My Silver Tip Tetra

StatMan · Mar 9, 2009

Loading pictures herer for another thread as I can't seem to insert them easily into the thread!

Second Picture has the original single Silver tip who is older and from a different source from the other

Picture 3 also includes the Gold Gourami, who seems to go camera, where is it pointing!!

saz326 · Mar 10, 2009

In the middle picture, the fish at the top in the middle looks like a fella to me, Plus in the bottom picture right top and bottom middle fish look more the colouration of the males.

You're right though, the colour doesnt seem to be there. I wonder, what are you feeding them? I feed cichlid flakes into the tank for my dwarf cichlids but the silvertips get them too. They are enriched with beta-carrotene (carrot goodness) and this has brought their colours out.

If you look at the middle picture again, you can see the two fish in the middle of the image. The top fish has flatter sides, and its sides are more "toned" up- this is a male. The fish underneath is paler, with more filled/less toned sides this is a girlie. As she fills out more, you may notice (just before she is ready to bear eggs) she will get really reflective mirror like colour to her sides. Her sides will almost look like stretched tin-foil.

It might help you to take a look at them from above. The males tend to be slightly longer and are thinner than the ladies.

If you sit and watch them, you may even see the boys fighting amoungst themselves, and the ladies staying clear. This tends to happen until the ladies are ready for love - when the boys start chasing the ladies instead. Usually 2 boys on one.

paul_219 · Mar 10, 2009

Cool tetras looking nice.

StatMan · Mar 10, 2009

saz326 said:
In the middle picture, the fish at the top in the middle looks like a fella to me, Plus in the bottom picture right top and bottom middle fish look more the colouration of the males.

You're right though, the colour doesnt seem to be there. I wonder, what are you feeding them? I feed cichlid flakes into the tank for my dwarf cichlids but the silvertips get them too. They are enriched with beta-carrotene (carrot goodness) and this has brought their colours out.

If you look at the middle picture again, you can see the two fish in the middle of the image. The top fish has flatter sides, and its sides are more "toned" up- this is a male. The fish underneath is paler, with more filled/less toned sides this is a girlie. As she fills out more, you may notice (just before she is ready to bear eggs) she will get really reflective mirror like colour to her sides. Her sides will almost look like stretched tin-foil.

It might help you to take a look at them from above. The males tend to be slightly longer and are thinner than the ladies.

If you sit and watch them, you may even see the boys fighting amoungst themselves, and the ladies staying clear. This tends to happen until the ladies are ready for love - when the boys start chasing the ladies instead. Usually 2 boys on one.

Saz

Thanks for the detailed reply, have been watching them already but will look for the behaviour you describe. Interesting what you say about the food I don't have any chichlids so they have been getting standard tropical food along with the Gourami's, guppy's, ottos, and catfish (JBL pleco for the last two) in there. The gourami in the photo will be staying the other a silver will be moving to my 4 foot tank as he is too big for that tank (both were inherited when I got the tank) the tank now had a gold / yellow theme withought the silver gourami and I quite like it!

Will take a look again, how hard are these type of fish to get breeding, any specific requirements?

StatMan

saz326 · Mar 11, 2009

StatMan said:
Will take a look again, how hard are these type of fish to get breeding, any specific requirements?

StatMan

To be honest, I havent doen anything to my fish and they started laying eggs all over the place. I do have hard water, which they aren't supposed to prefer. But any locally bread fish would be able to tolerate local water conditions.

pH sometimes slides to the acidic side of pH 7 but only until I turn the CO2 bubbles down. (after a removal of lots of plants!)

I guess diet may be key here. I do feed frozen bloodworm/daphnia/brine shrimp around 4 times a week, and the silver tips help themselves alongside my other fish. Maybe you could try using live daphnia.

StatMan · Mar 11, 2009

saz326 said:
To be honest, I havent doen anything to my fish and they started laying eggs all over the place. I do have hard water, which they aren't supposed to prefer. But any locally bread fish would be able to tolerate local water conditions.

pH sometimes slides to the acidic side of pH 7 but only until I turn the CO2 bubbles down. (after a removal of lots of plants!)

I guess diet may be key here. I do feed frozen bloodworm/daphnia/brine shrimp around 4 times a week, and the silver tips help themselves alongside my other fish. Maybe you could try using live daphnia.

OK I will try some of the food you suggest, they do tend to get live daphnia about once a week at the moment will try increasing that and ad in some frozen food as well.

Thanks

StatMan

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