Serpae Tetra

The Serpae Tetra originates from Guyana and the Amazon River basin in South America. The body varies between a light red/brown to darker reddish shades. The dorsal fin is predominantly black. The lower fins are red and can be tipped in white. There is usually, but not always, a black spot behind the gills. Their colors become greatly enhanced when they dispute territories among themselves and they will dance around each other in a beautiful display of motion and color. Serpaes like the surface area of the tank and appreciate long stemmed plants. Dimmed lighting is also preferred, which can be achieved through plant cover. They are a typical schooling tetra and should be kept in groups of at least 6. They are one of the more aggressive tetras and can have a tendency to nip fins, especially with other serpaes. They should be kept with aggressive larger tetras, such as the Blind Cave Tetra, the Buenos Aires Tetra, the Colombian Tetra and the Silver Tip Tetra. They are definitely not good companions for smaller tetras and guppies. They eat flake foods; freeze dried bloodworms and brine shrimp.