Newbie :) Help identifying fish :)

[cadov86]

Hello im new to the hobby im about two months in and addicted! Not even sure if im posting this in the right section of the forum

I recently bought two fish from Petco (they were the only two left) and LOVE the way they look. they haven't got anymore in and when I try and look them up on the internet by what they were labeled as nothing similar comes up. I also went to my LFS (with out pic) I couldn't find them and they had no idea what I was talking about lol. Ill attach a pic any help would be great thanks!

 

[creic38]

Looks like a painted tetra. Unfortunately, anything painted doesn't last long because they are dyed with artificial stuff. I would return them if you can.

Of course, I could be wrong.

 

[bettaowner]

It could be a white skirt tetra. I don't see any dye.

 

[Shane87]

+1 for white skirt tetra, that's what it looks like to me.

 

[creic38]

What's that pink stuff near the gills? I don't know.....I keep tetras myself, and that looks painted to me. White skirts are all white.....the "painted" part starts to wear off.

 

[cadov86]

Thanks when I looked white skirt tetras up and saw pictures they were shaped similar but mine are transparent with a really slight slight pink to them. Also i have yet to see any tetras with a huge dark eye like mine. I thought the pink near the gills was something I was seeing from the inside since they are pretty transparent. I hope they are not dyed because I really love the way they look, that would be a bummer. I guess ill go back to the store see if they have gotten more (the tag said new fish) and ask more questions if they happen to have more.

Oh and since we are on the subject of tetras can Danios be mixed with tetras I think I may have been misinformed because my Danios are chasers. Thanks again!

 

[tamtam]

It's a white skirt, the pink is just part of their inside anatomy, you can see through the fish so the pink comes through and gives it that blushing look. I'm sure if you get up close to the fish and take a good look you will see more of the insides as well.

I'm not sure what cases it in some and not others but it's a pretty common thing. It could be selective breeding or maybe it's just visible in younger ones and as they grow it changes.

 

[tamtam]

Thanks when I looked white skirt tetras up and saw pictures they were shaped similar but mine are transparent with a really slight slight pink to them. Also i have yet to see any tetras with a huge dark eye like mine. I thought the pink near the gills was something I was seeing from the inside since they are pretty transparent. I hope they are not dyed because I really love the way they look, that would be a bummer. I guess ill go back to the store see if they have gotten more (the tag said new fish) and ask more questions if they happen to have more.

Oh and since we are on the subject of tetras can Danios be mixed with tetras I think I may have been misinformed because my Danios are chasers. Thanks again!

They usually can be tank mates though there are things that can of course weigh against it. IF your schools aren't big enough they will be more aggressive than normal. If you tank is too small it can be similar.

What sort of danios do you have?

 

[creic38]

Weird.....I have never seen them like that. Yes, you should have them in a school of at least 6, preferably 10. Wonderful to watch. I have black skirts, they are great.

 

[creic38]

Wait a sec....how big is your tank?

 

[cadov86]

I have a 20 gallon tank. The employee said its typically one fish per gallon, and that all my tetras would school together despite the different variety, Dont really see any schooling all the fish typically stay singled out though out the tank. I would say all three Danios seem to be chasers but I think its just one out of the 3 that bullys. I have 2 pink tetra, 3 red eye tetra, 2 serpae tetra, 3 zebra danio, 1 Chinese algae eater, 4 ghost shrimp. Please correct me if i have been misinformed! O_O...

 

[tamtam]

I have a 20 gallon tank. The employee said its typically one fish per gallon, and that all my tetras would school together despite the different variety, Dont really see any schooling all the fish typically stay singled out though out the tank. I would say all three Danios seem to be chasers but I think its just one out of the 3 that bullys. I have 2 pink tetra, 3 red eye tetra, 2 serpae tetra, 3 zebra danio, 1 Chinese algae eater, 4 ghost shrimp. Please correct me if i have been misinformed! O_O...

I'm sorry the pet store gave you bad advice.

Some tetra types will school with other but it's not certain and usually they need to be similar.. like neons with black neons or perhaps cardinals. White skirts with black skirts. Random tetras will not school and this is probably why you are seeing this aggression.


The 1 inch per gallon rule also doesn't really apply. It's a very old and out dated rule. It doesn't take so many things into account. Like temperament, activity level, adult size, bioload or even what level they like to swim in. My this account you could fit an 8 inch adult gold fish in a 10 gallon tank but that is not the case at all. It needs 20 gallons at least, 30 is better.

With the exception of the CAE(algae eater) I think you could manage to up your school to 5 on all of the tetras and danios and keep them in that tank, provided you have good filtration, personally I'd do about 250 or 300 GPH.

