Another with stocking problems, Wrong Tetras For Cycling a New Tank – 09/08/07
Hello, I did the right thing and did a lot of reading on the web. I did the wrong thing and listened to somebody who sounded like they knew what they were talking about in the store. I have recently acquired a 125 g tank. Since I do not understand H, I will tell you it is 5ft long and 2 ft high. It is decorated with driftwood and slate and I have been adding plants as I go along.
I has been my intention to get angels at some point and perhaps a variety of the more placid chilids <Spelled Cichlids> (yes, I know angels are chilids too). So the tank cycling was competed with zebra danios and I was ready to add another schooling fish. I knew tetras would be good as long as it was not one of the smaller varieties. So I bought a really, pretty larger tetra, 8 to be exact. Turns out I may have made an error. These darlings are Buenos Aires Tetras. I self defence, I would like to add that this particular variety does not seem very popular and is often absent in tetra lists. I did not know there was an aggressive tetra.
Now of course I know my plants may be doomed and perhaps the "Angel Plan" if I keep these active fellows. However, I have also read that kept in a group they tend to interact primarily with each other and leave others alone, thereby reducing the occurrence to fin nipping behaviour. What is your take on this? Should I express my unhappiness to the store and see if they can returned? I like them but hey, fin-nipping was not in the plan. Cheers Aileen
<These tetras are like a pack of wolves and probably won't go well with any fish. I would recommend returning them unless these are the only fish you want in your tank.-Chuck>

Re: another with stocking problems. Aggressive Tetras   9/9/07
Hello again, And thanks for the quick response, it allowed me to begin to take action quickly. Sorry if I gave you the impression that these fellows were cycling the tank.
They are not. The tank was cycled fishless but because I did so without either fish or a testing kit I ensured it was o.k. with zebra danios for a couple of weeks. The tetras are in fact the second school introduced. The ammonia remained at 0 but in fact the nitrite did spike for again for a couple of days.......but everything is fine now, and was before the introduction of the tetras.
I called the store yesterday when I got your response and they did not seem so eager to accept the fish, in fact the guy on the phone insisted that he had never had aggressive ones????? They might take to odd nibble from a plant but would not destroy them and if feed well and kept in a school would not bother the other fish. This too is information readily available on the internet.
< These fish might be OK alone or in a small school. The larger the school the tougher the group. These fish are well known in fish clubs. They can be right up there with Exodon paradoxus. Don't let the word tetra fool you. Piranhas are closely related to tetras.>
I feel like I am in a bit of a rotten position here, but really do not want to experiment. I am considering packing the troop up and going up to the store with them and regardless of refunds, leaving them there.
What are the fair and responsible practises of stores in the fish trade?
< As the store what fish you can place with your tetras. Buy something that you like and place it with the existing school of tetras. If the new fish get killed then tell the store you expect them to credit you with another fish that will go with the tetras, because they said they would go together. Eventually the tetras may or not kill most of the fish that they recommend. If they are smart they will take back the tetras and let you buy new fish.>
Should they be expected to accept returns in this situation?
< The aquarium hobby is very slow this time of year and they are probably glad to be rid of those fish. They will probably resist taking them back but I am sure they will take them for free. If you flat out don't want them any more then give them back and go to another store with more knowledgeable personnel.-Chuck>

Tetras, sel.... not pairs...  – 07/18/07
Hi guys!
I recently bought a Von Rio Tetra (Flame/Fire Tetra) and a neon tetra, oh and an Otocinclus fish. I want to learn more about the Otocinclus but there's nothing on the web about them, and was wondering if you could help me with all the knowledge you guys have. Oh and I bought one of each with the tetras and found that they needed to be in a pair. Are they fine with each other and the community fish or do I need to get another one of each?
And also can they mate with each other like platies? Thank you so much!
Derek
<Hello Derek. First of all, you can't keep "a" tetra in most cases. These are schooling fish. Both Hyphessobrycon flammeus (the flame tetra) and Paracheirodon innesi (the neon tetra) are schooling tetras that should be kept in groups of 6 or more *of each species* i.e., 6 flame tetras plus 6 neon tetras would be the *minimum* number you could keep and expect them to last long and be happy. I don't know who told you they want to be in pairs, but that's rubbish. Tetras do not normally hybridise and being difficult to breed this isn't really an issue. Platies hybridise because the fish in the trade sold as platies are all hybrids already of a single pair of closely related species. Now, as for the catfish, you're probably drawing a blank on your web searches because you're spelling the name wrong. Try "Otocinclus" instead. Several species are traded and retailers make no attempt to identify them. But they're all very similar. Otocinclus spp. are schooling fish that should be kept in groups of at least 4 specimens. They are herbivores, and green algae *must* be a major part of their diet. If your tank doesn't have enough green algae (and it probably won't) you need to add substitutes such as algae pellets, algae flake, or strips of Sushi Nori held in a "lettuce clip" (you buy these in aquarium shops, they're like plastic bulldog clips but with a sucker and used to feed catfish, tangs, cichlids, and other herbivorous fishes). Supplement this with sliced vegetables such as cucumber and courgette, plus small amounts of small invertebrates such as frozen bloodworm. Otocinclus spp. are delicate, and many aquarists have no joy keeping them. They need very clean, highly oxygenated water. Nitrite and ammonia must be 0 and nitrate as low as possible. The water temperature should be moderate, no more than 25C/77F. Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale>

Hemiodus goeldii/microlepis... insulting, cryptic note re Characoids   7/6/06
Hello,
<Hi there>
I read what you have on your site and found it to be less informative then I had hoped.
<?>
I was looking at a freshwater predator for a 55 gallon  tank.  I still have to setup the tank but wondered what kind of chemistry, tankmates, (if any) and foods,
<...? for what species?>
I have kept the needle nose gar as called  on this page. Do they eat the same way?
<In the mouth, out the... The two species/genus listed above "feed differently" in terms of approaching prey... grasping them...>
  The pictures show that they  live in schools,
<Hemiodus spp.? Yes>
should I buy four, what is a good number for my  tank?
Thank-you in advance,
Dan
<A small odd-number would be better... 3, 5... Bob Fenner>