Favourite tetra
- Thread starter Myrkk
- Start date
I know it’s not the answer you were probably looking for… but there are several African tetras that I really like…
That said, I have several South American tetras that as about as nice
That said, I have several South American tetras that as about as nice
I've kept tetras for over 50 years, bred tetras, had tetras from dozens of different species, and... there's a reason why some fish are common. Cardinals and black neons are up at the top of the list.
There are only about 20 others i could have listed.
Lemon tetras are near the bottom for me. As they age, they lose colour.
There are only about 20 others i could have listed.
Lemon tetras are near the bottom for me. As they age, they lose colour.
Only ever kept embers and they were like mini piranhas at feeding. Would like to keep fire green tetras though.
I've started keeping tetras again after an absence of about 7 years. I have returend to my old favourites rummy nose and cardinals. I have about 50 cardinals in my tank and in my opinion they are as eye catching as any other fish in the hobby
I did an early morning ich check on my new cardinals this morning (all clear) and as I watched them, I was as struck by their beauty as I was the first time I saw them. They are incredible.
You have to see more than 30 together to really see that. I have a small group in another tank - the few I bred last try and their parents. They are pretty, but there are only 13 of them. It doesn't hit the eyeballs. But when QT is done, if all goes well, 63 will be a high impact bit of eye candy. That's my sitting and relaxing 120 gallon SA tank.
I used to love the 8 foot tank at my importer friend's the days after arrival before they were out of qt and up for sale. 5000 cardinals stops you in your tracks. I don't care how many times you've seen them. The most I ever had was 300 in a tank, but I had bought them to sell them to friends in 10 lots. One guy contacted me recently and said he still had some from that purchase, 7 years later. He had lost a handful along the way, but a big group of 35 was still chugging along.
One cardinal alone? Meh. A shoal? Incredible.
You have to see more than 30 together to really see that. I have a small group in another tank - the few I bred last try and their parents. They are pretty, but there are only 13 of them. It doesn't hit the eyeballs. But when QT is done, if all goes well, 63 will be a high impact bit of eye candy. That's my sitting and relaxing 120 gallon SA tank.
I used to love the 8 foot tank at my importer friend's the days after arrival before they were out of qt and up for sale. 5000 cardinals stops you in your tracks. I don't care how many times you've seen them. The most I ever had was 300 in a tank, but I had bought them to sell them to friends in 10 lots. One guy contacted me recently and said he still had some from that purchase, 7 years later. He had lost a handful along the way, but a big group of 35 was still chugging along.
One cardinal alone? Meh. A shoal? Incredible.
Thats what I found since I added a load last week. someone gave me a bucket full of cardinals so I have loads now and when I walk in to the garage they just look insane together
I look for wild caughts - I know my supplier works with sustainable local fisheries. It's an important livelihood for riverside people in a number of places.
Meanwhile, several of the fish farms are listed on stock exchanges. That income goes to people who may never have seen the fish.
There is part of me that wants to get farm raised Pristella maxillaris and black neons - I love those tetras and they are all farmed in the hobby. But since I have wilds, I am concerned about the diseases they'd carry cutting loose on fish never exposed to them. Crowding and industrial farming do have health drawbacks. Mixing farmed fish with wilds can be catastrophic.
I'll probably set up a farmed tetra tank this summer. I'll just make sure it has its own nets, and treat as forever QT.
If you're looking for farm raised tetras, increasingly, most Brazilian offerings are from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore. Guyana fish as well. There are still Colombian and Peruvian wild caughts. Most Asian fish are farmed, in Asia. African fish are hard to find from any source, though the common ones are likely farmed.
I've never seen a wild import of Pristella. They go back to fish probably from the 1930s, when the southern US had the fish farms.
Meanwhile, several of the fish farms are listed on stock exchanges. That income goes to people who may never have seen the fish.
There is part of me that wants to get farm raised Pristella maxillaris and black neons - I love those tetras and they are all farmed in the hobby. But since I have wilds, I am concerned about the diseases they'd carry cutting loose on fish never exposed to them. Crowding and industrial farming do have health drawbacks. Mixing farmed fish with wilds can be catastrophic.
I'll probably set up a farmed tetra tank this summer. I'll just make sure it has its own nets, and treat as forever QT.
If you're looking for farm raised tetras, increasingly, most Brazilian offerings are from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore. Guyana fish as well. There are still Colombian and Peruvian wild caughts. Most Asian fish are farmed, in Asia. African fish are hard to find from any source, though the common ones are likely farmed.
I've never seen a wild import of Pristella. They go back to fish probably from the 1930s, when the southern US had the fish farms.
Thanks Gary. I suppose my dislike it after a batch of dwarf hatchets that caused carnage in my tank years ago. I also should probably ask the LFS who they use for fish so I know they are ethically caught if wild caught. How I’d know that I’m not sure, but google can probably help on that front lol.
on my African tetra tank, I bought 3 of what ever was available, until the tank got crowded... most were juvenal, seems like on Africans, most just start out silver, then as they develop they get pretty... 1st to mature or at least get colorful, were the commonly available "Congo Tetra" Phenacogrammus interruptus... these are likely all farm raised now...& they could easily be a favorite, if I didn't go & buy so many others... the "Gold, Blue eye" Phenacogrammus aurantiacus was probably the most colorful from the start, & they are one of my favorites... the "Fantastics" Phenacogrammus sp. fantastique look pretty interesting, & I have some Blue Alestopetersius brichardi, that are just starting to color up & get their trident tails, I also bought a few red's, but they were quite a bit smaller, & haven't started to color up yet...
In general, South American Tetras, like the Cardinals, for example, seem to color up at a younger age, so you know what you are getting sooner... my school of Platinum Rummy Noses are one of my favorites, colorful, & active... getting them to live beyond a couple days in your tank might be challenging, but mine seem pretty stable after a week or so, & now mine are dancing pretty much every morning, at 1st light... I have about a Dozen...
In general, South American Tetras, like the Cardinals, for example, seem to color up at a younger age, so you know what you are getting sooner... my school of Platinum Rummy Noses are one of my favorites, colorful, & active... getting them to live beyond a couple days in your tank might be challenging, but mine seem pretty stable after a week or so, & now mine are dancing pretty much every morning, at 1st light... I have about a Dozen...
On a whim some years ago I bought a nice bunch of Lemon Tetras because they looked nice in the store . I brought them home and they looked even nicer there . There’s much more than color to be appreciated of any fish . I like fish that interact in interesting ways among themselves . Those Lemon Tetras had a certain way with each other that I liked and they had a subtle color that was pretty too . If I ever happen upon some more they’re coming to my house .
glyn
New Member
Agree that Cardinals take some beating; they're the main tetras in my tank, with some rummy-noses to keep them company.
Would like to try a relatively new tetra; the Hyphessobrycon amapaensis, sometimes called the scarlet tetra, sometimes the red-line tetra. It looks to me like a more colourful version of the old Belgian Flag Tetra. Not many about in the southern UK, however...
Would like to try a relatively new tetra; the Hyphessobrycon amapaensis, sometimes called the scarlet tetra, sometimes the red-line tetra. It looks to me like a more colourful version of the old Belgian Flag Tetra. Not many about in the southern UK, however...
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