Lemon tetras different.

[cokelover58]

I recently got lemon tetras from Petco. I bought 8, 6 from one tank 2 form another. The 2 from the 2nd tank were the normal yellow fish with red eyes. The 6 from the other tank were smaller, probably younger, but had silver color and normal eyes. I've seen them both ways from watching videos and am not sure what is up. Are the not colored up ones juveniles or possibly females? The first image is going to be a not so helpful picture of what I'm referring to, I'll post 2 others from the internet to show what I am talking about with the differences. Thank you for any help!

[cokelover58]

Here are my actual photos of the 2 different types. The pictures with 2 of them are the plain ones. the single one is the the more lemony types I got.

[Odd Duck]

I think you have 2 different species.  Lemon tetras (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) have black arcs on ventral and dorsal fins.  An upward arch in the dorsal, and a forward pointing, almost V in the ventral, plus red eyes.

Pristella tetras (Pristella maxillaris) have a black band across the dorsal, ventral, and pectorals, plus a silver eye.  I think you have Pristellas mixed in there.  I know there are other similar tetras but I can’t think of them right now.

[cokelover58]

Thanks for the reply. I do believe you are correct. I went to another LFS and got some lemon tetras but they aren't colored up, will this come in time when they feel more secure? they are larger then my actual lemon tetras.

[Jawjagrrl]

Tempted to say the silver ones are x-ray tetras? I've been studying tetra types for my SA project and they were on my list.

[Colu]

With most tetras it depends on   lighting and good quality food will improve they colour lemon tetras can look washed out under  bright lights

[Biotope Biologist]

On 3/20/2022 at 1:03 PM, cokelover58 said:

Thanks for the reply. I do believe you are correct. I went to another LFS and got some lemon tetras but they aren't colored up, will this come in time when they feel more secure? they are larger then my actual lemon tetras.

Your pics didn’t upload. But I am assuming that your lemons are just stressed. 
 

On 3/20/2022 at 1:34 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

Tempted to say the silver ones are x-ray tetras? I've been studying tetra types for my SA project and they were on my list.

This is where common names are frustrating. Pristella and X-ray tetra are the same species. Whereas black neons and flags are not despite often getting lumped in together, they are at least of the same genus. 

[Jawjagrrl]

On 3/20/2022 at 6:42 PM, Biotope Biologist said:

Your pics didn’t upload. But I am assuming that your lemons are just stressed. 
 

This is where common names are frustrating. Pristella and X-ray tetra are the same species. Whereas black neons and flags are not despite often getting lumped in together, they are at least of the same genus. 

True enough - but in my haste I only remembered how to spell X-ray 😉