Most overlooked tetra

It seems like everywhere I go, I see black widow/blackfin/ternetzi tetras. They get big, nippy and lose their colours. I know their popularity is an offshoot of the fact they are the 'platform' for GMO glofish tetras in many markets, but they are an awful tetra that was once uncommon because of their character. In low quality stores, they are sometimes one of the only tetras sold.

As the stores reduce the diversity of their offerings and filter out what we can buy, we see fewer and fewer glowlight tetras (in Montreal, at least). It's a perfect small shoaler. The reflective stripe is beautiful. They come from medium hard, above pH 7 water and are easy to breed. They are peaceful in a shoal and they are cheap. They can live 5 years. The only drawback is that overfed, they are prone to obesity.

What's your candidate for the " occasionally seen tetra you think more people could enjoy"?

Not long ago I saw a tetra I'd never seen before and it was gorgeous:

Blue Tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui): same size as a neon tetra and as peaceful.

Another fish that deserves more attention is the ember tetra. We see it regularly in Montreal but I am not sure about the rest of the country. About the same size as the above but somewhat heavier bodied. Great fish for a smaller tank.

I've had blue tetras a couple of times. If the numbers drop below 5-6 (as time tends to do to them), they begin to act like bloodfin tetras - very very fin nippy.

Emperor tetras - really difficult and territorial, - not shoalers and not to be kept with Cichlids - but there's another cool one.

Golden pencil fish too - another gentle, pretty but rarely seen fish now. They were common not long ago, but they can't be overcrowded in shipping bags so the chain stores don't want them.

GaryE wrote:I've had blue tetras a couple of times. If the numbers drop below 5-6 (as time tends to do to them), they begin to act like bloodfin tetras - very very fin nippy.

Emperor tetras - really difficult and territorial, - not shoalers and not to be kept with Cichlids - but there's another cool one.  

Golden pencil fish too - another gentle, pretty but rarely seen fish now. They were common not long ago, but they can't be overcrowded in shipping bags so the chain stores don't want them.

The local Big Al`s ( Ottawa)had a ton of them very recently, they even had them on sale.
I picked up a few and could not be happier !!

Nice grab. In your planted tanks, they must be magnificent.

Yes they are, put on quite a show.I`m hooked

Gary, I said embertetra, not emperor. They are 2 different fish with different behaviour.

I kept embers and even if their numbersd drop they don't become nippy. A very gentle and colourful fish.

You said embers, I said emperors. Different fish, I wasn't responding to yours! I like emperor tetras!

Embers are cool too, I agree.

I'll see that and raise everyone silvertips. That's another nice one in groups.

One tetra I'd really love to lay my hands on is the Hyphessobrycon takasei, or commonly refered to as the coffee bean tetra. This is a small tetra that is peaceful and shows beautiful colorations. Pictures don't do it justice. If I ever get these, they are going in tannin filled water.

GaryE wrote:You said embers, I said emperors. Different fish, I wasn't responding to yours! I like emperor tetras!

Embers are cool too, I agree.

I'll see that and raise everyone silvertips. That's another nice one in groups.

I had silver tips but I found them to be aggressive among each other, even in a large group (I had about 10). And although they look very nice, I am hesitant to try them again.

I found silvertips nipped each other, but were fine with that as long as the tank was large enough. Their aggression stayed within their species and they never chased any tankmates. They didn't do each other any serious damage.

An easy to breed tetra that has been pushed back by bad breeding is the Pristella riddlei. A few years ago, there was a novelty mutation form that hit the market. It was odd and different, but not as pretty as the original fish. It rapidly became all you could get from the fishfarms, which took away the novelty. You don't see fully coloured Pristellas in the Montreal stores often anymore.

Are they around a lot in places with the larger Big Al's type stores? That was nice to see they had recently carried golden pencils, which are wild caught and not farmed.
It's a shame because it is an impossibly hardy fish with jaunty markings and a nice, even disposition.

Oh I do know of a store that regularly stocks the Pristella riddlei, I always wanted to get some of them in one of my tanks, they are so fun to watch and offer great contrast in a planted tank.

GaryE wrote:You said embers, I said emperors. Different fish, I wasn't responding to yours! I like emperor tetras!

Embers are cool too, I agree.

I'll see that and raise everyone silvertips. That's another nice one in groups.

A friend of mine had a group of at least 30 silvertip tetras once in a nice somewhat heavily planted tank. Beautiful fish, but even in such a large group they were very boisterous and fin-nippy among themselves, and the few other fish in the tank. They schooled nicely though, so it made up for the aggression.

Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma I think is overlooked... perhaps it's because of farming methods, but those that come into the hobby often look like nothing special. They spend some time in the stores before clearing out. Wild-caught though they are quite nice looking.

I had a dozen of wild caught ones and I really enjoyed these fishes.
Their behaviour was interesting.
They were often sparing trying to establish dominancy and always fighting for their territory. They did a lot of fin nipping but kept it to themselves.
What I enjoyed the most was seeing the dominants flaring at each other. They were taking VERY vibrant orange colors, and their dorsal fin was a nice peach color.
I had to get rid of them because they stressed out my wild angels.
I will get these again once I have a bigger tank with suitable tankmates.

I'm guilty of being a big fan of the long fin black skirts. I've had my 6 for two years now. They each have their territory that they guard against each other. They bother no other fish. And when I feed them or am cleaning the tank they stop their guard duties and school.

I was looking for a small schooling fish for my other tank about 2 months ago. I was considering various tetras but actually had decided to go with the chili rasboras. Well I watched a video on the white cloud mountain minnow just before heading to the pet store. That's what I walked out with, great little fish and very brave.
I think my black skirts have a few years left in them, so it will be awhile before I'm looking for more tetras.

I think black skirts are a long lived species.