Serpae Tetra: A Splash of Color in Your Aquarium (2023)

FAQs

Why is my serpae tetra losing color? ›

Too much of a temp change or something got to them. The tetra that has lost his color sounds to be another victim and is stressed out. Did you cycle the filter first? If no, that is the cause of your problem.

We recommend keeping a group of 5 to 7.

Keep an eye on the group and take out any aggressors that cause harm or make it hard for other fish to eat. Aside from other Serpae Tetras, these fish are compatible with other fast-moving peaceful fish. It's best to avoid slow fish that could be targeted for fin nipping.

Ideal tankmates include other active fish of similar or larger size, such as barbs, danios, and larger tetras. Bottom-dwelling catfish and loaches are also suitable tankmates. Avoid keeping this species with fish that have long, flowing fins or that are slow-moving, such as angelfish or bettas.

Serpae Tetra Overview

If you want to observe Serpae Tetras are on their best behavior then put them in a tank along with a couple of other tetras, as they tend to be a tad bit aggressive to other, slower-moving fish species, and watch them explore their surroundings in schools of bright red!

If your fish is swimming frantically without going anywhere, crashing at the bottom of his tank, rubbing himself on gravel or rocks, or locking his fins at his side, he may be experiencing significant stress. Talk to your veterinarian about treatment and look into what may be causing the stress and alleviating it.

Feeding a high-quality diet is the leading way to enhance your fish's color and ensure their proper development. Other factors like a stress-free environment, good water conditions, and ample space in the tank also help enhance your fish's color.

In the aquarium

Serpae tetras prefer water temperatures ranging from 72–79 °F (22–26 °C). They will generally do better and show off their best colors in soft, neutral to slightly acidic water. As with any other schooling fish, they thrive in large groups and should be kept in schools of at least six fish.

You should feed your fish two to three times daily. A few flakes per fish is sufficient. The fish should eat all the food in two minutes or less. Overfeeding can cloud your water and harm your fish.

They do best in soft, neutral to slightly acidic water with a pH of between 6-7.5 and temperatures between 72°-79°, so you may or may not need a heater for them. Serpae tetras do best in a more dimly lit environment and thrive in blackwater aquariums.

Serpae tetras are by nature fin nippers. They are only second to tiger barbs.

Are Serpae Tetras Hardy? ›

Serpae tetras are another on of those very hardy type larger tetras. Their distinctive red colour, hardiness and peaceful nature makes them an ideal choice for a tropical community aquarium, or even in a cold water set up in some parts where the climate is suitable.

Neon tetras will gladly zoom across the tank at dinner time, but it's also possible for bigger or bossier fish to push them out of the way and not let them get any food. It's better to go with a gentler, more laid back species that won't keep your neons from eating.

They love tall plants like Ludwigia repens, Brazilian pennywort (also works as a floating plant), vallisneria, cabomba or Cryptocoryne wendtii. Neons also like floating plants like frogbit, dwarf water lettuce or red river floaters. They'll swim around in the roots that hang down into the water column.

Summary: It is popularly believed that fish have a memory span of only 30 seconds. Canadian scientists, however, have demonstrated that this is far from true -- in fact, fish can remember context and associations up to 12 days later.

Although tetras chase, jump and chase each other around in their bowl, they are just playing. You can tell signs of aggression when you notice one fish cowering in the corner and isolating itself from the school. You can stop aggression in tetras by providing sufficient food and space.

Unfortunately, by the time signs of ammonia stress are noticeable in fish – lethargy, appetite loss, gasping, inflammation of the gills, eyes or fins – it may be too late to take corrective action that can save the fish.

Large water changes that include more than 60% water change, rinsing gravel, cleaning filter media lead to a complete, massive change in the water chemistry. Fishes when put in these new conditions, lead to temperature shock, stress, loss of appetite, and then death.

Mixed Seaweed – Seaweed is one of the few foods that enhance the full spectrum of colors, from red to blue, with each species excelling at one color more than others according to the color of the seaweed species itself. For example, green seaweed excels at blue enhancement and red seaweed enhances red coloration.

Fresh vegetables like spinach, broccoli and romaine lettuce are also healthy sources of vitamins and minerals that will help your fish to achieve their natural coloration. Be careful when purchasing color-enhancing commercial foods because some foods will be better for your fish than others.

Do tetras like light or dark? ›

Like other tropical fish, tetras require the lights to be on in their tanks for 12 to 14 hours each day. This will help them to maintain a proper circadian rhythm. It's best to put your lights on a timer so that your fish can settle into a routine.

Substrate: Both species of tetra are fine with any substrate if it is not small enough for them to choke on it. To ensure this doesn't happen, choose gravel that is too large to fit in their mouth, or choose a substrate with tiny particles, like sand, which won't really affect the fish if they ingest a bit of it.

Tetras are schooling fish and therefore they live happily in groups. Therefore, in the case of tetras, the classic rule of THE MORE, THE MERRIER applies literally. However, if you are the kind of person who believes in numbers, then a minimum of 6 tetra fish is recommended.

A good rule of thumb when working out how much food to offer your fish is to see what they can dispose of per minute. If they finish all you offer in under a minute then you are giving the right amount of food. If it's taking more than a minute then you're definitely offering too much food.

If your fish are digging around in the substrate, clearly searching for something, chances are that they are hungry. Fish that go to scavenge, but don't usually scavenge, or go inspect the top of the aquarium, something they wouldn't usually do, are both indications of hunger.

