Are Serpae Tetras And Silver Tip Tetras Fin Nippers?

[mea_caroro]

I'm getting a 55+ gallon tank (at least that large, maybe even larger if we find a good deal) so when I do I will have my nicest male guppies in there, including different types of tetras. I'm getting neons and black neons, maybe cardinals, but I was looking through petco's aquatic life under tetras and found Silver Tip Tetras and Serpae Tetras. They are really colorful fish, and I'd love to have my tank really colorful, but I'm afraid of them being fin nippers.

 

[greatfish123]

serpae tetras are definitely fin nippers if kept in small numbers. with that big a tank, u could probably get abt 9serpae tetras and i think they will be fine

 

[rdd1952]

You should be fine with serapes as long as you have at least 6. I would be careful putting long-finned fish such as angel fish in with them though as even in numbers they can still be a problem at times. If you are mainly going to have tetras and other small community fish, there shouldn't be a problem with serpaes. I don't know anything about the silver tips but I've never heard the menitoned as nippers.

 

[corey01]

silver tips are as bad as serpaes you need a large shoal of them to even out the agression

 

[Robbo25]

I have 7 serpae tets. They are constantly nipping within ranks and sometimes on the odd occasion have a go at my upside down catfish.

No serious harm has ever been done to any though.

 

[rdd1952]

The nipping generally won't yield any noticeable injuries except to large finned fish such as angels but being bullied and nipped can lead to stress and stress can lead to other problems such as white spot and other diseases.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Silver tips, IME, aren't nippers, they might chase a fish, but it's usually only another silver tips, and they never really bite. I kept eight with a dwarf gourami and they paid no attention to it. If anything, the gourami would try and bite the silver tips.

 

[confusion]

I think it partly depends on the environment. I have 6 serpae's in a 55 with some angels and pearl gouramis (prime fin nipping material) and have never witnessed them nipping. My tank is pretty heavily planted, so that may reduce stress or give the other fish a place to hide - not certain.

 

[Lynda B]

I have 4 serpaes in with 6 red eyes, 3 black phantoms and 3 black mollies and nobody has every nipped anybody else..... I must have a really calm environment, because I hear so much about how nippy they allegedly are. Oh, they're in a 30 gallon.

 

[28erl]

i have serpaes, and they just chase each other around, and i have 1 silvertip, because he got caught by accident at the store, and i just kept him, and he has a case of mistaken identity and he thinks hes a rummy nose!

 

[Spooky76]

I USED TO have 6 serpar tetras and witnessed them nipping at my dwarf gourami. Much depends on the tank as said, but I just took mine back to the LFS. With the benefit of heindsight I would have bought a few more and given it more time, but I didnt at the time.