Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

6 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


asher
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:36 am

Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by asher

Would it be crazy to consider serpae tetras for a community tank? They're awful pretty fish that would look nice in my tank and fit the theme and such but I'm wondering if I'd be better off choosing another, less nippy, fish?


tetrafan
 
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2016 7:03 pm

Re: Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by tetrafan

Yep you certainly can keep serpaes in a community, you just need to be very selective with their tankmates because serpaes can be bullies and fin nippers.

Choose fish that can stand their own - basically no timid fish, fish that can't compete with them for food, smaller fish or fish that have long fins.

Larger tetras can work well with serpaes
Barbs
Loaches
Rainbow fish

Just a few that'll work. The above are usually fast moving, boisterous fish.


fish123
 
Posts: 42
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:05 pm

Re: Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by fish123

I think if you get at least 6-8 and keep them well fed they should be fine with most fish. When they're lonely, bored, kept in a too small tank or not fed enough is when they normally become a pain towards certain other fish.


xxluckxx
 
Posts: 53
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2017 10:25 am

Re: Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by xxluckxx

Serpae tetras are active mid level fish.
Bearing this in mind I'd do something like;

6 serpae (mid level)
6 checkered barbs (mid level)
6 glowlite danio (top level)
6 zebra loaches (bottom level)

However I don't know the size of your tank and other important things like that, this is just hypothetical. If you go with something similar then all areas of the tank are occupied with similar fish (in activity levels & behavior) that should create a peaceful community!


_fins_
 
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2017 10:24 am

Re: Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by _fins_

If you have to go a different route, I think red phantom tetras look kind of similar. Not sure how nippy they are though. They might be just as bad as many serpaes.


lumi
 
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2016 10:26 am

Re: Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

by lumi

Honestly, when I had serpaes I never had any problem with them nipping or bullying the other fish. I never had less than 6 of them, I think that is the main thing here.

I also could have been lucky. I don't think you can ever definitely know how peaceful or otherwise fish are going to be until you try. Obviously you wouldn't want to do anything foolish like put an oscar with neon tetras, but for fish that are generally good community fish like serpaes there's only so much you can do to ensure they were 100% work with all the other inhabitants. Sometimes there's just problem fish that cause trouble, that's why having a backup plan is important.

Serpae tetras just how nippy are these guys

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