I Hate My Red Minor (Serpae) Tetras!!!!

My 20 gal Long currently houses: 5 red minor Tetras, and a brand new male dwarf gourami

I have had these 5 red minors in my tank since I set up my 20 gal a little over a year ago. For the past year I've tried adding other fish to the tank but these tetras are so darn aggressive that they've ended up killing every new fish I've brought home due to fin nipping and plain old bullying! Death toll so far is 2 fancy guppies, 1 powder blue gourami, 1 dalmatian molly, and an african dwarf frog that never came out from hiding because it was so terrified of these tetras. Now I'm starting to worry for my new gourami who has lost a bit of his tail since I added him a week ago and only comes out of his cave to eat.

I hate to say it, but I'm starting to loath these red minors and I'm only keeping them for the sake of keeping them alive. My aquarium feels so empty because of them. Why do I feel like I own the 5 most violent Red Minor tetras in the world?

Could there be a solution to their murderous rampage? What other fish can I possibly get that will put up with these tetras and live?



p.s. A moment of silence for our fallen fishy friends.

 

Hello and Welcome to Fish Lore!

I have never kept the Red Minors personally. Such a beautiful species. I hate that you are having such issues with them.

Check out the information in the link below for stocking suggestions:


Hopefully you will receive more responses soon and I hope you enjoy the forum. Keep us posted.

Ken

 

HI Ken, Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll definitely look deeper into the suggested tank mate species listed in the link

 

HI Ken, Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll definitely look deeper into the suggested tank mate species listed in the link

Id rehome them

 

I'd increase their school. They're likely attacking other fish because they feel unsafe. By increasing their school, you'll make them feed more secure, and they should be less nippy.

 

Agreed, up the count to 8 or even 10, then try another fish. I'd say you could easily stock 10 tetras and a dwarf gourami.

 

Personally with overly aggressive fish I rehome because to eliminate aggression you will end up having to get more of the fish you have come to dislike and using most of the tank space on them. But that's just my opinion.

 

I'd increase their school. They're likely attacking other fish because they feel unsafe.

Hey thanks for the feedback! I was under the impression that 5 was a good number for them to school and feel safe. I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit hesitant to add more serpaes but if it gets the aquarium functioning peacefully once and for all, I guess it's worth the try. Thanks again for the insight!

Personally with overly aggressive fish I rehome because to eliminate aggression you will end up having to get more of the fish you have come to dislike and using most of the tank space on them. But that's just my opinion.

Exactly! I don't want to be stuck with 3-5 more tetras just find out that it makes the situation worse. However, maybe the fix all solution is to add more of the same tetra. I might try adding like 3 more just to see how it goes. But first I think I should talk to my LFS to see if they'll take them back if things don't work out. Don't want to be stuck with them. Thanks for chiming in!

 

Usually, five is the minimum number of a schooling species needed to avoid aggression and to make them feel safe. But, just like any other fish, it depends on the individuals. It could be that these particular fish don't feel safe with just five and need more companions to make them feel safe.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with TexasDomer and bassbonediva, they hit the nail on the head. I doubt adding 3 more will solve your problem, but it may help. I would bet you're going to have to almost triple your current school before they totally relax. I've had serpae tetras for years, I really like them and never had any issues other than minor nipping, but I've always had large schools of them.

 

I'm pretty sure these can be semi-aggressive sometimes. Mine don't seem to bother the other fish in the tank though.

 

Do you have much in the way of plants either real or fake that go from top to bottom of the water, or is the whole tank basically open. Planted areas that break up the line of site might help and give them and the other fish places to hide in and play in. Alison