Serpae Tetra completing stock

[courtnee]

I am getting ready to see if WW3 breaks out in my 55gl. (unplanted and very open tank with decorations for hiding and some plastic plants. I have 8 white skirt tetra already in the tank. I am tonight adding my Serpae Tetra I bought in a school of 6. This is what I want for my schools.

Now the white skirts are pretty mellow in the tank but from what I read the Serpae Tetra can be aggressive and nippy at times.

They better get along LOL this completes my stock in my tank (except my pleco but that is in a week or two). I dont want all just white skirts, I want some color so I went for another tetra with some color.

We will see how this goes.

I ended up stocking

3 Pictus cats
1 apple snail
8 white skirt tetra
6 Serpae Tetra

Soon I will just add
1 pleco (dwarf)
1 magenta apple snail

I am done.

Future plans...

I dont want 3 pictus cats in a 55gl long term. They are fine for now as they are babies but these are my pride and joy. I am getting MTS! I already have 55 and a 10gl.

In the next year I am going to get a 125gl and move all three spotted pictus cats to the large tank so they have plenty of room.

Update:

The Serpae Tetra are the "Little Guys" in the tank and at first the white tetra surrounded them all. Now the Serpae Tetra and White Tetra are schooling together. A little chasing around the tank but no fin nipping "yet".

The fun part are the spotted pictus. They have a boat decoration they like to hang out in. it is like the "Pictus Hut" 4 of the 6 Serpae Tetra swam to the "Pictus Hut" and tried to hide in there. The smallest pictus kept chasing them out. LOL The largest pictus I have was swimming around like crazy, they swim so fast in the "frenzy" he ran into a Serpae Tetra and knocked it into a corner. The Serpae Tetra escaped and was fine.

The "Pictus Hut" is being over taken by Serpae Tetra and the pictus have moved to the logs instead. How long will they tolerate that I wonder.

 

[Zagz]

Congrats on the stocking. Sounds good, just beware of the pictus cats, I never had any luck with them, they kept eating any fish that would fit in their mouths.

 

[Jchillin]

I have serpaes in with my GBR's, Bolivians, Buenos aires, Bleeding hearts, lampeyes, angels, bristlenose plecos, cory cats and sailfin pleco. From an original total of 6, to the remaining 4, they have never bothered anyone. From what I see, it all depends on the original stocking number (6), which you have done. This mitigates the "alleged" nippy behavior.

 

[courtnee]

Yep I have heard how much Pictus love to eat whatever fits in their mouths. So far the schooling fish are all bigger compared to the little pictus. The pictus are longer of course but their mouths are still pretty tiny. I know white skirts get about 2 inches and the serpaes are pushing it with their 1.5inch adult size with the pictus cats. I wont go any smaller and the 1.5" I did debate that.

Will have to see as the cats get older what they do. Should be okay but hopefully they have a bigger tank before their mouths are big enough to even try and taste test.

I just hope this works out. I have read alot of flopping back and forth and have came to the conclusion the serpaes are unpredictable. I have read that it has alot to do with numbers. They already will pick on each other but rare it leads to serious aggression. That they love smaller fish to pick on. The white tetra are larger compared to the Serpaes so that helps. I read also that they need room. A good thing for the 55gl to help with that.

This morning roll call went well. LOL

I did notice that all 6 serpaes schooled together hoarding above the smallest pictus cat. They didnt do anything to him but he froze in just sat there for awhile until they left.

That is the other behavior that has stuck out to me.

The White skirt tetra stay midlevel and do not go to the bottom. If they float to the bottom they shoot back up to the middle. They do not hide either. They just hang out in the mid level as well as in the middle of the tank!

Serpaes will go anywhere. They spend most of the time midlevel but they will go to the bottom and swim around and go into the decorations to hide. They dont seem scared or touchy like the white skirts do. The serpaes act like they own the place.

I read alot to that getting them established is key as well for them to settle down and they are a good hardy fish. *Crossing fingers*

Their colors are amazing though. They get brighter as they interact with each other.