Tetra Primer

**Sounguru** · 08-05-2008, 02:36 AM

I see how you are Dave...bringing old threads back...

You try to act like you are just replying to someones post when I know it is all a CIA plot to get me to buy more fish.... Well I tell ya it isn't gonna work. I Already have 2 Tetras...

Love the article again...

**Dave66** · 08-05-2008, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by Sounguru

I see how you are Dave...bringing old threads back...

You try to act like you are just replying to someones post when I know it is all a CIA plot to get me to buy more fish.... Well I tell ya it isn't gonna work. I Already have 2 Tetras...

Love the article again...

My next plot, guru, will get you to trade in all those itty bitty tanks for something with some SIZE on them. A 220 gallon is a nice size . . . .
Then your two tetras could be two hundred tetras :)

Dave

**schoolbus** · 10-13-2008, 03:57 AM

Dav,
when you speake of drift wood is there a type of drift wood that you're speaking of.
I'm new to the hobby. I'm wanting to set up a 38g for tetras.
I want to get as close as I can to thier natural invi. as I can.
Anything you can pass on plants wood etc. would be great.
Oh great read thanks.

**Dave66** · 10-13-2008, 05:55 AM

Originally Posted by schoolbus

Dav,
when you speake of drift wood is there a type of drift wood that you're speaking of.
I'm new to the hobby. I'm wanting to set up a 38g for tetras.
I want to get as close as I can to thier natural invi. as I can.
Anything you can pass on plants wood etc. would be great.
Oh great read thanks.

schoolbus,
Thanks for the kind words. As far as driftwood goes, I get mine from an obliging, pristine lake near me, and from a web site in Florida (floridadriftwood.com), but Dwight is currently out of stock.
I get most of my aquatic plants from him, and have for eons.
For wood I get from the lake, I rinse it under scalding water and scrub the nooks and crannies with an old toothbrush. Some folks boil the wood, but most of my pieces are too large, odd-shaped, or long to put in a pot.
Also, better fish stores have a selection of good pieces. Don't get any screwed on to a piece of slate, as the screw eventually rusts which is bad for a tank.
What I look for is interesting shapes that suit the vision I have for a tank.
There are some types of wood that automatically sink, but most wood you'll have to sink it yourself. I use stones on the ends to hold them down, siliconing them on if necessary. In a few months the wood will be waterlogged, and you can remove the rocks if you want to. I usually leave them there, as plant grow soon disguises them.
Three most important parts of a planted tank for tetras are the lights, the substrate, and the water. The vast majority of tetras come from very soft, acidic black waters (waters stained a deep tea color by vegetative decay). Thus, you'll want your tank water to be under pH 7.0 (6.5 is best, but 6.8 is acceptable), and soft, with a hardness level of five or less. Given those water parameters, things like neon and cardinal tetras can live for more than 10 years.
The substrate should be nutrient-rich to feed the plant roots, and the light must be full spectrum and intense for proper photosynthesis.
I've just scratched the surface of a planted tank. I'd suggest you pick up the Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants by Peter Hiscock. I believe amazon.com carries it, and better books stores have it. It'll clear things up for you, and enable you to know not only how to do a planted tank, but over 150 species of aquatic plants are listed with their care. The book will help you make educated decisions.
If you've more questions, ask me in PM.

Dave

**Neon** · 08-24-2009, 02:03 PM

standing ovation

, really great , as I have 15 neon tetra which I love , I'm thinking to print this one !!

**little hawaii** · 12-26-2009, 03:43 PM

[QUOTE=NickFish]Ok no ants, but house flies good. I'll try that with my hatchets!

Is there any type of fly that absolutely should not be fed to fish?

Thanks again![/QUOTE

Flys are great,don't forget worms and grasshoppers all my fish love them too especially my pair of Oscars. I also keep Venus flytraps in 2 of my terrariums and like to feed them once in awhile. To my amazement I have 1 in bloom right now, just no camera. To catch my flys I put a old glass milk bottle out in my garden with a small wet piece of meat in it. I leave it out for a day and bring it in covered in maggets. Now you can either feed them dirrectly or let them pupate into adults. I once caught 5 yellow jackets. My male Oscar loves them but the female will not touch them. The only nasty part of live food is choping worms up for my small fish but once you see how much they enjoy it,it's no longer a chore. Happy Holidays.

**WoadCelt** · 02-04-2010, 03:06 AM

I love tetra!!!! Thank you for such an enjoyable article. It was a very interesting and reassuring read!

**fish00053** · 05-04-2010, 05:47 AM

I have a 125 fw with about 140 fish in it presently. Mostly Tetras. I enjoyed this article. Good presentation.

**Nemitzx** · 04-04-2012, 06:10 PM

Thanks for the wonderful article.

**steeler1** · 08-28-2012, 06:28 PM

Very good article, Since I was nine yrs old I have been enamered with Tetras. I know the majority of the people prefer livebearers and bigger fish like cichlids.

I prefer their mostly small sizes and for the most part good dispositions, and the variety, I can't believe how many new spieces are still being discovered.

I see that you mentined the Flag Tetra as one of your favorites, believe it or not I have never seen this beutiful fish in a dealers tank in the 43 yrs I've been involved in the hobby, and I have lived in at least one good sized city (Sacramento, Ca). Where did you find your's? Did you notice how much the Redline or Amapa tetra resembles it?

My favorites of all the ones I have kept over the years are the Cardinal, Rummynose, Lemon, Rosy, recently the Green Neon and the Stegman that I was only able to find once.