That CAE is going to be a problem as it grows. They are peaceful when young but are rather aggressive as they mature. They are actually a great choice for cichlid tanks for this reason. They also get to be about 10 inches long so a 20 gallon is probably not going to do long term..

 

[tamtam]

Also most schooling doesn't happen with smaller numbers. It's more prominent with larger numbers.

 

[Rivercats]

If you up your schools to 5 each as Tamtam said your going to be maxed out. After that don't add anymore fish. And she is also dead on about CAE's, not only do they get big and aggressive but as they mature they really won't eat much algae if any. I've also have many longfin and reg white skirt tetras over 30 years and none have ever shown that much pink, not even as juvinelle's. I am actually wondering if they weren't painted, haven't seen painted in years but doesn't mean they aren't out there still. The old painted ones used to have the paint wear off in just that pattern, lasting longest in the areas yours are showing. Whether painted or dyed I'm pretty darn sure they were altered.

 

[Zimmanski]

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/ColoredSkirtTetra.php

Check that out, looks like your fish

 

[Rivercats]

Wow, no wonder they look like a dyed white skirt. Didn't even know this strain was around. Learned something new.

 

[Zimmanski]

Wow, no wonder they look like a dyed white skirt. Didn't even know this strain was around. Learned something new.

The power of Google is truly amazing when you know how to harness it! Hahaha

 

[cadov86]

Thank you everyone so much im really glad I joined this forum! Im glad im not maxed out yet because after putting my fish in the aquarium I felt I was maxed and actually thought you guys might be like uuuuh that's way to mamy fish for that aquarium im going to have to invest in a better or bigger filter if im going to up my numbers of fish one that produces more GPH because mine is only at 200 GPH.

Also as far as the CAE I do plan on eventually getting a bigger tank 60 or plus. I just want to first maintain and have this 20 gallon for a bit. BUT if he ends up way too aggressive what are other options for ”algae eating” aquarium buddies. Or is the entire maintaining algae with algae eaters false?

Also I know we talked about getting more tetras (btw thanks for helping me identify) but should I get more Danios as well, or leave them at 3. I don't want to get more Danios and then have them form this danio gang that bullies all my sweet tetras lol thanks again! And sorry for the novel!

 

[tamtam]

Thank you everyone so much im really glad I joined this forum! Im glad im not maxed out yet because after putting my fish in the aquarium I felt I was maxed and actually thought you guys might be like uuuuh that's way to mamy fish for that aquarium im going to have to invest in a better or bigger filter if im going to up my numbers of fish one that produces more GPH because mine is only at 200 GPH.

Also as far as the CAE I do plan on eventually getting a bigger tank 60 or plus. I just want to first maintain and have this 20 gallon for a bit. BUT if he ends up way too aggressive what are other options for ”algae eating” aquarium buddies. Or is the entire maintaining algae with algae eaters false?

Also I know we talked about getting more tetras (btw thanks for helping me identify) but should I get more Danios as well, or leave them at 3. I don't want to get more Danios and then have them form this danio gang that bullies all my sweet tetras lol thanks again! And sorry for the novel!

What type of Danio are they? Sorry if you already said. Provided they are suitable for this tank then yes I would def up them. The trouble they are causing is probably because they are stressed without a proper school. It's pretty common.

As for the algae eater most aren't consistent eaters. A lot out grow it as they mature and algae supply in a tank alone is rarely enough to sustain them as well. In some cases, like plecos, they actually make more waste than they reduce. lol. Snails I think are good algae busters in general. I still love bottom dwellers though and think they can add a lot to a tank. In a 20 gallon you could do a shoal of dwarf cory cats. Maybe a clown pleco. I'm not certain on this guy. I know they are one of the smallest plecos you can get but I'm not certain if a 20 is big enough but may be something to look into.

All of the reading I've done seems to say that SAEs are good algae eaters in general. I had actually bought 2 fish which I thought were algae eaters and they had turned out to be CAEs. They look sort of similar and are often sold under the wrong name, as well as the flying fox as well. It took a lot of research and figuring before I was certain I didn't have the right fish. A Siamese algae eater would be a good fit as well. They are smaller and mild mannered.

 

[Rivercats]

True SAE's can get up to about 5-1/2 inches, too big for a 20 unless they are moved out when big. And they too tend to lose interest in algae as they mature especially if they have plenty of fish food to eat. Another thing is they sometimes take a liking to fine leaved plants, I've heard more people complain about SAE's eating plants like their Rotala
Wallichii. I was going to get one for the big tank and the plant eating stopped me in my tracks. Seems some people luck out and never have them touch their plants and others have nothing but trouble with their plant eating. In a 20g Oto's and snails are the best bet unless an ungrade in tank size is in the future.