Please Identify This Tetra

[Noura]

Hello,

This fish looks like a Serpae Tetra, but lacks the black spots on the sides.

What is it?







Thanks,

Noura

 

[dbanner]

Could it be a von rio flame tetra?? Just a thought. It does have the body shape of a serpae but like you said... No black on the side...

 

[Chad]

Could be, or maybe a bleeding heart tetra. It's not always easy to tell from one photo.

 

[dbanner]

Correct me if im wrong but dont bleeding heart tetras usually have a silver base with a red line going through the middle of them?

Your right though, it's hard to tell with just the 1 pic. Maybe 1 or 2 more from slightly different angles could help us give a positive I.D

 

[Chad]

Actually, now that I compare, the eye is wrong.

 

[dbanner]

Well spotted

 

[Chad]

Here's the Von Rio...

 

[dbanner]

Hmm... Well the eye of the von rio is the same... But the body shape is all wrong. Longer body on the flame

 

[Chad]

Right, that's what I was thinking too.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Looks like a serpae, that is just a color morph.

 

[MBOU]

as thereverandturtle said, it *is* a serpae tetra its certainly what I recognise as the more common type of serpea tetra around her, though can import better coloured or more shiny specimens.

 

[Noura]

Hello,

I got some much better pics of my mysterious Tetras, the previous photo was misleading, especially concerning the body shape, because my tank is a bow front. The new pics were taken from the flat side this morning. I'll upload in a few hours when I get home.


But looking at the pics you provided, it's definitly NOT a Bleeding Heart Tetras.

At the same time, the body shape is not as tall as the Von Rio, nor the same. It' s actually closer to the Serpae's body shape.

You'll see them later when I upload the pics.

Btw, they have a black coloration at the very end of the anal fin towards the tail. I hope they show in the coming pics. Just thought that mentioning it might make it easier to identify.

Thank you all,

Noura

 

[deftuch]

Hello,

I got some much better pics of my mysterious Tetras, the previous photo was misleading, especially concerning the body shape, because my tank is a bow front. The new pics were taken from the flat side this morning. I'll upload in a few hours when I get home.


But looking at the pics you provided, it's definitly NOT a Bleeding Heart Tetras.

At the same time, the body shape is not as tall as the Von Rio, nor the same. It' s actually closer to the Serpae's body shape.

You'll see them later when I upload the pics.

Btw, they have a black coloration at the very end of the anal fin towards the tail. I hope they show in the coming pics. Just thought that mentioning it might make it easier to identify.

Thank you all,

Noura

id say its a home bred fish from closely related parents or simply a hybrid

 

[MBOU]

Your fish looks like this serpae to me:
http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=serpae+tetra&num=10&hl=en&biw=1088&bih=635&tbm=isch&tbnid=1F7wIo_SvOoWRM:&imgrefurl=http/www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Tetras/SerpaeTetra.asp&docid=Vk4Ao1jaW-FU1M&imgurl=http/www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Tetras/SerpaeTetra1.jpg&w=500&h=344&ei=MjaFULfyIOab1AXo14CQBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=768&vpy=117&dur=4020&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=248&ty=88&sig=103349512573384008980&page=2&tbnh=140&tbnw=165&start=15&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:15,i:152

look at the variations..
http/www.google.co.uk/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1088&bih=635&q=serpae+tetra&oq=serpae+tetra&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5l3j0i24l5.1142.8044.0.8223.16.14.2.0.0.0.222.2141.0j12j2.14.0...0.0...1ac.1.MLDeQYyO19w#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hyphessobrycon+serpae&oq=hyphessobrycon+serpae&gs_l=img.3..0i24.45695.48345.4.48886.8.3.1.4.5.0.265.445.2j0j1.3.0...0.0...1c.1.rhJloMsslck&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=3c7b8e1422303950&bpcl=35466521&biw=1088&bih=635

Here is a very good description really:
http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/hyphessobrycon-serpae

Such an abundance of synonyms is not simply confusing: it represents the fact that the Serpae Tetras form a species flock, formed of populations with subtly distinctive coloring and, for serpae, in populations with differing chromosome numbers. Marks and blotches appear more strongly in young, healthy specimens , which may be identified by some researchers as sub-species. The various wild populations of these "Blood Characins", as German aquarists first called them, have been blurred by generations of interbreeding in captivity since these fishes first appeared in German and US aquaria in the 1920s; then they were identified both as Hyphessobrycon serpae and H. callistus. As long ago as the 1950s Gunther Sterba noted that in aquarium-bred fish, the same spawning would produce individuals with distinct shoulder-blotches together with ones in which the blotches were faint or absent, and much variation in the black of the dorsal fin.

Its basically saying the Serpaes vary hugely, both in the wilds and in captivity, the black markings are darker in younger fish than in older fish... and the black markings are present in some fish and not others. Makes sense

 

[dbanner]

Your fish looks like this serpae to me:
http/www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=serpae+tetra&num=10&hl=en&biw=1088&bih=635&tbm=isch&tbnid=1F7wIo_SvOoWRM:&imgrefurl=http/www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Tetras/SerpaeTetra.asp&docid=Vk4Ao1jaW-FU1M&imgurl=http/www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Tetras/SerpaeTetra1.jpg&w=500&h=344&ei=MjaFULfyIOab1AXo14CQBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=768&vpy=117&dur=4020&hovh=186&hovw=271&tx=248&ty=88&sig=103349512573384008980&page=2&tbnh=140&tbnw=165&start=15&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:15,i:152

look at the variations..
http/www.google.co.uk/search?num=10&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1088&bih=635&q=serpae+tetra&oq=serpae+tetra&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5l3j0i24l5.1142.8044.0.8223.16.14.2.0.0.0.222.2141.0j12j2.14.0...0.0...1ac.1.MLDeQYyO19w#hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hyphessobrycon+serpae&oq=hyphessobrycon+serpae&gs_l=img.3..0i24.45695.48345.4.48886.8.3.1.4.5.0.265.445.2j0j1.3.0...0.0...1c.1.rhJloMsslck&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=3c7b8e1422303950&bpcl=35466521&biw=1088&bih=635

Here is a very good description really:
http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/hyphessobrycon-serpae

I think that settles it then looking at the different varieties its clear to see it is a serpae

Such an abundance of synonyms is not simply confusing: it represents the fact that the Serpae Tetras form a species flock, formed of populations with subtly distinctive coloring and, for serpae, in populations with differing chromosome numbers. Marks and blotches appear more strongly in young, healthy specimens , which may be identified by some researchers as sub-species. The various wild populations of these "Blood Characins", as German aquarists first called them, have been blurred by generations of interbreeding in captivity since these fishes first appeared in German and US aquaria in the 1920s; then they were identified both as Hyphessobrycon serpae and H. callistus. As long ago as the 1950s Gunther Sterba noted that in aquarium-bred fish, the same spawning would produce individuals with distinct shoulder-blotches together with ones in which the blotches were faint or absent, and much variation in the black of the dorsal fin.

Its basically saying the Serpaes vary hugely, both in the wilds and in captivity, the black markings are darker in younger fish than in older fish... and the black markings are present in some fish and not others. Makes sense