do angel fish and

[afireinside]

ya know, i thought it was sorta wierd, but they do get along, it was funny, today, they were litterally playing tag. the serpae tetra would touch the angel fish and run away, then the angel fish would turn around and tag one of the tetras. it was so fun to watch. but i never knew these guys could get along, what other species of fish can get along that u think is odd.

 

[rdd1952]

I think that "playing tag" is actually fin nipping. You better keep a very close eye on the angel or the serpae will rip his fins to shreads. Serpaes are notorious fin nippers especially when kept in groups of less than 6. They can get really bad if there is only 1 or 2 and I think I remember another post where you only have one plus an albino buenos aires which are also notorious fin nippers. Pardon me if that wasn't you.

 

[afireinside]

uhm, i am sorry to report my albino buenos aries tetra died of old age, he was like three inches long, and i am sorry, i don't know what i was thinking, the angel fish weren't involved, they ignore each other. also, i have two angel fish and three serpae tetra. i am planning to get more serpaes next week.

 

[jimbooo]

yep the "tag" is fin nipping. i just offloaded 6 serpae's as they were destroying my white cloud mountain minnows.

move the angel if you are planning on keeping the serpaes. his fins will recover from a little nipping but if you leave them in there together you'll either have a tank full of dead serpaes or a dead angel. they wont put up with it forever something will have to give..

sorry if that sounds harsh, but serpaes dont get along with anything with big fins.

 

[afireinside]

eh, it's ok now, they were establishing territories, the two biggest get the protective area, the two angel fish get a place similar to that on the right side of the tank, and the smaller serpae tetra has the shelter to the left of the tank.

 

[jimbooo]

ok but keep a close eye on them it's only a matter of time, trust me.

 

[afireinside]

why? they ignore each other over half of the time?

 

[Whitey]

I have angles that ignore my tetras completley but as the angels grow larger and realize they can fit in their mouth they could become 'missing'. Its not garenteed though, so ust be carefull.

 

[Griz]

I've kept serpaes before and IMO they have earned their reputation as fin-nippers.
edit: sp

 

[jimbooo]

the angel wont eat the serpaes, they get much bigger than most tetras. the problem is the angels fins.

if his/her fins end at a sharp point at the top and bottom then no fin nipping is going on. i'd be very surprised if your angel has perfect fins.

as they grow the fins get bigger and hence even more attractive for the serpaes to nip at.

i'm not trying to be difficult honestly, just been there and done that.

this is my angel, see how the top and bottom fins end in a fine point, same as the rear fin (sorry dont know proper names) has a thin point at top and bottom.

if your angels fins are the same i'll shut up and stop whining on but i'd be very surprised if they are.