Fish identification please

[dralarms]

I have these 2 fish that I am confused on the types, please help. and
Got another one that is supposed to be a "rainbow" but can't get him to stay still long enough for a picture.

[ferret]

The first looks like a bleeding heart tetra.

[dralarms]

That's what I thought but the bleeding heart tetra picture at liveaquaria.com is not like this.

[ferret]

http://images.google.com/images?q=bl...oe=UTF-8&hl=en

Looks like bleeding heart

The other I don't know but still looks like a larger variety tetra and/or barb, the picture is hard to tell. Is that a bala towards the back?

[dralarms]

Yes there are 2 bala's in the tank. the fish is supposed to be a serpae tetra.

[dralarms]

That sure looks like it, Thanks.

[TankGirl]

It is either a serpae, or a female black phantom, which has the red, which the male does not. If it is not red throughout, it is probalby not a serpae.

[dralarms]

Arn't black phantom's aggressive?

[TankGirl]

My black phantoms are not aggressive, but my serpae tetras are almost tiger barb-like in their behavior and aggressiveness. Higher numbers of them has not diminished their, um, zest! There is also a fish known as the red phantom tetra that resembles the fish you have, but it is relatively uncommon and also delicate, requiring pristine water conditions. The more I look at that fish, the more I think it is a female black phantom.

[dralarms]

It was supposed to be a Serphea Tetra, I honestly don't know what it is. I guess miss identification is something we have to put up with in this hobby. lol That's like in pet co today, no one knew anything and had a blue lobster in an "aggressive tank" but liveaquara.com say's semi aggresive. Say's that it won't bother most fish unless they are small and slow enough to get caught. Guess we will wait and see. so far he just hides in the castle and pokes his head out when he thinks no one is looking.

[TankGirl]

Now I have personal experience with the blue lobster, and mine was not a peaceful thing at all!! He was in a 55 gal with one 6-inch oscar and one juvenile bala shark, and he killed the bala, and intimidated the oscar to the point of the oscar hovering in a corner, unwilling to go to the other side of the tank where the lobster had its cave. When it would venture over there the lobster would come out and the oscar would flee! I finally had to get rid of him since I wanted to keep fish, too!

Yours could definitely be a serpae, as it is hard to tell in the picture, but frankly their requirements are so similar that if it was a female black phantom you would not do anything different. When I got my pairs of black phantoms the clerk at the LFS did not know why some had red and some didn't, so who knows what she was telling people who didn't know. I pointed out to her that they were the females, and she was shocked!

[vega]

The 1st is a bleeding heart tetra and the 2nd one is a serpae tetra or also know as red flag tetra.

The serpae tetra/red flag is a fin nipper.

I can confirm its not a female black phantom.

HTH

[dralarms]

Yep, that's what it is, but I haven't had a problem with nipping, only got 2 and they are only 4 fish in the tank smaller than them, the 4 painted glass. I think they think those poor fish have been through enough and just leave them alone.

[guppylove]

the top one looks like a conga or congo some thing like that any way........

[AdamsZoological]

Without a doubt, the first one is a Bleeding Heart Tetra, the second is a Serpea Tetra. Hope this helps and btw, got two of my favorite tetras there oh, I've got to ask, do you only have one eash of the tetras? They are schooling fish and do so much better in groups.

Angela

[dralarms]

Well I only have 2 of each, guess that's not much of a school but right now I can't add anymore until I make a few changes (the bala's gotta go), and then maybe I can get them some more friends. And yes I know I'm over the 1 inch per gal of fish but if it gets to be a problem I'll just get the penguin 330 out and crank it up on the other side