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You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Pet Fish > Freshwater Aquarium > what kind of fish are these?
Expert: Michael Freynet - 11/2/2009
Question
QUESTION: I adopted these fish and have been watching carefully the last few days. The silver & black humped back one appears to eat immediately from the top of the tank and looks quite content.
The two orange ones look like they are expecting food in the middle - they don't go either to the top or bottom. I am also wondering if their top fins are supposed to be in sections or if they are actually torn.
I also have a med. size plecostomos in with them, and all seems fine so far. Is anyone in danger?
Finally, can you tell me what kind of fish they are so I can better understand what to feed/how to care for them?
IMAGE: what are these?
ANSWER: Hi Luci,
The two red fish are long-finned Serpae Tetras. Like all Tetras they like to be in schools of three or more. They can be notorious for nipping at long fins so do not mix them with Bettas or anything that has long flowing fins. Although its hard to see properly what the white fish is on the top I am fairly certain it is a Balloon Molly. Mollies are live bearers and are prolific breeders. Like all Mollies they appreciate some salinity in their water. Add one tablespoon per 5 gallons of water of API Aquarium salt. The salt will not hurt your Tetras, and is in fact beneficial to all fish in low salinity. The aquarium salt adds electrolytes to the water which helps releave stress, helps with osmosis which improves gill function, and helps prevent getting parasites.
As for their diets they are not too terribly hard to meet. Both Tetras and Mollies should be eating tropical flakes as their main food source. Substitute with frozen or freeze dried foods(like brine shrimp/bloodworms/tubiflex worms) from time to time. Mollies also need some vegetable matter in their diet so drop in Algae Wafers for the Mollies to munch on every so often. Also do not forget to drop in one Algae Wafer every night before you turn their light off for the Plecostomus(they are nocturnal)! Blanched Zuchini slices work just as well(remove them after 24 hours though).
Hope this helps!
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you so much! What about the top fins on the tetras? They are in maybe 3 strips (not one whole fin). Is that normal?
How often do I feed the flakes? (the container says several times a day?)
Answer
There are two possibilities for their dorsal fins being serrated. Either it is genetic and that is the way they were bred(keep in mind the long-finned variety are from selective breeding) or they are nipping at each other. Add some extra Serpae tetras to reduce the aggression as they should be in a large school regardless.
Feed your fish at least twice a day. A light feeding morning and late evening will keep them happy. Feel free to occasionally give them a light third feeding in the afternoon(this may also be a good time to offer treats like bloodworms for example). Make sure everyone is getting their fair share of food and do not overfeed to keep you water quality good!
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