Tankmates for Serpae Tetra?

[TheLadySmoke]

I have a 45G Bow Front.. Right now I have 6 Serpae Tetra (plan on upping them to 10) and one male Molly (plan on upping to 3 with 2 females).

I am looking for another schooling fish that will be able to live comfortably with the Serpae tetras! The tetras were sold as Red Minors, I didn't know that they were Serpae when I bought them. Looking them up now I see that they are the more aggressive tetras!

I would like a second school that will be able to hold their own with the serpaes. Would that mean another aggressive type of tetra? Or a more peaceful type?

 

[bud29]

I recommend looking at silvertip tetras. They are a larger, slightly more aggressive tetra that can definitely stand up to the serpaes.

 

[TheLadySmoke]

Great! Thanks for the tip, I'll look in to those

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I have a 45G Bow Front.. Right now I have 6 Serpae Tetra (plan on upping them to 10) and one male Molly (plan on upping to 3 with 2 females).

I am looking for another schooling fish that will be able to live comfortably with the Serpae tetras! The tetras were sold as Red Minors, I didn't know that they were Serpae when I bought them. Looking them up now I see that they are the more aggressive tetras!

I would like a second school that will be able to hold their own with the serpaes. Would that mean another aggressive type of tetra? Or a more peaceful type?

I have serpaes as my main schooling fish in my tank, I have 6 as well, yes they are nippy but they never bother anyone, they only nip and chase inside their school. I even have 3 platy fry in with them and they don't bother them. Also uping the numbers will help even more with keeping the aggression and nipping within the school. Atleast that's my experience with mine.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I have a 45G Bow Front.. Right now I have 6 Serpae Tetra (plan on upping them to 10) and one male Molly (plan on upping to 3 with 2 females).

I am looking for another schooling fish that will be able to live comfortably with the Serpae tetras! The tetras were sold as Red Minors, I didn't know that they were Serpae when I bought them. Looking them up now I see that they are the more aggressive tetras!

I would like a second school that will be able to hold their own with the serpaes. Would that mean another aggressive type of tetra? Or a more peaceful type?

Just wondering... How long has your tank been cycled?

 

[TheLadySmoke]

Oh that's good to know!! My tank hasn't finished cycling yet, I'm not adding anymore fish until its done. It's 3 weeks in right now, just got my first nitrite reading today!

 

[Mrs.h2012]

The reason I asked about how long your tank has been cycled is because I was wondering if you have thought about a centerpiece fish yet?

 

[TheLadySmoke]

My dream fish is a black angelfish! Which is funny because browsing the forums here I've seen a lot of people say not to put with Serpae. So I kept that in mind when looking for tetra, I bought these guys as Red Minors I didn't know that was another name for Serpae. Just my luck lol! I really like these tetras they're really cool looking so I'm definitely keeping them.

I was thinking of trying one angelfish and if they bug him too much then I'll return it.

At the pet store they had a couple dwarf gourami in the tank with the serpaes so I know my guys should be okay with one of those!

Another fish I like are red tail or rainbow sharks, I don't know if they need more space than my tank though.

 

[bud29]

My dream fish is a black angelfish! Which is funny because browsing the forums here I've seen a lot of people say not to put with Serpae. So I kept that in mind when looking for tetra, I bought these guys as Red Minors I didn't know that was another name for Serpae. Just my luck lol! I really like these tetras they're really cool looking so I'm definitely keeping them.

I was thinking of trying one angelfish and if they bug him too much then I'll return it.

At the pet store they had a couple dwarf gourami in the tank with the serpaes so I know my guys should be okay with one of those!

Another fish I like are red tail or rainbow sharks, I don't know if they need more space than my tank though.

I guess if you are sure the store will take it back, you could try the angel.....but, It is bound not to work due to the serpae's aggressive nature. Also, be cautious with dwarf gouramis....due to poor breeding conditions over the last few years they have become very susceptible to "dwarf gourami disease," something you don't want in your tank.

