Congo Tetras

[rixy]

hi,i have 2 x 6 inch senegal bichirs and a 3 inch flagtail.would a group of congo tetras fit in with my fish.if so,how many should i get.my lfs has approx 10.

 

[CFC]

Congo tetras should work reasonably well provided they are already larger than your senegal bichirs can eat (over 2"). I would go for at least 5 in a group of 2 males and 3 females to get the best from them, though more is always better, just make sure you have more females than males.

 

[rixy]

the congos are a reasonable size,about 2 inches.my lfs has 10.should i buy the whole group


ps how big do they get.i've read 3 inches.have you seen them bigger

 

[CFC]

3 1/2 inches is about the biggest you can expect from males with females being marginally smaller but they are deep bodied fish which makes them difficult for swallowing and so ideal for smaller predators, when my fish were much smaller i always kept groups of congo tetras even with fish as large as 10 inches long.

 

[rixy]

can you think of any better fish that would fit in with my 2 x senegals and my flagtailor,do you think the group of congos would look good

 

[CFC]

That depends on the size of the tank and whether you are looking for schooling fish or a collection of individuals. Congos add a nice splash of activity and colour to a tank and are one of my favourite smaller fish, its just unfortunate that i have no tanks that are safe to keep them in any more.

Some of the "hill trout" type fish that are appearing in the shops recently are also very attractive and would make good filler fish for a tank with some larger solitary specimins.

 

[rixy]

my tank is a jewel rio 240 . 121 cm long 41 cm deep and 55 cm high.

i'm open to schooling or individials.

 

[triskele]

Hi Rixy,

My Congo's (an all male group) are currently about 8cm long excluding tail fin. I have seen them in the past a little bit bigger than this but not by much. I agree with the comments if you get females try to get 50% more than the number of males. Curiously when I got mine it was from an all male tank, they are high spirited and engage in tandem display swimming (dominance display) but have never nipped each other.

All the best Triskele

 

[rixy]

thanks triskele.how much did you pay for yours?my lfs wants £4.95 each.

 

[triskele]

Rixy,

I afraid I can't remember the exact price I paid for mine but I think it was around that area, maybe slightly cheaper. Having said that what size are the ones in your LFS, mine were pretty large to begin with. If you go with the LFS and buy quite a few of them you might be able to strike a deal with the shop on the price.

Another option, if you can find them and your water is moderately hard, might be some of the larger rainbowfish, Melanotaenia lacustris, boesmanii, axelrodii etc.

All the best,

triskele

 

[rixy]

thanks for the info triskele.i've just been to another fish shop and bought 8 of them.settled in really nicely.got them for £3.50 each in the end.they are approx 6 cm each.not a bad price in the end.