Serpae Tetra (Hyphessobrycon callistus)
Tue, Oct 16, 2007
Serpae Tetra Photo © C.B. Agulto
Profile
Origin: Amazon River and Paraguay
Behavior: Generally peaceful, should be kept in schools of six or more. May nip fins of other fish if they are kept in small groups.
Temperature: 72–79 °F (22-26 °C)
pH: 5.5 – 7.0
Size: 1.5″ (4 cm)
Diet: Accepts flakes and most aquaria food.
Breeding: Egg layer. Easy to breed in aquarium. Plant the breeding tank with many fine-leaved plants (Myriophyllum, Cabomba) and floating plants. Adjust the water quality, so it has a pH of 6.5-7.0.
Sex: Females are rounder than males.
Notes
Serpae Tetra Photo © C.B. Agulto
The Serpae Tetra is popular because of its distinct red coloration and its hardiness in the community aquarium. There are many contrasting reports on the behavior of the Serpae Tetra. Some owners argue that Serpae Tetras are fin-nippers, while some owners claim they are absolutely peace in their community tank. The activity of Serpae Tetras may be hard to predict because of the different reports about their behavior.
Conclusion
Care: [rate 5]
Hardiness: [rate 5]
Temperament: [rate 5]
Breeding: [rate 5]
Overall: [rate 5]
October 16th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
The behavior of Serpae Tetras are usually hard to tell. In some cases, they are avid fin-nippers, while in other cases, they are as peaceful as other species.
July 14th, 2008 at 2:50 am
they are fish that love being in a group of 5 or 6 but they will end up figthing if keep along with other small fish, also they are horney fish they will mate alot , so dont have alot of them together soo good luck ,, your man , juan villanueva
July 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
i have three of them with 2 different types of tertas and mollys they are doing fine !! bvut yes they are fin nippers but that was only when i first got them now they stay to them selves i think they figured out that there is more then enough space for everyone
k well thats all i have to say !! oh and thankyou for the info !!! buh byes
September 29th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
I bought a guppy and a tetra for my sons first pet. We bought them from Wal-mart and I listened to the person at the store who said that they would be fine together. Well this morning the poor guppys fin was severly damaged and he was on his last “fins” should I say. Maybe they will let me exchange it, we’ll see. So I would definitely 2nd the tail nipping. The tetra did seem very fast moving compared to the guppy once I got them home.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I agree with Charlie. I actually have 1 serpae tetra (aka tiger tetra) , a black tetra, 2 neon tetras believe it or not and a male Beta fish all in a 5 gallon tank! They pretty much all do get along but once in a while you see them act up like kids. The most agressive ones believe it or not is the black and serpae tetra.
December 1st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
i have a pair of tetras in a tank with 2 corys, a pleco, a albino frog and a female betta and the are all in a 10 gallon tank and i had the tetras for a couple years and i had not seen them nip fins
March 14th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Trust me! They nip fin, I keep 6 of them with 10 Neon Tetra, 6 Black Neon Tetra. All the tail of the Neon Tetra are “incomplete”. May be my tank is small and they do that in this enviroment.
March 23rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
You should not be keeping JUST one serpae tetra or just one of any ’schooling fish’ for that matter. They can be very aggressive fish. I put our female betta in a 20 gal tank & asked Petsmart employees to recommend fish I could keep w/her. (while they are not as aggressive as their male counterparts they too can be aggressive, esp to long finned fish. Petsmart recommended serpae tetras!! I got the tank just right~the PH, the water temp, and let it cycle.
I got 4 serpae tetras. On the way home one tetra’s fins were all chewed up. They are always nipping @ ea other’s fins and I had to remove the betta because I noticed they were chomping her fins to heck!
I am thinking about returning them to Petsmart …………but I have never been the kind of person to ‘get rid’ of animals, even if they are ‘mistakes.’ I think they’re pretty fish but I am not enjoying the way they behave. They are so hostile seeming /aggressive. The whole point of getting them was so that I could keep the betta in the 20 gal (she seemed to enjoy the open space so much). I worried she’d be the one to attack them but it was THEM who are bullying her!
