All About the Black Tetra in your Aquarium

[@TheCleverMillionaire]

I have 17 of these black tetras and they school beautifully

[@fincasters]

Really? That's awesome. Mine kind of hang together -- but they don't school like, say Rummy nose tetras or even neons. I wonder if I added a few more if that would do it?

[@navvo1]

I have 6 black skirts and 5 neons. They both school into there 2 groups. However I was told i could keep a goldfish with my black skirts. I woke up the next day to a goldfish with NO fins. Horrible experience

[@lizw3731]

@@navvo1 awww poor goldfish. i hope you were able to save him/her. did it survive?

[@navvo1]

@@lizw3731 sadly not . However lesson learned. Dont trust pet store and do your research.

[@lizw3731]

@@navvo1 thats sad. i have a really huge goldy that ive had for years and i adore so im sorry for your loss and i agree with that lesson learned. good luck with your fish and stay safe.

[@ILoveKoreanBBQ2023]

I have 5 full grown Angel fish, 10 Long fin Black Tetras and 8 Cory Dora. Zero issues. 55 tall.

[@richardaitkenhead]

I actually got my first fish tank when in prison and got 2 of them because I thought they were rare and one of the other inmates had one that was really active, now I'm out I have 4 of them and one is currently pregnant, I've found them very Hardy and they are one of my favourites, I know alot more about keeping fish now. They differently enjoy being a school as before when I had 2 they would avoid each other and fight, now they best friends, never noticed them to nip and they will est anything and like u said including flies and spiders, definitely a good beginning fish.

[@ice_ice_moni]

I love that they let you have fish in prison and it got you into fish keeping ❤

[@Mr.ChadTV]

Fuuuaaaarrrk brah. I plan to get 6 off black tetras in my 20 gallon tank with guppies rainbows and neon tetras

[@richardaitkenhead]

@ice_ice_moni I just noticed this, thanks for lovely comment, hope you are well.

[@richardaitkenhead]

@Mr.ChadTV nice bro, they defo love to be in a school I have 6 black widows and 6 black/penguin tetras and a huge catfish, it seems like a perfect setup because I haven't had to change the water in 6 months and it's crystal clear and fish seem happy.

[@Foxinamangle2]

These fish are criminally underrated. Back when I didn't care about fish (I was 10), the water would turn cloudy and yellow. These guys were still speeding around the tank just fine. Obviously I know better now, but the point is these guys have outlived so many tankmates, an ich outbreak, and multiple parasite outbreaks. These guys are bulletproof, what they lack for in color, they make up for in activity. Get a group of 4-5 and they'll keep the tank looking busy. The ones I currently have will actually interact with the red eyed tetras as if they were their own kind!

[@nickremington9873]

I disagree with the lack of color! Feeding mine strictly bloodworms made their color pop so much it brought out brown cresting their backs and the skirts and backs of their body become a lot darker!

[@Foxinamangle2]

@@nickremington9873 Absolutely! Properly fed black skirts have such a distinct look that not many get to see because of the conditions they're kept in at pet stores. They deserve all the bloodworms!

[@juliaabelle8581]

Great video and personal stories and opinions on black skirts. Was fun to watch! Love this fish, hardy, fun, perfect dither fish and an action maker in a tank, are of their own mind. Have a school of 7 and over 2 years time can confirm that never was a case they nipped fins on my angels and paradise fish. Totally chill. I can also confirm that pleco babies and paradise babies got hunted down by tetras and consumed, twice got stuck in a tetra with sadly death of both. But then the babies were considered small enough to become food which I cannot imagine a grown-up neon tetra looks like to them.

[@fincasters]

Thanks for the reply. They have always been one of my favorites!

[@abbiejohnson2652]

I only have 4 because I wanted as many species as possible in my 29g, they're besties with my neon glofish., after this video I want about 6 more of these guys ❤

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

These can be VERY long lived fish. I bought two about two years ago- the glo type- and I can tell already,those stories of them living to be 16 years old? ..must happen. They never get sick..just look fine all the time..and that's with glo DNA. I thought my granddaughter would like them and made the huge mistake of picking pink ones-lol..like a sore thumb!..but give them credit..thriving.

[@kchh8540]

I have two black tetras ..... they always watching all the things around the room.............. its sooooo cute .......

