended, and the dark color intensified, making the edging of the body patch stand out prominently.

Unlike other tetras who prefer to live in large shoals, they will also do fine when kept in a group of four or five individuals, making them suitable for smaller aquaria.