I don't believe your tank is big enough for a rainbow shark, and even if it was, there is a chance the shark will eat your tetras when it gets older.

 

[TheLadySmoke]

Ah, I see! Haha picking fish is harder than I thought it would be!

What centerpiece fish would you guys do with Serpae tetras? They seem to be the ones complicating things.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Ah, I see! Haha picking fish is harder than I thought it would be!

What centerpiece fish would you guys do with Serpae tetras? They seem to be the ones complicating things.

People advise against serpaes with Angels because the serpaes will nip at the angels fins. This would be a fish you would have to wait for, but have you checked out Bolivian rams? I have one with my serpaes and they never bother it at all. And the reason I say you will have to wait on the ram is because they need a mature tank as well as pristine water conditions as they are sensitive to nitrates (they need levels to be at 10 or below), I'd recommend waiting 5-6 months after your tank cycles before adding any ram I that's what you want.

 

[bud29]

People advise against serpaes with Angels because the serpaes will nip at the angels fins. This would be a fish you would have to wait for, but have you checked out Bolivian rams? I have one with my serpaes and they never bother it at all. And the reason I say you will have to wait on the ram is because they need a mature tank as well as pristine water conditions as they are sensitive to nitrates (they need levels to be at 10 or below), I'd recommend waiting 5-6 months after your tank cycles before adding any ram I that's what you want.

I do recommend Bolivian Rams, but I wanted to point out a couple things:

-They should be given the best water conditions you can offer. However, nitrates less than 10 ppm is not necessary at all. If you can keep it there with a manageable maintenance schedule, great! But it's not necessary. I have a bolivian thriving, and I have 30 ppm of nitrate coming from the tap. Do I advocate keeping them at a level of 30+ ppm nitrates? Not at all. But don't feel like you have to do water changes every day to make sure you're under 10.

-The 5-6 month recommendation on waiting for rams is really unnecessary IMHO. Rams are not grazers who need lots of biofilm and/or algae. Thus, letting the tank mature long after a cycle is honestly unneeded. Maybe add it on the last installment of stocking, to make sure everything is cycled correctly, but waiting months and months is really unnecessary.

Here is a profile I wrote on the Bolivian Ram: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fish-profile-bolivian-ram/

 

[TheLadySmoke]

I never thought of these fish before! Thanks for all the tips!

 

[2manyFish]

I have 2 black angels with 5 columbian tetra, 2 black skirt tetras, 12 neons, 2 platys, and 7 swordtail and they all get along fine. Havent had any problems since I got them all 9 months ago. The angels only r alittle aggressive when their laying eggs but every usually keeps their distance when that happens

 

[2manyFish]

Didnt mean to put the same pic 3 times lol. App kept crashin

 

[2manyFish]

Everyones fins are nice and in tact lol

 

[Mrs.h2012]

I do recommend Bolivian Rams, but I wanted to point out a couple things:

-They should be given the best water conditions you can offer. However, nitrates less than 10 ppm is not necessary at all. If you can keep it there with a manageable maintenance schedule, great! But it's not necessary. I have a bolivian thriving, and I have 30 ppm of nitrate coming from the tap. Do I advocate keeping them at a level of 30+ ppm nitrates? Not at all. But don't feel like you have to do water changes every day to make sure you're under 10.

-The 5-6 month recommendation on waiting for rams is really unnecessary IMHO. Rams are not grazers who need lots of biofilm and/or algae. Thus, letting the tank mature long after a cycle is honestly unneeded. Maybe add it on the last installment of stocking, to make sure everything is cycled correctly, but waiting months and months is really unnecessary.

Here is a profile I wrote on the Bolivian Ram: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fish-profile-bolivian-ram/

I'm glad you told me about all the ram
Info, thanks bud29! I had just read on various sites about keeping nitrate levels low was almost a requirement when having rams as was waiting to add them. I do my water changes anywhere from every 4-6 days, I do one every week regardless.