[@rksweeteingoldy7349]

Cool

[@danielletracyann]

The do nip like crazy. They did a number on my boesemani rainbows

[@Trinity.Hk83]

I had a small school of neon tetras with several skirt tetras… in a planted tank…one by one my neon tetras went missing. When I had the light on in the tank I saw nothing fishy until one night I turned the light off and observed the skirt tetras munch down a neon live 😵 my zebra danios disappeared too! I have had these skirt tetras now for 8 years. Yesterday one died so now I’m down to just one. I am considering what to stock my tank with since there are not many fish left.

[@nicolehickey1728]

They ate your zebra Danios? I have 6 black skirts, 6 candy canes and 4 zebra danios... the skirts kinda tuffle among themselves especially my 2 adults but no trouble this them nipping my danios yet... I hope not 😅

[@Emthebrave12]

Just got some for our 55 gallon, 7 to be exact! They are loving swimming in a school like crazy

[@arunmanivannan1362]

For me the black skirt tetras school when the flow is high and I tried small internal filter with less flow then they started swimming randomly

[@SandiKWilliams]

I have 6 in my 40 gallon and they school beautifully! I also have two other globe(?) tetras that join. I had 3 black tetras and they were sad, now they’re all happy.

[@rhyanlumilay2252]

From 3 black skirt down to one, now the last one surviving in my tank became the center piece of that aquarium he/she (I really have no idea what gender it is) was accompanied with some rosy barbs and he/she stands out among the orange barbs around him/her.

[@richardwellons5138]

Nice presentation providing great relevant info. Thanks. I have a school of 13 in a 45 gal bow tank, with fancy guppies, and have no visible predation on baby gups, and no shortage of babies. Of course, there is no shortage of vegetation.

[@fuwafuwa2252]

I have 12 black skirt glo tetra and 7 danios tetra and 2 betta all lives together peacefully in school except those 2 betta they are pair so they usually hang out together

[@randyfox6747]

Black skirt tetra is my favorite fish of all time

[@bobbynguyen9921]

I feed my axolotls flies I find around the house! 😂 I’ve noticed that skirt tetras behavior does change depending on how many there are in their group and how big a tank they are in. For example, I have 3 in a 10 gallon and they are very territorial amongst each other and often get into small fights. They are tough fish! They used to push around my apisto until he was fully grown. In larger groups there was less aggression and I only notice them schooling where there is a perceived threat like during a water change

[@cyudong]

Here is a suggestion: you might add some fish to your tank, it might stop the fighting a littlr

[@garg4531]

That's how it works! Many shoaling fish, including tetras (especially black skirts) can get aggressive in groups or tanks that are too small. Give them plenty of space and keep them in a large group (at least 8 in a 30 gallon) and they'll behave like they do in nature

[@epico5805]

I have 6 in my 20 gallong long and they are an interesting bunch. Its heavily planted but they still fight over territory and they also hate the light.

[@stevenstolfi544]

I keep a couple of these with my Angel Fish and Discus, they do well in 85° water

[@TheM8Y87]

I have 4 black skirt tetra's I already had one that survived my tanks heater failure. I just picked up 3 small ones, I would of liked to have gotten 5 but I didn't want to introduce to many fish at a time. They were school together for the 1st 2 days following the original one around probably because he is so much bigger. But on the 3rd day I found that 2 of them have become extremely territorial ganging up on the larger one. His fins are all torn appart he doesn't look very good at all. They also chase another similar size one into a corner. The tank is 20 gallon btw they must of been fighting a lot last night because everyone of them seems to have some fin damage. I'm not really exactly sure what I should do, if i should get another one to try and have a school of 5, I've heard that they school better in odd numbers or if i should just take them back and maybe try to have a different fish in with the original one. I'm really not sure.

[@RoadRage810]

I had a school of them for about 9 years and they were doing great and expected them to live a lot longer. However a defective heater caused the demise of everything in the tank. Not to cold, die to heat. I assume the regulator went out or the sensor and the temperature was well over 100 degrees in the tank. I currently have a school of little ones I got last week in my 30 gallon. They even do well with the little electric blue acara and the Serpae in there.

[@kdfinvesting6122]

I have 15 black tetras and my puffer and rainbow shark swim with the tetras in their school. It's really freaking cool. A tank that swims together stays together lol

[@bernardop.1461]

do they need air pump?

