Fighty Silver Tip Tetras

[Si_B]

Hi, I have just added a group of six silver-tip Tetra's in a planted 180 litre tank, 2 males and 4 females.

They seem to be chasing each other around a lot, and I'm not sure if they are just naturally boisterous or what.

They dont bother the 6 Cories in the tank.

Anyone have any experience of this? Or is it pretty normal Tetra behaviour, and they'll sort it out themselves.

Thanks.

Si.

 

[dayzofspeed]

i have had silvertips in the past and found them to be quite boisterous fish even a little aggresive, but i dont think they will bother the cories at all. i would imagine they are sorting out their social status at the moment

 

[Carlovel1]

Hi, I have just added a group of six silver-tip Tetra's in a planted 180 litre tank, 2 males and 4 females.

They seem to be chasing each other around a lot, and I'm not sure if they are just naturally boisterous or what.

They dont bother the 6 Cories in the tank.

Anyone have any experience of this? Or is it pretty normal Tetra behaviour, and they'll sort it out themselves.

Thanks.

Si.

Thats just them. I have a group of 6 too and they are really aggressive. They are considerably more aggressive than most Tetra. I introduced 6 Rummynose Rasbora into the tank with Silvertips and within 3 minutes, the Rummynose Rasbora's fins were totally shredded (they are ok now BTW) It was a massive mistake to do that. But mine spend a lot of time chasing eachother so I guess its in their nature to be like that.

 

[Si_B]

OK Cool. As long as they don't kill each other.

I wasn't planning on any long finned fish for precisely this reason, so it shouldn't be a problem, and it makes for an interesting tank with lots of movement.

 

[Caprichoso]

OK Cool. As long as they don't kill each other.

I wasn't planning on any long finned fish for precisely this reason, so it shouldn't be a problem, and it makes for an interesting tank with lots of movement.

Don't bet on it! I had a school of 9 of them and one by one, my 2 silver bodied ones chased all the other goldy ones incessantly to their eventual demise. They wouldn't let any of them eat!! Then the bigger of the two silvers killed off the other one. With that last evil one left, I caught it and took it to the pet store(it had begun terrorizing my white cloud minnows!). Truly evil fish IMO and I will never get them again. Community fish allegedly *scoffs*....lol

 

[scampi]

I hate them too - I had a shoal of 10 when my tank was first cycled, with black Phantom Tetras & they harassed those Tetras sooooo much - very very aggressive & hyper.

 

[Carlovel1]

I hate my Silvertip tetras so much. Giving them to LFS ASAP, as I hate them so much

 

[scampi]

I hate my Silvertip tetras so much. Giving them to LFS ASAP, as I hate them so much

There ya go - its quite scary isn't it that they can create such a reaction. I've still got two of them in with 6 little Neon Tetras & they're horrid. I just can't seem to catch them to give to the LFS - they're very very clever.

 

[Si_B]

Yup.

I returned mine about a month ago and changed them for neons.

They are said, on most web sites and by most LFS's, to be be 'a bit nippy', but they are actually little psychos!

A closer search of the web revealed other people who had problems with them.

I guess they are stocked because they are easy to breed I think and quite pretty, but I wouldn't advise them for a community tank at all. Unless it was a pirahna community tank...

 

[scampi]

God it's driving me insane - could you guys please give me tips on how to catch these two little bu--ers

The kind LFS man said he would take them (reluctantly)so I need to get em asap.

I've tried 2 nets but just about wrecked the tank & freaked my poor little neons out bless em. As I said they're so cunning & will hide away & not move.

Thanks

 

[FishyWishie]

Have to say I've had zero problems with my silvertips they chase each other around and sometimes they chase the diamond tetras and the rasborra (although more rarely) I've lost no fish to them nor have any of the other smaller fish suffered any fin damage/shredding.

Not trying to argue just thought I'd add my own experience of the type.

 

[Si_B]

Have to say I've had zero problems with my silvertips they chase each other around and sometimes they chase the diamond tetras and the rasborra (although more rarely) I've lost no fish to them nor have any of the other smaller fish suffered any fin damage/shredding.

Not trying to argue just thought I'd add my own experience of the type.

Absolutely, I just don't know why they are a terror in some tanks, but not in others. Maybe it's to do with stocking levels, tankmates, tank size or a combination. For the record, I had 6 and then 12 in a Jewul Vision 180 with 6 corys.

In my case, a lot of the trouble seemed to be territorial males, who would stake out a quarter of the tank and then chase everything else away.

Edit.

Scampi, I had to take most of my decorations out, hold a white net still in front of them and gentl shepard them towards it with a second blue net I had. They dont seem to see the white net as long as it is stationary.

Even so it took me an hour , and I got wet as well..

 

[scampi]

Scampi, I had to take most of my decorations out, hold a white net still in front of them and gentl shepard them towards it with a second blue net I had. They dont seem to see the white net as long as it is stationary.
Even so it took me an hour , and I got wet as well..

An hour ??? Goodness - thanks anyway

 

[Shaman]

I've just bought 6 more silver tips to take the total to twelve. They are boisterous with each other, in particular the darker coloured ones seem to like chasing the others for fun however since the new additions have arrived, my Bolivians are much more active so the aggression seems to have been diluted slightly (not that I ever saw them bothering the rams, they wouldn't swim for it!)