A Suitable Tetra?

[james_fish]

Tomorrow im going to the LFS and buying some Tetra's. I've let my tank settle for a while now and im ready to add more, and as I want a shoal I was thinking Tetras.

I don't want Glowlight, Neon's or Silvertips.

Im thinking possibly serpea? Will they go with the red writing in my signature?
I like rummy nose aswell?

Open to any other possible suggestions.

James.

 

[Ben M]

hi, i think that the serpaes would look great in that tank. the only problem is the gourami. i'm not sure if the serpaes would nip it. but i've had serpaes with honey gouramis before with no problems, so it'd probably be ok. serpaes look stunning in a shoal. i'd get at least a dozen, but maybe 6 at a time so you don't overload the filter.

 

[james_fish]

hi, i think that the serpaes would look great in that tank. the only problem is the gourami. i'm not sure if the serpaes would nip it. but i've had serpaes with honey gouramis before with no problems, so it'd probably be ok. serpaes look stunning in a shoal. i'd get at least a dozen, but maybe 6 at a time so you don't overload the filter.

Thats what I was thinking Pest. Its a fully grown Golden aswell so it has nicely sized fins.

Im asking in advance as rather go and no what I can have rather than go and be told false info. I should note my water is nice and acidic for the tetras.

Any other types you think would go nice in there Pest?

James.

 

[Ben M]

yes, it's always good to be sure. rummynose tetras will be fine in there, and won't bother the gourami, and they shoal really well. also cardinals will be fine. have you thought of some rasboras or barbs? i have 8 cherry barbs, which look great, although they don't shoal all the time. or you could get harlequin rasboras, or copper harlequin rasboras (Trigonostigma hengeli), they shoal really well. the only things i'd be worried about are the rtbs and the krib. i've read that rtbs can be aggressive, and once when i added some tiny fish (and i mean very tiny) to my tank, one of my kribs bit ones eye out, but it didn't attack any of the others, and the one that has only one eye is fine now. i think that was a one off though, and the krib was an exceptionally aggressive one.

i'd get at least a dozen of which ever one you decide on, as they look a lot better the more you have. the copper harlequins especially look great in a group of about 20.

cheers

 

[nmonks]

ToIm thinking possibly serpea?

Terrible choice. Extremely nippy. In my opinion, a species to avoid and one of the most common "beginner's mistakes" in the hobby. Was certainly the first fishkeeping mistake I ever made. Hyphessobrycon eques and its relatives are schooling fish best kept on their own. On the plus side, they have a true feeding frenzy behaviour, and while that means they attack everything else in range including each other, it's quite fun to watch.

I like rummy nose aswell?

A delicate species that needs soft, acidic water to do well, or at worst, medium hard, neutral water. Waste of money if you have hard water. Looks lovely in large groups, but quite large, and not worth keeping if you're only going to get six of them! You need at least a dozen before they earn their keep.

If you have hard water, or you're a beginner, consider the x-ray tetras (Pristella maxillaris), a species that is both hardy and able to thrive in hard, alkaline water conditions.

Unless you state your water chemistry here, recommendations for tetras are a bit meaningless, since most of them only do well in soft, acidic water conditions. Oh, and the aquarium size matters. Most tetras need at least 15 gallons, and species like rummynose tetras 30 gallons plus.

Cheers, Neale

 

[james_fish]

have you thought of some rasboras or barbs? i have 8 cherry barbs, which look great, although they don't shoal all the time. or you could get harlequin rasboras, or copper harlequin rasboras (Trigonostigma hengeli), they shoal really well.

I have considered Barbs to be honest, but im quite enthusiastic about getting some Tetras in.
And as I only have one Krib, im considering giving it away.

Cardinals is a good shout, they are lovely coloured and are easier to keep compared to Neons i've heard.

I've also considered Black Neons, Pristella's (or X-ray's), Penguin, Skirts and Lemon's


James

 

[alan3513]

Have you considered the Red Phantom Tetra, quite similar to the Serpae Tetra but are excellent community fish and don't have the Serpae aggression.

 

[james_fish]

Thanks for your input Alan.

I'll do a bit of research on them now and then in the morning I will have a look at them and see if I fancy them.

James.

 

[james_fish]

I've been and got 5 Black Phantom Tetras. They are nice and have settled in well.

Im going to buy more in a few so I have a bigger shoal, I just didn't want to add too many at once.
Im also considering the Red Phantoms, do they shoal together Blacks and Reds?

James.

 

[nmonks]

You do understand they have different temperature requirements? Red phantoms are kept between 20-22 C, black phantoms between 22-26 C. Keeping red phantoms at tropical temperatures severely shortens their lifespan. Red phantoms are also much more demanding about water chemistry, and will not do well in hard, basic water.

Why not buy a book like Baensch's Aquarium Atlas so you can review the needs of fish before buying them? If you're itching to spend money, buying a good aquarium fish book would be a very wise decision.

Cheers, Neale

Im going to buy more in a few so I have a bigger shoal, I just didn't want to add too many at once.
Im also considering the Red Phantoms, do they shoal together Blacks and Reds?

 

[alan3513]

I did loads of research before i bought my red Phantoms and virtually all the websites said that they do best between 22-25/26. Black Phantoms between 22-28. I keep mine around 24 and have soft water, they look stunning and i've had the same shoal for over a year and a half. From what i've read they are also compatable with Black Phantoms but unsure if they actually shoal together.

 

[nmonks]

I did loads of research before i bought my red Phantoms and virtually all the websites said that they do best between 22-25/26. Black Phantoms between 22-28.

Web sites can be unreliable, in fact often are. Look to see who wrote them before trusting them. If all else fails, use Fishbase, a web site put together by scientists.
Black Phantom
Red Phantom

I keep mine around 24 and have soft water, they look stunning and i've had the same shoal for over a year and a half.

1.5 years is pretty good going, but once you've had them 5 years, then you can call it a success. Keeping these fish too warm shortens their lifespan significantly. In fact lots of beginners make a total hash of water temperature, not realising that fish such as platies, Corydoras, and neons all need to be kept at low-end tropical temperatures.

Cheers, Neale