[@chrisoerly2369]

My brother left a tank in a house he was moving out of, there was only an inch of water at the bottom of the tank and it was basically green slushy mud. When I moved the tank to throw it away poor little black tetra was in the the mud... I took, the tank home and filled it with clean water and poor little fish actually survived and thrived!!!!! I named him "ghetto fish" he lived a long time!!!

[@kk_princezz1235]

How long.!

[@ARod-br2ui]

I just went through something very similar! A friend of mine I grew up with gifted me an aquarium. It’s one of those corner type aquariums about 29-30 gallons. I basically rescued three of them along with a platy and a huge pleco. I believe there was a Cory cat in there as well but could not catch him. The tank was soooo filthy and that’s an understatement. I now have them living comfortably in a 75 gallon a they seem to be thriving and happy.

[@laterzunk1187]

I have my 8 or 9 hanging out with 3 male swortails and they haven't nipped the swortails fins once

[@Iguana5k]

I have some that are pretty old but still have that black "skirt". Are there breeds right now that were made so the black stays? Cause I remember when I was young they gept getting grey with age.

[@siddharthtrivediin]

I have seen mine eating cardinal tetras all 12 cardinals were devoured overnight. They tend to nip at any new fish you introduce too.

[@thebambinofan]

Just picked up some small ones up and the darting is crazy fun to watch

[@angeliclike3623]

I have 6 Tetras. I'm not sure what kind they are. They are the glofish ones. I have one of every color. The body looks like the Black skirt tetra so I've been learning about those. They school on and off. When they are not schooling they usually hang out in their own areas.

[@tytar1037]

Glofish tetras are indeed black skirts. They school with my normal black skirt/white skirts.

[@theredtree7493]

I got 6 of them in my 30 gallon maybe i want to make it 8-12.

[@wyzemann]

Darn, I do miss these I. My tanks. There was a time they were a staple in my 29 gallon, but during a descale of that tank, I lost all 6+ of them in a separate holding tank🤦🏾‍♂️. I haven’t replenished them since. I used to consider them a “poor guy’s silver dollar” for obvious reasons. I think getting another group of black skirt tetras will be high on my get next list😊.

[@halcyon3116]

my black skirt tetra I names chicken, when I got him/her home I noticed the fin was clear, and initially shyish behavior, chicken sh*t was the name we decided on. Chicken only took a couple days to being comfortable and full of color again and bonded w my pink glo tetra, now chicken is an a*hole now, mostly food aggresive first one to eat. So my female yellow betta "lemon" is so inquisitive and squints studying us so damn cute, so I feed her some blood worms by hand before feeding everyone since chicken is an a*hole. Have a see through tetra along w chicken pinky and lemon, and there's bob aka skinny man, is a purple glow i think danio, he's black tipped bug eye fellow lol. I didnt think id enjoy having these guys but i thought it'd be an "easy" pet for my toddler. Easy was a foolish thing to think, however Ive grown to like them and seeing their personalities come through and the learning just wow so much to learn initially. :)

[@illustrado0677]

Why do other tetras their dorsal fins is very black and aome is not??

[@CarolynWells1052]

Do babies about 3-4 months old have red fins on bottom? Mine do and they are so cute.

[@sedrickjones5675]

I have two black tetras and those same fish have been with me for over ten years now is that unusual?

[@DuyQuangDang]

My fish is losing balance, what should I do please?

[@markzig1429]

I throw camel crickets that I find in the basement into my tanks and they are gone in seconds! Always had a black tetra in my tank as a kid. I thought of it as my "angelfish." (My centerpiece fish) Really enjoy your videos! Mark

[@justinekrider5803]

I know now why my neon tetras have disappeared. I do have a betta fish that is the same colour as my skirt tetra and there has been no fin nipping. I think it's due to the colour being the same. My skirt tetras just had a baby. I didn't know they laid eggs in my tank due to extremely heavy planting. So now I apparently have a baby that I wasn't expecting.

[@link-182]

I have panda corys with my black skirts and they will swim together. Also the corys have had two generations of babies and I haven't seen the tetras mess with the babies at all. Maybe the same coloring has kept them safe

[@nickremington9873]

Whats different about the opal goirami to the dwarf gourami? I had two dwarf gouramis in with my black skirts and they killed one dg and are attacking the shit out of the other. Going to have to bring him back to the LFS before they kill him.

