Diamond Tetras?

[KLGFCG]

Just wondering about Diamond Tetra behavior... at what level(s) do they tend to swim? How tight is their schooling? Are they generally fin nippers? Hard to keep? Any other pertinent info?

 

[jpappy789]

Middle to top swimmers and generally not nippy if in a proper school.

 

[bazil323]

I've got 19 in a 75g with guppies, endlers, honey gouramis, L387 and bristlenose plecs, and kribs. I've run into absolutely zero fin nipping. They are fairly loose schoolers at the moment, but that might change if I added a larger fish. I heard that most schoolers will tighten up the school if a larger fish is added. At the moment, my diamonds are the largest fish in the tank, except maybe for the male kribs that are about the same size.

I find they stay in the middle, but may stray into the bottom or top at times. I don't think they are hard to keep at all. I'm not the most consistent with my water changes, but I try to do 50% weekly. As always, ammonia and nitrite are 0 but nitrates are usually over 25 (tap already has 10-20 depending on the season). They attack any foods I drop in. Even practically jumping out of the water to grab the food.

What else? Umm, they are super gorgeous! I've had mine for several months, I think 5 months. They just keep getting prettier and prettier. When I got them the largest was about 1.5". Now I think the larges is about 2". The fins, especially on the ones I think are males, get so dramatic. They are turning a sort of lavender color and are really the dorsal is so long and flowing.

 

[Carlsonr]

I just finished cycling my 29 gallon tank and am in the process of stocking diamond tetras (I am up to four so far). The fish I have are not nippy towards each other at all, and from what I have read they are relatively easy to keep and very hardy. I did notice online that the temperature for diamond tetras seems high relative to other freshwater fish. Just something to keep in mind as you look at a stocking plan.

 

[venarius]

I have 2 diamond tetras in my (now girlfriends) 12 gallon. They are in there right now with a young platy and 2 small lampeyes in addition to a small albino frog and bamboo shrimp.

They seem to hang together in the middle to the top. They rarely go to the bottom, and tend to ignore pellet sinking food, they only seem to go for the flake food.

I only have 2, so I can't really speak to their schooling tendencies...

But I can say that before I got my new 29 up and running and transferred a bunch of fish that the diamonds got along fine with dwarf gourami's, platies, Praecox Rainbows, and even an Apisto Agazzi.

Mine are still around 1.5 iches, but I keep reading they get quite beautiful once full grown.

I suggested to my girlfriend that she get more as they are a schooling fish, but she's yet to decide.

 

[tanker]

I have 12 in my 100gal, and they all school together in middle of tank. Not nippy when young but more so now (but only with each other), no serious harm.

They are about 2" long now and beautiful!!!!

IMO--They sparkle more with age.

 

[bazil323]

tanker, I agree that they sparkle more with age. Mine are a range of sizes, which is probably also a range of ages. The older larger ones seem much prettier than the smaller younger ones.