Tetras

[StarOrbs]

One thing I've been wondering is if all tetras are peaceful fish, and can be put in community tanks?

 

[Tempestuousfury]

If kept in large groups and with suitable tankmates (i.e. fast, similar sized fish), they should be able to live together. I, personally, know of no tetra that is very aggressive. However, behavior differs among individuals, and I have had somewhat more placid fish than other members here.

 

[StarOrbs]

Alright, thanks for the quick answer.

 

[freddyk]

Some tetra's are 'nippy', and should not be kept with long finned fish like Angels.

 

[Arashi]

I have several kinds of Tetras...Silvertips, Serpaes, Head and Tail Lights, Cardinals, and Bloodfins. Every one of them is in one of my community tanks, but like previously stated, they do all have their own personalities, and only doing good research is going to help you decide which is best for you and your tank.

But I can tell you a bit about what I've observed with my different species.

Silvertips are very fast fish. If you've ever kept Zebra Danios, think of them. These guys will give chase to each other and other tankmates. I have three of them and they and my four Danios zip around in the tank day in and day out. Very active and hyper fish.

The Serpaes can get a bit nippy, especially at feeding time or when they get bored (which can happen often). Think of them as more like Tiger Barbs, just not as aggressive. I've seen what these guys can do when they get in a mood, and it isn't pretty...I have three of these guys, and one time the two larger ones decided to pick on the slightly smaller one...nearly killed him. He healed up nicely and is now just as healthy as the other two, but to this day he is still missing pieces of his fins...doubt they will ever grow back.

The Head and Tail Lights are pretty peaceful, but like the Silvertips, they will chase a bit. Never seen any nipping from them though, and the chasing is usually just among themselves.

Cardinals are a good schooling fish, but they are rather fragile fish. I bought six for a small school, and lost two within the first few days. They are very quiet and rather shy, so the more fish you can get for a school, the happier they will be.

The Bloodfins would be my best choice for a community though. They are extremely peaceful, are excellent schoolers, and are beautiful to look at. I've never had any problems with them nipping or chasing, and I keep them in the same tank with one of my male Bettas. Also if you are looking to breed Tetras, Bloodfins would be a good choice, as they are very easy to breed (or so I'm told ).

Anyways, I hope this helped you out a bit. Just remember that there are peaceful Tetras and some not-so-peaceful Tetras. Just do some good research before you buy, and you should be fine.

Good luck!

 

[Lateral Line]

There are some very aggressive tetras which are quite unsuitable for community tanks. Others can be territorial and cause trouble that way. Most of the 50-75mm size tetras are okay though, but all can nip at a trailing fin if the mood takes them, more typically when they are kept in groups that are too small. They should be kept in groups of 6 or more.

 

[sylvia]

I think people generalise too much with the word 'tetra'. Different tetra species - like different gourami species or different cichlid species - vary just as much from one to the next and can have very different personalities and behaviour. For example, I just recently saw a post about a giant tetra called a vampire tetra or something like that - it grows to 4 feet and can eat piranhas - obviously not a good community fish... Then there are little neons that could never hurt a fly and are very fragile. The black phantom tetras which display and change color, black widows that have been known to be nippy and can fade as they get older. Buenos aires tetras that can be little devils and be just as bad as tiger barbs if not kept with the right fish... They vary immensly so it's essential to choose your preffered species and then research it - if it's suitable for your set-up, go ahead and get a shoal of them. BTW, not all tetras are schooling fish but almost all need the company of their own kind so a general rule is to get at least 6 though more is always better.

 

[StarOrbs]

Yah must likely I will just get neon, black neon tetras or black phantoms probally depending on my LFS.