[@casualcrafter2340]

I was told to get multiple black skirt tetras so the could school. I found that one tries to be dominant in the tank. Everyone who gets in his "area" gets nipped. It is very stressful for the other fish. I have a 75 gallon with 5 white skirts, 3 red eye tetras, 3 serpaes, 5 rasboras, 1 betta, and 8 or so guppies. My guppies were being killed so I moved the black skirts out and the tank is much calmer. In summary, I will not get anymore black skirts, they are JERKS, and are banished to a more aggressive tank. NOT a good community fish.

[@SimpleHistoryindetail]

Hello sir!! Can I keep my black tetras in an air conditioned room?

[@fincasters]

I would say yes. Do you have a heater in the aquarium?

[@gamervids3560]

I bought 5 black tettra fish and 1 angel fish they are both in the same aquarium but i have no decorations only stones

[@ginkopaul186]

how to keep the glass of your fish tank so clean? I have the magnetic scrubber (white)

[@relaxingnature2617]

The do school well in the right conditions ..I have 8black tetras in a 130gal long with 7 african cichlids for 6 months , they always bunch together great ..none were lost , a black neon school and tiger barb school were both eaten ....I also have a 225gal tall with 8 black tetras plus 5angels with 11convict cychlids plus 2 full grown Preditor cichlids ,a green terror and a jack dempsey ..zero losses ,they school fantastic

[@fincasters]

Hmmm cool tank. I wonder if the school because they perceive a threat from the larger cichlids?

[@yannickbroos5283]

Are they okay with shrimp? Currently have a big tank with 5 of these (plan on getting some more once I find someone who sells some at a decent size) have a pair of CPO crayfish (dwarf Mexican crayfish which are cool with plants, fish and shrimp) and plan on getting some amanos, which get about as big as the black tetras. Are they cool with neocardinia shrimp tho, since I have a bunch of colourful culls, which I would love to add to my big community tank.

[@Pramod-wq7ef]

Nice planted tank setup!

[@MRFLIP]

Can they be tank mated with silver dollars

[@fincasters]

I would say yes, easily.

[@MRFLIP]

@@fincasters ok awsome ty and happy holidays

[@juliakay3898]

PLEASE HELP ME! I have a school of 5 these exact tetras in a 30 gallon tank we have been struggling to get the ph right recently. But they all have been doing completely fine and looking very healthy. Today I had one of them have a complete spasm and dropped to the floor. I’m not sure if we don’t have enough oxygen or it’s something with the ph. So if it’s just a seizure or something and it’s going to me ok PLEASE LMK.

[@fincasters]

Hi Julia -- Sorry I've been bad at checking messages. Ph sounds like it's not the problem... But it could be. Do you know what it is? These fish are pretty tolerant.

[@juliakay3898]

@@fincasters thank you so much for replying! The fish sadly ended up dying after we put it in its own separate tank after a day or so. The ph is now fixed and I haven’t had any problems with any of the other 4. Think maybe it was just a bad fish or something but we ended up getting a refund and have now five happy fish that have been doing well since September!

[@eddiehaidar6576]

Mine stuck with schooling of 6.. but the problem is they dint come up to get the food when i feed them.. not to mention i got 19 green apple danios and 12 neon tetras in the same tank.. how i wanna feed my 6 black tetras if they just wait at the bottom while danios will clean it all.. huhu

[@fincasters]

Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like classic black tetra behavior. Mine eat right next to my danios and neons. Have yours been in the rank long? Is there a bigger fish that might be a threat or perceived threat?

[@eddiehaidar6576]

@@fincasters just add them in the tank nearly 7 days ago.. they only can pick left over since my danios will eat on the top then neon on thr middle.. lucky got some improvement now since some of them will go up so fast then dive in back.. haha.. still they seem so scared and keep at stick together.. should i move them to another tank coz i still worried about them..

[@isha_sadhguru_follower5896]

I keep the zebra Danios that you also have. If you want a schooling fish (that isn't the rummy nose tetra always😜) I would recommend to get mlre of them. There's nothing better to whatch than how they make groups of 5-7 individuals and hunt each other through the aquarium ✨😁 🇩🇪 GRE from GER 🇩🇪 Greetings from Germany

[@kellysuzanne976]

I have the zebra danios some golden long finned and regular. I also have a bunch of the giant danios, they are my favorite.

