Candy Cane Tetras

[Danifins]

I was at PJs Pets today and I saw these cool little tetras. Red bodied, with white tips on their fins and some had a little black stripe under the white. They remind me of a mix between like... x-ray tetras and red phantom tetras.

Does anyone know anything about them? I thought they were so cute, and I'd love to put some in my tank once its cycled.

I took a pic but its not great quality, they're fast!

[Zander]

I googled the name and found an identical question. Apparently 'Candy Cane' is the name given by the local store. They are Benos Tetras aka White Tip Tetras.

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_H...on_bentosi.php

The picture looks pretty much the same except for the green on the belly. Perhaps that is just a reflection from the green rocks?

[Danifins]

Oh yeah that green is definitely from the rocks and really only looks like that in the pic. In person they were silvery pink inthe body with the bright red and white fins.

Thanks for the link! I'm a little worried about them being nippy like the second person on that page says, but maybe someone here has first hand experience with them and will post about their behavior!

[Lady Hobbs]

? I don't know what second person you are talking about. Nearly all tetra's are nice to have. Serpae probably is the most nippy of them all but if tetra's are kept in the largest school possible, they should never be a problem.

People often make the mistake of not stocking enough of schooling fish and that can lead to a bit of nippy behavior.

[Danifins]

? I don't know what second person you are talking about.

Oh the second person in the link that Zander posted. Here, I'll quote it:

I bought three HY511 Tetras which I later confirmed (through pictures and websites on the internet) to actually be White Tipped Bentosi Tetra. They certainly are beautiful fish! However from the moment I put them into my 40 liter small Rainbowfish tank they began to aggressively pursue and nip at the fins of their tankmates (Signifer, Gertrudae, Werneri (featherfin) and Celebese Rainbowfish. In fact, one of the Signifers actually died from trauma and shock by the next morning. So, maybe the White Tipped Tetra did in fact inherit the fish nipping nature of their cousin the Rosy Tetra after all! At least that has been my own experience. So I am taking them back to the store today.

^ From the link to Aquahobby.

I knew serpaes are pretty bad for nipping. I was planning on keeping 6-8 of these guys if I got them. Definitely no less than 6 or 7 though.

[Lady Hobbs]

Of course hers were nippy. She understocked them! doh! A school is just barely 6. That's the bare mininum. Nothing wrong at all with schools of 15 or 20.

[Danifins]

Yeah I guess that probably is why. I wonder about how nippy they are in general, though I suppose a bigger school is the surest way to avoid the nipping :)

[Danifins]

Just wanted to comment that I did end up getting a school of these guys. They're all thats in the tank so far, and I think they are awesome. Very amusing to watch. When I'm nowhere near the tank (but can see it from across the room) they hang out in their favourite corner. They love the corner behind a piece of driftwood right by the bubbler.

But when I come over, even when I'm not feeding them, they start showing off, darting towards me and back, as though daring each other to get close. Its really funny.

I think I have 2 males and 5 females, according the sites I've seen that say males have a longer, flag like top fin, whereas females dorsals are more rounded. I've also only had them 3 days and they're already colouring more, their bodies becoming more pinkish than just silver.

Lovely little active tetra. I reccomend them! Nothing smaller than a 20gal though, when they start darting around they use all the tank space and they're in a 36 gall!