What have I got

[brattygratty]

My husband brought home these fish and I'm not exactly sure what they are. I think they may be female black phantoms but I'm not sure. Can someone please let me know. (Hubby thought he'd surprise me with these and forgot what the lfs guy called them ) The pic is in my personal photo area wherever that is? I'm still not sure how to use this forum totally as of yet. Thanks for any help

 

[G_Sharky]

I think they are the serpae tetra or the red serpae tetra....If the dot on the middle of the fish is red then it could be a bleeding heart tetra....sorry the pic is bit blurry....

 

[brattygratty]

The dot on the fish isn't red it's black, so not a bleeding heart tetra. Are these serpae tetras good community fish because I think they've been biting the tail fins off my other fish. I'll look up the serpae and see if they look the same, thanks for the suggestion. It's hard to find all these fish online if you don't know what kind they are.

 

[brattygratty]

Just looked up the serpae and that is exactly what they are. They are beating up all my other fish, killed one neon and another is gonna die soon too I think. Gonna have to get rid of them I think. I'll have to tell my husband not to "surprise" me with any more fish.

 

[pendragon]

Those in the pic are definitely serpaes. Serpaes belong in the very short list of nasty-temperament tetras. They can do a lot of damage to tankmates if they get a mind to, especially because they tend to "gang up" on individual fish. Unfortunately, serpaes and fish that can be bullied will not generally work in the long run. Serpaes belong only with bigger, moderately aggressive fish that can take care of themselves, or in a species-only tank.

But yes, you've got the right idea. You'll have to do something about them. You will likely never manage to keep a succesful community that includes them. Occaisionally someone manages to, but it's not common. Most folks learn the hard way that serpaes don't mix with small peaceful fishies. Serpaes have got to be among the most often returned fish at LFS's.

pendragon!