[@amberbazzell5020]

I love the Rummy nose tetra 😍

[@ianrawlings2546]

I had a dozen Zebra Danios that were bullet proof. I had to re-home them as they were so active any other fish were forced into the corners.

[@summervick2874]

I have 2 black and 2 white that live with my angel fish and my bala shark all in one 29 gallon tank but I'm worried my skirts have made babies and about to lay im not sure what do I do I know its good to put male and female in one tank alone and let her drop them but they could eat them after they are dropped

[@marksguitars5617]

didn't know you were from Central NY! great fish for almost any community tank, I find that they will occasionally nip at the tips or angelfish fins rays but not necessarily long flowing fins of their long finned cousins or even guppies. Usually when kept in a group they go after each other more and ignore others similar to tiger barbs but not even close to the nipping that those devils can do!

[@fincasters]

Hi Mark -- I grew up in Herkimer County -- but now live in Virginia. Much warmer!

[@marksguitars5617]

@@fincasters very cool, I had friends in Little Falls and Utica so went there a bunch of times and it is VERY cold in the winter, lots of cows too!

[@asillyperson999]

If you have black skirt tetras and their being aggressive to tank mates you may need to add more of the tetras because their schooling fish and they may be aggressive if their not kept in a school of 6 or more

[@mrwill0910]

My Black Tetra is dying. It’s fin is injured somehow it’s by it’s self so I don’t know what to do. We had it for 8 years named Outlast. Sad day today.

[@sunflower6434]

What can cause tetras’ to lose their blackness in their fins or bodies ???? I bought a new one 3 months ago, and I’m sure he/she is more whiter in the fins, body and tail than when I bought him.

[@butkusfan23]

Stress or ph problems usually cause color changes. Did you get a single one? They are a schooling fish and usually do best in groups.

[@sunflower6434]

@@butkusfan23 - that sounds about right.

[@loonynaturalist]

Are sarpae tetras compatible with widow tetras?

[@manuelmendez6108]

I have two of these and one of them seems to nipping the others sometimes

[@kashhh2]

Manuel Mendez hopefully this helps but I read they need to be kept in at least a group of five.

[@chepeolvera8057]

I know this is late, but for white/black skirts ( or any tetra in general ) you need to keep at least 6 or more. The more the merrier by the way. Hopefully you’ve done it already!

[@antsfrance9999]

Can you please do a care guide on the elephant nose fish.?

[@fincasters]

I'll give it a shot!

[@nikoleirene9549]

I have five of these in a tank with two female bettas. They really don’t bother the bettas at all

[@lixian0072000]

how big is your tank ??

[@nikoleirene9549]

@@lixian0072000 It’s a 30 gallon tank. I have added a couple of snails and some black neon tetras (5). They all get along pretty well.

[@drroshna349]

May you pls suggest a remedy for my black tetra's tumour like outgrowth over its gills...

[@melaniecoleman909]

Please update us on your Electric blue acara pair. Where you able to have a successful fry batch??

[@Aprilann871]

I have 5 white and 5 black

[@bernardop.1461]

do they need air pump?

[@jkmegenio9598]

i love tetras they have a lot of personality than my other friends hahahhas

[@Kuba__926]

I have like 8 widow tetras and they work great in a school

[@cG-es8mb]

We have 2 of them with 2 guppies and they don’t mess with the guppies but just mess with each other.

[@asmrjudie]

You are so likable!

[@CypressPhotoStudio]

One of my favourite tetras 👍🏻👍🏻😎.

[@zafishguy5166]

I forgot about these guys.... I have congo tetras with my red severum but maybe getting 6 of these is an option I have to catch that iridescent shark though... he grows slowly and is too small to eat anyone though.

[@adrianacardenas3113]

Hi there I have a question I have 6 of this fish I was wondering if I could mix gold fish with them

[@fincasters]

Most people would say no, but am currently doing it without any issues. Typically a goldfish prefers cooler water, but mine are all doing well at 75 degrees

[@tonylogan4092]

Yes, of course you can.

