tetra's

[kmlong]

I have 3 tetra's but can't remember if they are just "tetra's" or neon tetra's. they are orangeish red with black on the gills and black dorsal fin. anyways i posted earlier but didn't get too much feedback about sexing them. how do you tell male from female?

 

[TankGirl]

Serpae tetras? Many tetras are almost impossible to sex, as they do not have different coloration to tell them apart (black phantom tetras, conveniently, can be sexed easily) and mostly you observe them closely and the females have a wider, deeper body in general. That's about as close as you can get, until you have bred them for years and learn the subtle differences. In most community applications gender does not matter too much.

 

[mitche8359]

Serpae Tetra is a good guess as any. However, there is another tetra, the name slips my mind, which is very similar to the Serpae. As close as the SAE and False SAE. I can only remember the difference when I see them in tanks at the LFS.

 

[kmlong]

do you mean serpea? I looked it up last night and found all the tetra breeds but didn't find anything on sexing them. I do have one that is a little smaller than the other two and the two bigger ones always chase this one around. I'm wondering if the two big ones are females, as the females seem to be the more aggressive ones. The bigger ones also have seemingly taller dorsal fins with more white in them and the smaller one has a shorter dorsal fin with almost no white in it at all. Other than that they won't sit still long enough to compare them. They don't like people looking at them and if you do you can't move fast or they will hide behind the plants but they come right back out. I would like to get some info on breeding them so if anyone has any links please post them. thanks

 

[TankGirl]

Maybe red phantom - they are similar.

 

[kmlong]

yes tankgirl, they are serpae tetra's, found a perfect match with pictures and that's them. Now if i could just learn to breed.