Serpae tetra aggression

[asondhi]

So I definitely messed up here and got my reminder to prioritize my own research and not advice of one person-

I added a school of 6 serpae tetras to a 75g with 6 angelfish and 15ish cardinals. The serpae relentlessly nip at the cardinals and the angels. I figured, no big deal, a school of 6 is very much on the small end for tetras so I'll just get some more and it'll be fine. Did a quick Google search and find out that serpae are infamously aggressive and do not usually mellow out with larger schools. 

What are your experiences? Should I add another 6-8 serpae or should I try and rehome the 6 I have? My LFS has said they will happily take them back and (assuming they still look healthy) will give me store credit for 50% of what I paid. 

 

They're gorgeous fish and I'd love to see them coexist with others in my tank but I really do not enjoy aggression in my tanks. My angels are very young right now (see photo)- is it possible that they will be left alone as they grow larger? 

Edited August 28, 2022 by asondhi

[asondhi]

On 8/28/2022 at 5:54 PM, Pepere said:

Sounds like an excellent excuse for another tank….

I don't have room for anything larger than a nano tank at the moment sadly

[JettsPapa]

On 8/28/2022 at 4:53 PM, asondhi said:

So I definitely messed up here and got my reminder to prioritize my own research and not advice of one person-

I added a school of 6 serpae tetras to a 75g with 6 angelfish and 15ish cardinals. The serpae relentlessly nip at the cardinals and the angels. I figured, no big deal, a school of 6 is very much on the small end for tetras so I'll just get some more and it'll be fine. Did a quick Google search and find out that serpae are infamously aggressive and do not usually mellow out with larger schools. 

What are your experiences? Should I add another 6-8 serpae or should I try and rehome the 6 I have? My LFS has said they will happily take them back and (assuming they still look healthy) will give me store credit for 50% of what I paid. 

 

They're gorgeous fish and I'd love to see them coexist with others in my tank but I really do not enjoy aggression in my tanks. My angels are very young right now (see photo)- is it possible that they will be left alone as they grow larger? 

I have also seen reports that serpae tetras are aggressive, but I haven't seen it.  I've had some in a 40 gallon breeder with pristella tetras, Corydoras trilineatus, and 12 pearl gouramis for well over two years, and have never seen any aggression from them.  The numbers of the serpae tetras have never been less than eight.

While I of course can't promise anything, I think it's likely that adding four or so will help with the aggression problem.

And I agree that they're gorgeous fish, especially in planted tanks.  Their color contrasts nicely with green plants.

[asondhi]

@JettsPapaI had initially planned to buy another 4-6 as soon as my LFS got their remaining stock out of quarantine so this works.

Came in this morning to find the serpae had torn up some fins on my angels and the angels wouldn't come out of hiding. they have temporarily been moved to a 10g quarantine tank until I can go to get more (tomorrow). Also found that most of my cardinals have torn fins now too. 

I'm seriously considering not risking it with the serpae as they're a royal pain to net out... I'll keep the thread updated in case anyone else has similar issues. 

[anewbie]

I keep serpae with angels; for several years i had just three; and recently i added 16. There are also cardinals in the tank; they never bothered either and quite frankly i think they are scared of the angels.

A lot might have to do with tank size and how it is scaped. I have very dense planting on the sides and they mostly hang out in the plants while the angels are out in the open.

[The Killer of Fish]

@asondhi Personally, I think it might be time to cut your losses. Take the Serpae back. I hate to hear that your Angels and Cardinals are getting beat up on. Maybe getting more Serpae would fix it but I’m not sure I would want to gamble on that. If you want something that might be just as striking against your green plants, what about a large school of Ember Tetras? Would Chili Rasboras work? Good Luck. This is a difficult decision. 

[asondhi]

On 8/29/2022 at 7:19 PM, The Killer of Fish said:

large school of Ember Tetras? Would Chili Rasboras work?

Unfortunately, even juvenile angels would absolutely snack on both of these fish as they are not very large. I am considering Congo tetras instead- a lot larger than serpae but much more docile

On 8/29/2022 at 6:59 PM, anewbie said:

tank size and how it is scaped

It's a 75g and not very densely planted yet as it is more recently set up. Once the plants grow in more it may be better but... 

[anewbie]

On 8/30/2022 at 8:09 AM, asondhi said:

Unfortunately, even juvenile angels would absolutely snack on both of these fish as they are not very large. I am considering Congo tetras instead- a lot larger than serpae but much more docile

It's a 75g and not very densely planted yet as it is more recently set up. Once the plants grow in more it may be better but... 

Really don't know why you are having issues - but it could be that the tank is too open. The vals on the two sides will evetnually fill in but it will take 6 months. The three serpae i had started as adults but the current 16 i purchased from aquahuana and were young. Still having dense plantings they frequently end up out of the middle 'cept during feeding time. I have quite a few young angels (7) that are young (nickle/quarter) size and 1 very large male and the serpae have been an absolute non-issue. Having said that you are not the first person to have issues. You could try rosy white fin; they are more docile but similar size and colouring. I prefer serpae because they are more active. Another fish you could try are cherry barbs. Adult cherry barbs are maybe just large enough that adult angels will leave them alone (they are a little larger than cardinals but not much). 

[asondhi]

On 8/30/2022 at 9:23 AM, anewbie said:

Really don't know why you are having issues - but it could be that the tank is too open. The vals on the two sides will evetnually fill in but it will take 6 months. The three serpae i had started as adults but the current 16 i purchased from aquahuana and were young. Still having dense plantings they frequently end up out of the middle 'cept during feeding time. I have quite a few young angels (7) that are young (nickle/quarter) size and 1 very large male and the serpae have been an absolute non-issue. Having said that you are not the first person to have issues. You could try rosy white fin; they are more docile but similar size and colouring. I prefer serpae because they are more active. Another fish you could try are cherry barbs. Adult cherry barbs are maybe just large enough that adult angels will leave them alone (they are a little larger than cardinals but not much). 

Thanks for the suggestions! I agree on loving how active serpae are- I thought they were a great contrast to the slow angels... I think I will be rehoming the 6 I have and trying the rosy white fins or a similar tetra instead. 

Thanks! 

[anewbie]

On 8/30/2022 at 8:29 AM, asondhi said:

Thanks for the suggestions! I agree on loving how active serpae are- I thought they were a great contrast to the slow angels... I think I will be rehoming the 6 I have and trying the rosy white fins or a similar tetra instead. 

Thanks! 

 

One thing I should have said about cherry barbs is they are very colourful (deeper red than the serpae) but again not very active fishes and in my aquarium frequently not in the open.