[@taureanwilliams2900]

My tetras beat my goldfish up

[@apss5736]

i prefer the wild types over the glofish

[@CJ-nb3sr]

Its so good to see a big tank that's not overpopulated

[@angelfishkeeper3027]

Can I keep rainbow shark with black skirt tetras?🛸🛸🛸🌍

[@siddheshpotdar6284]

What is the best fish food for widow tetras black skirt??

[@fincasters]

They really do just fine with any well balanced flake or pellet food. I feed mine Xtreme food.

[@crispybacon580]

I had a black skirt that ate all of it tank mates it ate 3 full grown gruammis the thing was huge I had to get a cichlids just so it couldn’t eat it.

[@Aprilann871]

Mine school very well together

[@LuisRamos-jj7xg]

why mines keep chasing each others???

[@SokuratoPvP]

Mine too, probably for joy well mine atleast

[@RoadRage810]

They tend to play and chase each other. Unless they are actually damaging each other then it is most likely playful. Keep at least 6 of them together, otherwise they can be aggressive with each other.

[@somethinfishee]

Mines don't school, they are territorial, and each has its own area in my tank

[@_Fish_finatics_]

In india it price is 8 rs or 0.10$

[@melissaasplin8430]

How do I breed my tetra and I have 10 but when I woke up one day I saw my fish and I saw baby fish 🐟😒

[@Dracman75]

Added 6 to my tank and they instantly attacked both my dwarf Gourami and then my rasboras. Had to take them out immediately. Didnt like them.

[@garg4531]

Black skirts are my absolute favorite fish to the point it *pains me* to see so much misinformation out there Don't believe people saying that 15 or 20 gallons is fine for them, these are active mid-sized fish that need nothing less than 30 gallons, with bigger being better

[@davidperrin1675]

Go well with rainbow. And Congo tetras

[@robertbridges8906]

I got 2 a long fin and an albino the long fin is a bully toward my neon blue glofish and the albino he chose his space and defends it he doesn't chase the barbs or red tail sharks he has his picks.

[@MyOnlyCommentIs]

Могу ли я сохранить это с Oranda?

[@susieQ1999]

My black tetras ate my neon tetras like some savages😭😭 I was sooo sad

[@taureanwilliams2900]

I have black and white ones. They kill shrimps too!

[@highbrass7563]

Two dollars lol.... not in my country of Canada

[@silver_fox4040]

My black widows occasionally attack my neons

[@hunterhill1186]

thank you for this video!

[@knyghtryder3599]

Honestly many people will disagree , I strongly dislike black skirt , I am team Bleeding Heart, Head and Tail Light, and Jack Roberts Great story though!

[@richardandrews4076]

How big does this fish grow ?

[@fincasters]

Maybe 3” at most. 😀🐟

[@davidperrin1675]

You can have albino type

[@EliteSaintYT]

I have 4 of these should I use an airpump for these little guys?

[@Yerbuas]

my tetra only school if they get spooked. they don't have much room to school in my tall 20 gallon

[@miscmeme]

I got 7 of these in my 55 gallon. I've been getting some contradicting information. Some people say they do just fine with Angel Fish as long as they're fed well and have lots of room others say they'll nip their fins guaranteed. Anyone have any experience with this scenario?

[@navvo1]

They are serious fin nippers. Any fish with long flowing fins. Do not put in the tank

[@miscmeme]

@@navvo1 Gotchya. I appreciate the response!

[@navvo1]

@@miscmeme sadly I found out the hard way when the local aquarium said a black moor goldfish would be fine with these fellas. They ate his fins off in one night. It was terrible. However with my neon tetras at worse they chase each other off . Nothing concerning.

[@taureanwilliams2900]

Same here. These black tetra or widows as I was told, smashed all my shrimps!

[@mountxindxw5932]

Sadly one of my black skirt tetra was fin nipping my betta so I moved my betta to another 10 gallon with some guppies and dwarf gouramis, I’m thinking about moving all fish from these 2 10 gallons to a 29 gallon, hopefully my betta does not get fin nipped

[@aperson336]

They are more shoaling

[@ZaidenRobinson-dy9jj]

Yo

[@muthiahbalasubramaniam8683]

Do the need oxgean

[@closetocreamy]

I have too angel fish ,i love them but im not gonna put there fins at stake get this fish outta here

[@vandaman85]

And that’s crufts