Can i move my serpae tetras?

[drunkenmonkey]

About 3 years ago i set up my first fish tank. It's 5 us gallons, and uses an ugf. After taking advice from my lfs (not the one i shop at any more....) i got 3 serpae tetras and 1 betta fish ...needless to say i didn't know that serpae tetras are one of the worst fin nippers. my poor betta fish died about 2 years later after being nipped too many times

now i have a 32 gal tank thats been running for about 4 months now. its been in good condition (aside from 2 mysterious tiger barb deaths ...). right now there are 6 tiger barbs, 5 zebra danios, and 3 otos. is it safe to move my serpae tetras into my 32 gal?? my 5 gal is in pretty bad shape now (lots of algae, ugf stops working periodicly), and i think that my serpae tetras would be much more comfortable. i can't see any signs of disease on them... so would it be safe???

 

[clutterydrawer]

I think it would be a great plan. also, when you've settled them in, add a few more to make a nice shoal. I'd acclimatise them to the new tank as if they were new from the lfs though, float the bag and all that.

 

[parker313]

Yup, sounds like a good plan to me too. Those little fin nippers will go great with your tiger barbs

 

[Arashi]

Your Serpaes would love to be in that 32 gallon! I have 3 in my 29, but mine don't nip...guess I got lucky. I would just be sure to add at least 3 more to make a school...otherwise, even though they are tough little fish, they may get attacked by those Tigers.

 

[drunkenmonkey]

woohoo! the tetras are at about their max length right now (aprox 2inches), so should i try to find some that are about the same length? Would 5 or 6 be a good number for them??

my tank would be: 3 otos, 5 zebra danios, 6 tiger barbs, 5-6 serpae tetras.

edit: thanks arashi!

 

[Arashi]

5 or 6 sounds like a great number for them. I would almost say 6, then are even with those Tigers.

If your Serpaes are that big, I would definitely try to find some that are about the same size. My Serpases aren't nippers, but the two big ones did go after the littler one once...it was not a pretty sight. They nearly tore him to shreds. But the little guy made it, and is now just as tough as the big guys. He dosen't let them push him around anymore.

Otherwise the tank sounds great. You've got a lot of movement, and all of your fish species are tough ones, that are able to stand up for themselves.

 

[Dwarfs]

Serpaes in a large shoal (i have six) are a beautiful sight

 

[drunkenmonkey]

I'm a little worried that this might be overstocking my tank. My current fish don't produce a huge amount of waste, but i'm stil a little unsure