Looking for an alternative

So we have a shoal of skirt tetras in our 55 gallon.

We love them. They were my husband's choice of fish when we first got into the hobby, but over the time we have had them, they drop easily. We have kept a shoal of 5-6 but have had to replace as many as we have just to keep the shoal in good numbers.

After losing yet another, we have decided to let the skirts retire and look into something similar and compatible with our tank, that my husband will enjoy.

We have lost them to various reasons (couple to internal parasites which have been treated, one to ich, one became mentally messed up after choking on food twice and had to be revived, never was okay after CPR the second time and got stuck in plants and died, and one today started having seizures and had to be humanely let go). One of our current one is affected by tumors as well that are growing in size and number.

So that said.

Tank size: 55 gallons
GH 90-145, test reads 120ppm range
KH 40
pH 7.8
Temperature 72F

Stock:
35 corydoras
3 hoplosternum punctatum
1 bn pleco
6 cherry barbs
Not included on this list are the fish we are retiring out, as we won't add new until they're gone.


In place of the skirts, looking for a tetra with similar behavior and/or looks. My husband liked them because they are fast and feisty.

NO neon tetras or warm water tetras please. Something that is planted tank friendly and is compatible in the 70-75F range.

Considering:

Columbian tetra
Black phantom tetra
Candy cane tetra
Lemon tetra
Red eye tetra
Glowlight tetra

NCaquatics said:

So we have a shoal of skirt tetras in our 55 gallon.

We love them. They were my husband's choice of fish when we first got into the hobby, but over the time we have had them, they drop easily. We have kept a shoal of 5-6 but have had to replace as many as we have just to keep the shoal in good numbers.

After losing yet another, we have decided to let the skirts retire and look into something similar and compatible with our tank, that my husband will enjoy.

We have lost them to various reasons (couple to internal parasites which have been treated, one to ich, one became mentally messed up after choking on food twice and had to be revived, never was okay after CPR the second time and got stuck in plants and died, and one today started having seizures and had to be humanely let go). One of our current one is affected by tumors as well that are growing in size and number.

So that said.

Tank size: 55 gallons
GH 90-145, test reads 120ppm range
KH 40
pH 7.8
Temperature 72F

Stock:
35 corydoras
3 hoplosternum punctatum
1 bn pleco
6 cherry barbs
Not included on this list are the fish we are retiring out, as we won't add new until they're gone.


In place of the skirts, looking for a tetra with similar behavior and/or looks. My husband liked them because they are fast and feisty.

NO neon tetras or warm water tetras please. Something that is planted tank friendly and is compatible in the 70-75F range.

Considering:

Columbian tetra
Black phantom tetra

Click to expand...

I'm sorry if they aren't in the range, but off hand Candy-cane and Pristilla tettrs are both beautiful.
The Pristilla actually seem to school, as I have seen in large numbers.

vanalisa said:

I'm sorry if they aren't in the range, but off hand Candy-cane and Pristilla tettrs are both beautiful.
The Pristilla actually seem to school, as I have seen in large numbers.

Click to expand...

Thought of them, BUT.

I'm planning a larger tank after we move to act as my center display in my fish room, using pristella tetras as the sole upper level fish so I dont want them in both tanks.
(That tank will be a large shoal of pristella tetras, corydoras metae, and 1-2 L240 Vampire Pleco, as an orinoco fast flow set up).


I will go read up on the candy canes and make sure they're in the temperature range

I have had good luck with glow light tetras 74-82F and Red eyed tetra 72-79F and both are plant friendly.

I've kept Colombian Tetra before and would get them again. They develop a lovely blue sheen along the their top and the tail goes a deep red when they're coloured up. They weren't particularly active, not until feeding time. They're slightly chonkier than most tetra I've seen. I was looking into cooler water tetras and lemon were added to my list

Our local Pets at Home have Colombians in atm. They look a nice fish even in those conditions. I’d never seen em before so took a look on youtube and they looked great.
Shame their unsuited to our local water.....like about 70% of the fish they’ve got in there.

Thanks for the suggestions

My husband seems really set on the Columbian tetra so far, because they look like piranhas haha

NCaquatics said:

Thanks for the suggestions

My husband seems really set on the Columbian tetra so far, because they look like piranhas haha

Click to expand...

They do have a decent set of nashers on them!

mbsqw1d said:

They do have a decent set of nashers on them!

Click to expand...

So do the skirts!
The teeth on our girl whom started having seizures.

I second glo lights. Their glowing eyes are pretty freaky!