Im still torn…whether I am going to keep them.
BTW, the person w/all those fish living happily in a 5 gal tank~~that is really hard to believe! How long have you had it?
March 28th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I Have 2 serpae tetras in a 2 gallon tank. Is that enough if not I have a 5 gallin tank with 2 gouramis, 3 swordtails, 1 plecos. PLEASE HELP!!!!
March 28th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Should i get a bigger tank and more serpae fish? Or not? Please Reply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 4th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Me and my family have 3 Platies, 3 Zebra Danios (was 4 but 1 died) and we’ve just bought 4 Serpae Tetras and 2 Dwarf Aquatic Frogs all in a 35 Litre tank (No idea how many gallons that is). So far the Platies and Danios are gettin on really well, apart from the death (caused by lack of food we think) and the new additions of the 4 Serpae Tetras and the 2 Dwarf Aquatic Frogs are fine too. None of the fins seem to be ‘incomplete’ as some of you put it, but could someone tell me if and wen they are most agressive. I would really appreciate your comments.
May 3rd, 2009 at 5:07 am
hi all ok i will its a 50-50 chance the tetras are peacefull and fin nippers
I keep them in a 2ft x 1ft x 2ft tank not sure on gallons
and in that tank theres
3 x neon tetras
1 x scissortail
1 x very small fish never seen before and that small no pic
5 x serpae tetras
10 x baby kribensis
no not over crowded as theres a balance the tetras dont want to nip just yet as when they go near the smaller fish the bigger krib goes puts them in place
so each species is down to its own
can spring suprises
May 14th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I have had a Serpae Tetra for about a year now and only had other tetras with it and never had any problems. Last week I bought a couple of guppys for the tank. Withing a few days, both guppies had all of their fins nipped away and died. I never realized the Serpae would do this, but I would definitely aggree that they ARE fin nippers. I am going to just stick to Tetras from now on, so I hope it won’t do that to any of them!
July 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Lee: You should get a bigger tank. The minimum size you should have is a five gallon; two gallons aren’t much good, as there isn’t enough room for heaters, filters, or any good number of fish, and fish should be put in groups of 1, 3, or more. 2 usually isn’t good. Larger numbers allow non-aggressive fish to school, and aggressive fish to form a pecking order, or hierarchy. With 2, fish can neither school nor create an order, and aggressive ones will either fight, or one will be bullied by the other. A few super-aggressive fish can only be put in groups of 1. Also, you’re probably going to need a bigger tank for the pleco. Most plecos live for a decade or two, and can grow up to a foot or two. 20+ gallon is good for them. Same with gouramis, 5 gal is a tad small for them. I’d put the serpaes in the 5 gal, with a 3rd serpae, and maybe a small catfish or two (bronze/albino corries, or 1 small loach or other bottom feeder). Then I’d put your other fish in a 15 or 20 gallon, with maybe one or two more if you wish.
Ryan: 35 liters = about 9 US gallons, about 8 Imperial gallons
Shaggy: 1×2x2 foot = about 30 US gallons, about 25 Imperial gallons
January 5th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
I Love these fish i have just 2 in a 90 gal community tank with 4 platys 2 black skirt 1 cory from my old 2 gallon tank and 3 blood tetras and 1 male betta and i have no prob with fin niping at all with the 2 they accually are very peaceful fish! i must have gotten lucky with the ones i picked
gl with all yer awsome tanks.
January 17th, 2010 at 11:36 am
I’m not too sure about the nipping, maybe against other breeds or younger fish…. I have a serpae and a red eye tetra in the same tank (they each had a school at one time, but somehow my tank levels drifted fast and I lost the others) and it seems that they keep to their own areas of the tank.
the serpae stays low and feeds closer to the bottom, while the red-eye shoots to the top to feed and alot of the time chases away the serpae, and I usually see the red-eye doing the bullying in the tank, but he’s also the oldest of the two.
I’ve also noticed they are sensitive to water temp, preferring the 74-76f range, and the light being on, as if the temp drifts or the light is off for a few days they turn pale until the light is turned back on.