Due to their moderate size and hardiness, 3-4 tetras may be kept in tanks up to one gallon.

Males are generally smaller than females, but they have a vivid red color. Females tend to be a dull red and are round, especially during the mating process when they tend to become much fuller than males.

Ich (White Spot Disease)

Ich is just about the most common disease that affects freshwater tropical and coldwater fish. Ich is caused by the parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, a protozoan that is usually present in most aquariums. Ich doesn't attack healthy fish.

What Are the Effects of Cool Water Temperature for Neon Tetras? Neon tetras need their temperatures between 72 and 78 degrees. 72 degrees F is the minimum water temperature a neon tetra can tolerate. Anything lower than this will harm your neon tetras.

Neon Tetra chasing each other can be normal playful behavior – they are an energetic species. But it can also be a sign of showing dominance in a male-only aquarium, it might be a sign of mating, or it could be a sign of overcrowding. Keep tabs on your fish if they're chasing each other a lot.

Do tetra fish have teeth? ›

While their teeth do not protrude as their name implies, these tetras' teeth are more pronounced than other species, and they have pointed tips for tearing off scales. Bucktooth tetras are fast swimmers. Each fin is controlled by a separate set of muscles for precision swimming.

– Serpae Tetra Diet

Serpae Tetras are omnivores; in the wild, they feed on plant matter and insect larvae. In captivity, they will happily eat anything you give to them. You can provide them with high-quality pellets and flakes.

Neon tetras may also exhibit a slight color fade when they spend a lot of time in darkness or at night. This color fade is normal and not usually cause for alarm.

Even the smallest tetras are capable of producing several dozen eggs in one spawning attempt. When large groups are kept together for spawning, not all of the fish are actively involved. Those that are not breeding are usually eating eggs.

Do Tetras like lots of plants? While Neon Tetras do enjoy having spaces to hide, they also like plenty of open water in which to swim and school. Adding too many plants can restrict them, making them feel like they can't swim as freely as they want, which can cause them stress.

As a general rule, you can keep 6 or 7 of them in a 10-gallon fish tank. Keeping any more than this is known as 'overcrowding' and is full of potential problems. But it should also be noted that neon tetra is schooling fish and prefer to be kept in larger numbers in bigger tanks.

Freshwater "sharks"

Silver sharks are peaceful but grow to over a foot in length, are skittish, and will eat small fish like Neon tetras.

Therefore, a 20-gallon tank could comfortably hold 11.42 (20/1.75) tetras. You can either round that number up to 12 or 11 when stocking your aquarium.

The two main causes of color change in tetra fish are stress and disease. Extended exposure to bright light, loneliness, the presence of predators, and changes in water chemistry put a lot of stress on tetras. Pathogen-induced infections and diseases can also cause their colors to fade over time.

If your tetra has white spots, it probably has ich. If your tetra has a white patch, it could be symptom of NTD, but it could also be a symptom of many other illnesses. NTD is fairly rare, so the white patch is more likely caused by a common bacterial or fungal infection.

Why does my fish look faded? ›

Aquarium fish that are stressed or ill are unlikely to display their optimal coloration and they may even fade in color as a result of stress. In order to prevent this from happening in your tank it is important to keep up a regular maintenance routine to ensure high water quality.

The fresh water fish neon tetra has the ability to change the structural color of its lateral stripe in response to a change in the light conditions, from blue-green in the light-adapted state to indigo in the dark-adapted state.

Neon tetras may also exhibit a slight color fade when they spend a lot of time in darkness or at night. This color fade is normal and not usually cause for alarm.

Lighting Requirements

Like other tropical fish, tetras require the lights to be on in their tanks for 12 to 14 hours each day. This will help them to maintain a proper circadian rhythm. It's best to put your lights on a timer so that your fish can settle into a routine.

It is referred to as a bacteria bloom. The cloudiness should be gone within anywhere from two days to a couple of weeks. You can do a 10 to 15 percent partial water change and gravel vacuuming after a week to speed it up.

Fungal, bacterial, and parasitic infections are the main causes. Typical diseases are known to cause goldfish to turn white include the ich and Malawi bloat. Keep an eye on how the white color changes look like. Fatal illnesses tend to cause deadly white erosions due to conditions like dropsy.

Fungal infections are one of the most common disorders for fish. Fungal spores naturally populate fish tanks, but sick, stressed or injured fish can cause a dangerous increase. These infections manifest as a white cotton-wool-like growth on the skin, mouth, fins or gills.

Your best bet is to check on your fish as it dries and test it. Look out for it turning firm, feeling completely dry, and yet still pliable. If you see any hints of moisture still on the fish, keep drying. If it falls apart when you bend it to test for how pliable it is, then you have dried it for too long.

As a fish swims over a light substrate the chromatosomes are transported into the centre of the cell (aggregation) resulting in the fish appearing paler. Swimming over a dark substrate results in the chromatosomes spreading out throughout the cell (dispersal) which leads to a darkening of the fish's colour.

Scales protrude from the body, giving the appearance of a pine cone. This symptom is a classic indication of a severe infection.

Why does my tetra look pregnant? ›

On a closer glance, you notice one of your neon tetra seems to have a larger belly than the rest. Could she be pregnant? From a biological standpoint, the answer is no. Tetras are an egg-spawning species; however, that swelling in your tetra's belly may indicate the fish is carrying eggs and is ready to spawn.