Hey everyone,
I'm new to this site, but was just reading a thread on some problems people have had with Silver Tips, and I figured a little bit of a rant was in order from moi.
Ever since we bought these fish (about 4 months ago), we have had a lot of drama in our tank, and to be honest guys, I'm really really tired of it and want it to stop. We have 4 females and a very mischievous, territorial male, a terror of a Zebra Danio (these two types have got to be some of the worst "community fish" I have ever come across, and of course they usually fail to tell people they're considered to be the most aggressive Tetra variety--you unfortunately find out this fun fact AFTER you've purchased and placed them in your tank). It started with the chasing and some fin nipping, which surprised (and concerned) us at the time, and then eventually, these Tetra would grow to adapt to and mimic the bottom feeders (small Pandas, and a Sterbai cory), and so would actually start eating the sinking pellets for the corys off the gravel--the novelty soon wore off, trust me. This eventually grew to become a kind of logistical nightmare when trying to make sure the corys had enough food to eat, and so it goes.
The Danio we have has a lot of personality, but is also a MAJOR pest, and again, I've gotten pretty tired of the aggressive antics. And of course they failed to mention the drawbacks of Danios at the LFS where we got them, too. It's amazing how there's so much variation within the "community freshwater" category....i.e., "Community" fish that are more aggressive like the ST's and the Danios and Barbs, contrasted with say the docile personalities of Neons--it seems that one has to go more by the anecdotal evidence and less by what they tell you (or don't tell you) in the fish stores. I just want a TRUE community tank where I can enjoy the tank without all the stress that comes from having these particular varieties.
What to do now? I e-mailed the LFS we got them from, and told them about the situation and asked if we could return the fish (they're the picture of health, they're just annoying beyond belief), but oddly enough, when the person wrote back to me, they evaded my question about taking them back. This seemed a little odd to me, but I've noticed this isn't quite the store it used to be back 20 years ago when I was a kid and put together an excellent and PEACEFUL community tank. Yes, that's all I want. If I get to the point where I can't take it anymore, I'll just take them down there and then they'll have to take them back (I hope!).
Anyone else out there stuck with similar tank issues?
I'm new to this site, but was just reading a thread on some problems people have had with Silver Tips, and I figured a little bit of a rant was in order from moi.
Ever since we bought these fish (about 4 months ago), we have had a lot of drama in our tank, and to be honest guys, I'm really really tired of it and want it to stop. We have 4 females and a very mischievous, territorial male, a terror of a Zebra Danio (these two types have got to be some of the worst "community fish" I have ever come across, and of course they usually fail to tell people they're considered to be the most aggressive Tetra variety--you unfortunately find out this fun fact AFTER you've purchased and placed them in your tank). It started with the chasing and some fin nipping, which surprised (and concerned) us at the time, and then eventually, these Tetra would grow to adapt to and mimic the bottom feeders (small Pandas, and a Sterbai cory), and so would actually start eating the sinking pellets for the corys off the gravel--the novelty soon wore off, trust me. This eventually grew to become a kind of logistical nightmare when trying to make sure the corys had enough food to eat, and so it goes.
The Danio we have has a lot of personality, but is also a MAJOR pest, and again, I've gotten pretty tired of the aggressive antics. And of course they failed to mention the drawbacks of Danios at the LFS where we got them, too. It's amazing how there's so much variation within the "community freshwater" category....i.e., "Community" fish that are more aggressive like the ST's and the Danios and Barbs, contrasted with say the docile personalities of Neons--it seems that one has to go more by the anecdotal evidence and less by what they tell you (or don't tell you) in the fish stores. I just want a TRUE community tank where I can enjoy the tank without all the stress that comes from having these particular varieties.
What to do now? I e-mailed the LFS we got them from, and told them about the situation and asked if we could return the fish (they're the picture of health, they're just annoying beyond belief), but oddly enough, when the person wrote back to me, they evaded my question about taking them back. This seemed a little odd to me, but I've noticed this isn't quite the store it used to be back 20 years ago when I was a kid and put together an excellent and PEACEFUL community tank. Yes, that's all I want. If I get to the point where I can't take it anymore, I'll just take them down there and then they'll have to take them back (I hope!).
Anyone else out there stuck with similar tank issues?