Congo tetras

[joannde]

I have to say, these guys are gorgeous and add alot of activity and color to the tank. I think their color has really taken off since I started feeding thawed frozen bloodworms

OMG - too funny - just took a look and one of them is swimning around with a sinking pellet that I just put in for the snails - another one is following him saying "SHARE THAT !". The one with the pellet is running away with a "MINE !!! MINE !! MINE !!!" look about him ROFL

 

[JulieB]

I have three Congos and they're great! At first they joined the rainbows in picking on the angels and pearl gouramis, but now they're all cool. They were quite small when I bought them and they have grown up to have awesome finnage, especially the boys. Their tails are very cool.

It's so fun to watch fish play with one another, especially with food

 

[joannde]

LOL I thought it was my rainbows that were weird - when I first added the congos they formed a school with them. Now they're off doing their own thing again.

How do you tell the male from female Congos ? All of mne look the same (I think !)

 

[JulieB]

When they're young, it's all a guess. I started with 5 and they all looked the same. But as they grew up, three of them grew bigger than the other two and their tail fins got longer. Those are the males I believe.

 

[joannde]

Thanks Julie - I'll keep an eye out for that.
Can you post pics of a male and a female ?

 

[JulieB]

Here are photos of a male and female.Click Here for pics

See how the male's tail and dorsal fins are longer? Actually, in this pic you can't see how the tail is longer. Here's a better pic of the tail:

I just found these pics on google, I don't own them I can take some pics of my congos later (probably not until after the weekend) but both of my females died so I can't do comparison pics anymore

 

[zenkatydid]

i don't like the look of congos, they always look like they've had their fins ripped and damaged.

 

[joannde]

JulieB, thanks for the male / female pics - given what I've seen, I think I have all males. They all have that "bump" in the middle of their tail fin, and they all have the long flowing dorsal fin.

 

[BrianNY]

I think congos look awesome in a well lit tank. They can get a little too nippy for slow moving fish with long flowing fins however.

 

[physicsdude]

I have 3 congos myself. They are a wonderful fish, adding a lively flavor to my tank. I've had them for about 1 month now and they are now about 1" long. They are starting to display some red and green metallic color on their sides. I'll have to keep an eye on the finnage to spot the males and females.

 

[joannde]

I'm really happy with my congos and my bosemanis. I can stare at my tank all day (did I say COULD ! ? I pretty much DO !).

 

[JulieB]

You're welcome Joannde