Bleeding Heart Tetras / Serpae Tetras

elgecko

elgecko

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Sometime ago I was going to buy some Serpae Tetras or Bleeding Heart Tetras. My one friend told me he had Bleeding Heart Tetras that had a very intense red color. So I bought a pair of Bleeding Heart Tetras. They are a dull pink color. When they showed off to each other they would get very red, but not stay this color. He said his stayed red all the time.(Never ask him how many he had) Does any one have Bleeding Heart Tetras in a group, and do they stay more intense a red color? How many do you keep? I thought about getting 2 more. Or I have not kept them in many years, but I think I recall Serpae Tetras being a very dark red color, but I've read they can be real terrors. All help welcome. Thanks
http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/gserpae.html
 
I can't answer your question about the bleeding heart tetras, but I have experience with serpaes that I can share with you.

I bought myself a small school of serpaes (I was told they were fin nippers but would 'behave' much better if there was a group of them), IMO they are one of the most beautiful tetras because of the deep red color. However, even in a group mine were pure EVIL - they nipped their tankmates, the nipped each other, until one day there was only one left standing (along with two now skiddish cories and one indifferent oto). If the fish didn't die from the initial attack, they often succumbed to fin rot that resulted from their injuries. :(

I kept adding serpaes to replace the ones that died off, but the biggest serpae in particular would attack and kill the new-comers... it was like the Thunderdome in 'Mad Max'.

I still have that one serpae left (he just won't die!), and he now pretty much keeps to himself, though I occasionally find my cories with chunks taken out of them - no fatalities for awhile now though.

Are you planning on having just serpaes or do you have a community tank? From my experience, I think the bleeding heart tetras would probably be a better choice for a community tank. The bleeding hearts might also become richer in color depending on diet.

Sorry if this was a bit long-winded, hope it helps, and good luck!
 
There is more than one species of Bleeding Heart like fish. You may not have the same ones.

I find mine are like yours - red when showing off, pink the rest of the time. There is another species I've seen which is more Serpae like in colouration.
 
Ok..I'll stick up for the Serpae's. I started out with 10 over a year ago, now I have 5. They have grown up with a green severum and silver dollars ( which I no longer have). They are now in a fully planted tank, with lots of smaller fish. They only pick on each other. I personally think that they are beautiful. I think I still have a couple of pics of them.

As for bleeding hearts, the only ones sold around here are very pale looking. Not vibrantly colored like the serpaes.
 
You could try rosy tetras :)

I have them in my tank having taken the serpaes back because they were all so agressive:(.
The rosies I bought looked really pale in the shop but once they settled down and started displaying they looked spectacular - and they display almost constantly. Admitted they aren't quite as snazzy as the serpaes but in with loads of green plants they are stunning. :):):)
 
I love Bleeding Hearts and Serpaes. My experiences with both of these fish have been very good. The serpaes I had schooled some of the time, but not as tightly as Cardinals. They have beautiful deep red colouration, and it got very intense when water conditions are just right. After I added peat, it really seemed to bring out the colours of all the fish. Serpaes tended to have a few skirmishes amongst themselves, but nothing major. I have also read that serpaes are fin nippers and may attack fishes, but I didn't see this in my tank unless they wanted to mess with adult Angels.

I've been looking to add another school of tetras to my Amazon biotope, and if I could find a LFS with really nice serpaes, I'd pick them up. The only drawback is that my Angelfishes are nearly full grown now, and they may not take to the serpaes well and make snacks out of them, so I am hesitant in that regard.

Bleeding Hearts are very cool. I love the long dorsal fin and the colours. The colours get very intense if you supplement their diet with TetraColor, or one of the various "colour flakes" on the market. But unfortunately, I don't see many Bleeding Hearts for sale around here.
 
Thanks to all that replied to help me out.
Yes, they are in a community tank.
I think they get a good mixed diet of flakes, tetra color is one of them, live and frozen brine shrimp, and what drives them totally insain, fruitflies. The Bleeding Hearts jump right out of the water for them.
Since my Bleeding Hearts are well mannered and it sounds the Serpaes are a bit over active, I'll get 2 more Bleeding Hearts. Hopefully with 4 in the tank they will be in there "show off" dress most of the time.
Thanks again.
 
I'm sorry to hear that. I have a 75 gal. community tank with maybe 7 serpaes. In all the hours of watching that tank, I have never seen them display any signs of aggression (towards each other or to other species).
 
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