Rosey barbs (long-finned) vs Serpae?

[illiswiller]

Who's more aggressive? Long-finned rosey barbs or serpae tetras?

I've read that both can be fine in a school - but can also be agressive w/ other tank mates, specifically angels.

I've personally never had serpae, but only had a agression problem once w/ a short finned rosey. Long-finned roseys always seemed to by slowed down by the fins or just more mellow!?

What about keeping angels in a community tank? I've read only keep one or a school of 3+ but not a pair....

Any experiences/expertise please?

THANKS!

 

[Obsidian]

The long-finned rosy that I had was okay until it got bigger, and then it started eating my plants. I gave it to my step-daughter, as she already had a tank of barbs.

My serpae are kind of weird. They are very spooky fish, and they prefer staying in the thick plants in my tank. I had a couple angels in there that I was babysitting for awhile, and they left it alone. Of course, I also have a male sunset platy who bullies the serpae into hiding. The serpae seem to chase each other a lot, but they don't seem to bother any of the other fish. Just make sure you have a school of them.

And yes, angels need to be solitary or in groups of odd numbers to prevent hostility.

If I had to do my tank all over again, I think I would skip the serpae. They are really cool fish, but they are kind of hyperactive.

 

[illiswiller]

Thanks that was validating what I'd seen on other websites.

 

[Blinky]

I avoid serpaes, even though they're gorgeous. I tried keeping them once and they turned into a group of teeny pirhanna, biting each other and everyone else within reach. If you're planning on keeping an angel(s), I don't recommend mixing it (them) with serpaes, because the tetras may snack on the angels' fins.

 

[muskieswen]

I would go with the rosey's. I had to take my serpae's out cause they bullied everybody. My long fins are very peaceful.

 

[reiverix]

I was also thinking about getting serpaes but the advice on here was pretty much the same. They seem to be a nippy fish. So I ended up getting pristellas and have no regrets. There's no doubt that serpaes are a striking fish but I'd rather keep the peace.