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ok....to my surprised....i visited big al's in toronto (scarborough) one time and saw a tetra labelled... blue jays tetra...hmm?!?..is there such thing as "blue jays" named after a team or was it painted....i looked at the fish...and if im not wrong..they were painted...thats horrible!!! its a white skirt tetra dyed with blue... a reputable fish store like that...patronizing painted fishes...thats very disappointing!!!

If it looked like a white skirt then it probably wasn't natural. There is a bright blue tetra usually called cochus blue that can look dyed.[link=http://www.marin.de/suesswasser/firmen/Bsv/pictures/boehlkea.jpg]http://www.marin.de/suesswasser/firmen/Bsv/pictures/boehlkea.jpg" style="COLOR: #00C0C0[/link]

I'm not familiar with any fish labeled "blue jay", so I bet it was painted. The only common blue tetras in the hobby are Cochu's blue tetras, mentioned in the above post. They're really neat little fish, and can easily be told apart from other tetras because of their long, slender body, and natural indigo/blue color.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

They are dyed. Other areas have dyed tetras in the colors that represent their teams (ie. green and yellow tetras to represent Green Bay). It's a horrible practice.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

:#(:#(:#(:#(:#(]:|]:|]:|Horrible.:#(

Gah. Someone give whoever is responsible a good slapping ...

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

i bought them before knowing of the process... (they have grown a lot since we bought them) they were labelled "raptor tetra"

now I know why they had a disclaimer at the bottom saying the fish were not harmed in the dying process...

i also purchased painted glass tetras before... they didnt last every long...

now I know why they had a disclaimer at the bottom saying the fish were not harmed in the dying process...

All those dead fish over there that didn't make it through the process didn't suffer any? Completely harmless if you ignore that fact...


Last edited by sham at 16-May-2005 16:14

Hey sham, those tetras you posted are GORGEOUS! Probably pretty hard to get though, aren't they? I have never seen them before. Got any info on them? I would not mind adding something like to the list of fish I am planning on putting in my heavily planted tank.

Stormy:

You're talking about the Cochu's blue tetra mentioned at the top of the thread, correct? They actually aren't rare at all, and can be usually be found in an area if you look hard enough. We have a bunch of them at work right now.

Here are a couple of links for you:
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Tetra%20Talk/55541.html
http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/bluetetra.xml
http://fish.mongabay.com/species/Boehlkea_fredcochui.html

They are reputedly delicate fish, though that hasn't been my experience with them so far. The blue I used to have (mentioned in the first link) was pretty hardy, and had survived a bout of ich before I picked him up. After I brought it back to work, it still lived, long enough for me to sell it to a customer who had more blues back home.
Also, the blues that we got shipped in a month ago seem pretty hardy. I have not personally removed any dead fish or seen any stricken with disease, though my coworkers may have. They seem to be fairly easy to keep as long as your water is nice and clean.

I totally agree, these fish are beautiful. Their natural blue colors are attention-drawing, especially once they've had time to set up in a tank. Their blueness will be seriously faded if they are stressed, though that can be remedied with clean water and good food.

Last edited by sirbooks at 16-May-2005 18:39

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Is this the same thing as the Emperor Tetra?

By the way you describe them, they seem to be alike...

Nope. [link=Emperor tetra]http://www.timstropicals.com/Inventory/TetraLarge/Emperor5.jpg" style="COLOR: #808080[/link], [link=Cochu's blue]http://www.akwafoto.pl/fotoreport/ostrava2002/boehlkea_fredcochui3.jpg" style="COLOR: #808080[/link]. They are in different genera, and are only related in that they are both from the family Characidae.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Well if I ever perform the upgrade of the Panda Fun Palace™ to a 4 footer, I'm thinking of getting some of these (although right now they're as rare as rocking horse dollop in the UK) ... I reckon any antisocial tendencies will be nicely moderated in a 4ft aquarium ...

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks books. They are indeed lovely, but reading more about them, I am not so sure they are what I would be looking for. Seeing the word antisocial over and over sort of turned me off a bit. I am really looking for a tightly schooling tetra to add a bit of color and movement. Hmmmm... on with the search! LOL! Thanks again!

since the last time i wrote this....been roaming around the city...and of course to my dismay....found a fish store at spadina(dt TO) with painted tetras in neon colors...another one..PJ's (in scarborough) and tonite...walmart (dufferin)...geez...we need fish police around here!!!

I've only seen them once and considered getting some. I just wasn't sure how they would do with my long finned congo tetras and wanted another tighter schooling fish.