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we need to either get some tetras or rasboras for a fairly new tank. i have been told that lemon tetras are semi hardy. what others?

Black skirt tetras are definitely some of the tougher tetras out there. I've heard that Pristella tetras are also pretty tough. And if you have a bigger tank, Buenos Aries tetras are also tough fish.

The wide-bodied tetras tend to be the hardiest ones, while the smaller, thinner ones aren’t as tough. As such, lemon tetras, serpaes, black skirts, Buenos Aires, and such other tetras are the toughest. I can personally vouch for lemons, these are some of the toughest tetras I’ve seen, judging from my experiences dealing with them at home and at work.

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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."

The Tetra species that tend to be described as 'bomb proof' in posts in this forum tend to be the Black Widow, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, and the Black Neon, Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi. I havn't heard of Lemons being described as 'bomb proof', but if Sirbooks has found them to be similarly tough fishes, then I won't disagree with him.

My experience is that Lemons are pretty adaptable, but if you want to get the best out of them, put them in a planted aquarium. This article should tell you all you need to know about getting the best from your Lemons.

Rummy Noses (another species I've kept for 6-7 years) are not generally regarded as hardy, but that's mostly because they're e to trasnport shock and need fairly careful acclimatisation. However, once they're acclimatised to your aquarium, they should prove to be reasonably hardy, with the added advantage that the intensity of the cherry-red head colouration acts as a warning if water quality is falling. If your water quality is good, and they're fed live foods intermittently, then the red colouration is intense - indeed, in fine specimens they can look as though their heads are carved from solid ruby. If water quality is falling, the head colouration becomes pale and sickly looking, only to perk up once more once they have fresh, clean water.

Another feature of Rummy Noses is this: they tend to react to the disturbance surrounding a water change and gravel vac by turning pale and insipid looking, but once they wake up to the fact that they have new, clean water, they perk up pretty quickly. Usually they're back to full intensity in 2 hours or so. You can speed this process up by feeding them live Daphnia about 30 minutes after the water change.

Pristellas are tough, but you have to take steps to ensure that you are obtaining specimens with a good provenance. Some sources have produced strains of Pristellas that are inbred almost to the point of self destruction. Get Pristellas from a good source, however, that haven't been subject to the lamentable diktat of the lowest commercial common denominator, and they'll prove to be tough, hardy and fairly long lived.

Bloodfins (I originally knew them as Aphyocharax rubripinnis, but I suspect the name has changed) are also tough, capable of surviving a temperature drop all the way down to 50°F, have an extraordinarily wide tolerance of water chemistry parameters, and are reputed to be among the longest lived of all the small Characins, potentially exceeding 10 years of age.

Buenos Aires Tetras are the largest of the Hemigrammus Genus. They're tough enough to be used as dither fish with CA and SA Cichlids. But they're also nippy, and the venerable Innes book reports that the females become aggressive during spawning, sometimes to the point of killing the male. They're a good choice if you don't mind having a bunch of recidivist criminals in your aquarium

Other reasonable alternatives include Rosy Tetras, Head And Tail Lights, Serpaes (but these have a lamentable reputation for violence against long finned fishes among several keepers here on the Board) and Flame Tetras (also known as Tetra From Rio, Von Rio Tetras etc).

If you are tempted to keep any more exotic Tetras, then I would caution against this. Species such as Cochu's Blues are strictly for experienced aquarists. And under NO circumstances try keeping Black Morpho Tetras (Poecilocharax weitzmani) unless you can supply live foods at least three times per day. Bruce Moomaw cautioned me against these when I enquired about them two years ago. They are an expert's fish!

Hope this mini-novel helps


Last edited by Calilasseia at 08-Apr-2005 16:02

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Let me add that in my experience a few types of tetras which are often described as "delicate" in the books are somewhat hardier than that -- particularly Red Phantoms and Cardinals. I can, unfortunately, vouch for the delicacy of Cochu's Blues -- and also, in my experience, Diamond Tetras (although some people have had more luck with them than me).

I've also found Glowlights to be somewhat more delicate than the books say (although not overwhelmingly so) -- and don't get me started on the extreme unwisdom of keeping Neons, given the horrific prevalence of Neon Tetra Disease in the ones sold nowadays from the mass fish farms to the stores. This is the most fiendish fish disease I've ever encountered -- it's deadly, incurable, afflicts a large number of fish (including non-Tetras), and is damn near impossible to get out of your tank once it's established. If you want Neons, get Cardinals instead -- they're worth the extra expense, and if you keep your tank water reasonably clean they are fairly durable little guys.

thanks for the advice everyone. After seeing what they had and what they recommended we went for cherry barbs fingers crossed for them. they r seeming happy so far

Last edited by _wendy_ at 09-Apr-2005 11:47