Serpae Tetra

[terrapin123]

Hi there I have just started with a 60 litre tank it is now ready for tropical fish,ph is 7,temperature of 25 c,.can I mix Serpae Tetra with other fish.Thank you.

 

[nmonks]

Serpae tetras are extremely nippy. They are very pretty and hardy, but in all likelihood yours will do better kept as a group on their own.

Cheers, Neale

 

[terrapin123]

Thank you Monks for replying to my post,,I shall have a rethink on stocking my new 60 litre ,I should have gone on here first before the man in the aquatic center advised me to purchase 5 of these.Now what to do with my Serpae Tetra.

 

[nmonks]

As first fish for a planted aquarium, Serpae Tetras are great. Keep at least 6 specimens because they do tend to nip one another in smaller groups. But in their favour, they have a true 'feeding frenzy' behaviour that makes them very good fun to keep and watch. Stock the tank with shade-tolerant Anubias and Cryptocoryne wendtii and you could create a really pretty small aquarium!

Cheers, Neale

 

[VTDrew]

I had 3 Serpae's that attacked everything the moved. Got the number up to 5 and they calmed down a little. They still picked on my gourami and my first ram. The second ram and apisto put them in their place. Overall Serpaes annoy me.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Like Neale said, more numbers generally means less aggression. If you had gone with more than the 5, they probably would have calmed down quite a bit more. I'd never suggest less than 12 of them, just like tiger barbs. Always at least a dozen - tank permitting, of course.

 

[Enori99]

We just got some, 8 of them and they seem very curious, patrolling around, i hope they dont get aggressive

 

[Something'sfishy]

I got my Serpae Tetras accidentally, too, due to my bad memory. I thought I'd read they were peaceful! Mine actually aren't too bad. Occasionally one might chase one of my Bleeding Hearts a bit, but never far. They haven't nipped at any fish, but I don't have any slow movers in there, either. If they get obnoxious when I add my Angels, they'll just end up banished to my 10 gallon.

Their "feeding frenzy", like nmonks mentioned, is fun to watch. At dinner time I have to close the cover fast, or I get splashed in the face! That goes for the Bleeding Hearts, too!