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After years of thinking black widow tetras (henceforth BWTs) were the most boring looking tetras known to man, I'm now strangely attracted to them. They remind me of dwarf silver dollars (that may just be me, though).

I currently have a small school of 5 red eyed tetras, but they don't school too much and tend to just hide in the back of my tank. Other tank mates include 4 L. dorsigera, three sunburst platys, and two small plecos (clown & rubberlip)...all in a 36" 33 gallon tank.

So, are BWTs nippier than red eye tetras? Will they school more?

No matter what, I think they look cooler than the red eyes because they have the deeper bodies.

Thanks,

Eric

Hi,
I have a small shoal of 6 in my heavily planted 30G tank.
They have gotten along with other tetras and cherry barbs
in the tank. Just don't try to keep shrimp, such as the
ghost or cherry shrimp in the tank with them. They become
expensive food.
Mine occasionally shoal and when they do there is a
definite pecking order. Interestingly, the junior member
of the pecking order, will peck the senior member which
starts the whole process over again.

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/Fishindx/tet-bwid.htm

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I picked up 6 today and traded in my red eye tetras for them. Amazingly cool fish IMHO. I've spent probably 2 hours just watching them. They're more active, and shoaling, than the red eyes ever, every were. Also, they're much less skittish than the red-eyes.

I'm glad I made the switch. I hope you're wrong about the shrimp, though, because I have two Amano shrimp that are about 2-3 years old in there. They survived time with 4 T. maculipinnis, so they're pretty crafty. They're also a good 2.5" long...so I'm hoping they won't be considered food.

Eric

I saw them before at Petco and they seemed really non nippy. I stood there for about 1/2 an hour just watching them and observing because I was considering buying a few(like 4 or 5). I noticed they nipped minimally to none at all. But it may be one of the "hit or miss" things.

Good luck

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