serpae tetras

[nedword]

my serpaes are somewhat discolored and I believe it to be a diet problem. I have been feeding them solely flake food...which hasn't caused a problem with the colors of any of my other tetras. Does anybody know a food that might include something that serpaes in particular need in their diet to maintain their vibrant colors?

thanks in advance!

 

[cushi272]

If your Serpae Tetras (most fish for that matter) become pale, or lose some color it could be from stress. Are they constantly discolored, or does it only occur when you do water changes/net a fish/move one/etc.

If it's continous, it very well may be their diet.

 

[SnakeIce]

I do know that diet affects their agression level. The Serpaes I had were terrors to the other fish I had unless I fed them a high protien food every other day or so. seems they need more protien in thier diet than some tetras do and start nipping fins to establish a larger territory to be able to obtain the live food they would normally eat. feeding say betta food to them made them less agressive about their space.

the other thing is that some fish supplyers put hormones in the water/food to make them look bright like they are very healthy and interested in spawning all the time.

better water quality with the protien food diet was what got mine to color up nicely.

Oh one other thing to think of.... serpaes don't hide alot but they need some cover to dash behind to make them feel comfortable when they are out where you can see them. provide several spots where they might hide as they might not want to share, it doesn't have to be dense cover like a cave but some plant growth in several places would do the trick

 

[nedword]

so snakeice, would what did you use as a high protein food...did you find shrimp to be better than bloodworms?

 

[SnakeIce]

actually I just looked on the guarunteed analysis of the particular food I was decideing between. I chose the food that was highest in % of protien which actually was the betta food I had available to buy. I got the flake variety so they could eat it better but the protien content was the same as the bits variety.

blood worms actually are not as high in protien as say tubefex and the blood worms are hard to digest in large amounts, ie they could make your fish constipated if they stuff themselves with them

so I alternated between tubefex and the betta flakes for my every other day feeding of that type of food.

the serpaes stoped nipping their tankmates fins as much when I fed those foods on that schedule.