# I need inoformation on breeding skirt tetra and long fin red minor tetra



## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

(Skirt tetra) So i have 10 skrit, I separate 2 skirt tetra into a 10 gallon where they are going to breed because the others seems too young so i took out 2 and i do have plants but i use these plants plant.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket but i use the smaller ones because it has more leaves, and i want to know that how long will they mate and how long will they lay eggs?

(Red Minor) I have 8 of the red minor and i didnt separate none because i was thinking of trying the skirt 1st, (ignore that) now i am very confuse because this one Picture048.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket (lets call this one tetra a) the anal fin and the tail is a bit longer as you look closely you will see and this one Picture048.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket (sorry for the picture dont know why its like this but you can still tell and lets call it tetra b) you can see the difference from this one to tetra a this one the anal fin and tail is a bit shorter and is it tetra b is still young? or its the gender? please help!?:BIGweepy::BIGweepy:


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

The so-called Red Minor tetra is most likely the Serpae Tetra in our profiles; common names can be confusing, the scientific is Hyphessobrycon eques. The dorsal fin of the male is almost a solid black, whereas this fin on the female lacks the black in the lower part; as with most tetra, the female is rounder (thicker in body) than the male.

For spawning, here is some info from Matt Ford, a biologist, taken from his site Seriously Fish:

You'll need to set up a separate tank if you want to raise decent numbers of fry. Something around 18" x 10" x 10" in size is fine. This should be very dimly lit and contain clumps of fine-leaved plants such as java moss or spawning mops, to give the fish somewhere to deposit their eggs. Alternatively, you could cover the base of the tank with some kind of mesh. This should be of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through it, but small enough so that the adults cannot reach them. The water should be soft and acidic in the range pH 5.5-6.5, gH 1-5, with a temperature of around 80-84°F. Filtering the water through peat is useful, as is the use of RO water. A small air-powered sponge filter bubbling away very gently is all that is needed in terms of filtration. 

It can be spawned in a group, with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number. Condition these with plenty of small live foods and spawning should not present too many problems. 

Alternatively, it can be spawned in pairs. Under this technique, the fish are conditioned in male and female groups in separate tanks. When the females are noticeably full of eggs and the males are displaying their best colours, select the fattest female and best-coloured male and transfer them to the spawning tank in the evening. They should spawn the following morning. 

In either situation, the adults will eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as eggs are noticed. These will hatch in 24-36 hours, with the fry becoming free swimming a 3-4 days later. They should be fed on an infusoria-type food for the first few days, until they are large enough to accept microworm or brine shrimp nauplii. The eggs and fry are light sensitive in the early stages of life and the tank should be kept in darkness if possible.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

So the anal fin doesnt matters? because one of them is longer and the other one is shorter same with the tail to both of them. So you mean like this one is a male? http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&...8&tbnw=171&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0 because i bearly look at mine and i saw a difference, one of them the dorsal fin is dark black like that one on the link and the other one the dorsal fin is light black not dark so does that means its a male and female?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> So the anal fin doesnt matters? because one of them is longer and the other one is shorter same with the tail to both of them. So you mean like this one is a male? Redirect Notice because i bearly look at mine and i saw a difference, one of them the dorsal fin is dark black like that one on the link and the other one the dorsal fin is light black not dark so does that means its a male and female?


Possibly. The one linked here is in my view a male. The plumpness of the females is usually apparent when viewed from above (overhead). I'm not aware of any variation in the anal fin in this species.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

Oh thanks but how about mine? i know now that one of mine is a male because the dorsal fin is just like that one on the link but my other one the dorsal fin is light black, is it its still young? or its a female?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> Oh thanks but how about mine? i know now that one of mine is a male because the dorsal fin is just like that one on the link but my other one the dorsal fin is light black, is it its still young? or its a female?


I can't say for certain. The two photos in your first post appear to both be males, but the second photo is not that clear, so... . As for black, many things can affect a fish's colouration. They pale under stress, too bright light, inappropriate water conditions, some types of food, age... . All else being equal, the male dorsal will be solid black and the females will have no black pigment near the base. That's the best i can say. B.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

So you mean that the female dorsal fin will not be solid black?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> So you mean that the female dorsal fin will not be solid black?


That is my understanding; the black pigment fades out over the lower portion which is clear of pigment, whereas in the male it is solid black throughout.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

Can you show me a picture for an example?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> Can you show me a picture for an example?


This might be a female; the roundness of the fish is a better guide, and this one looks fuller than a male normally would.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

so its just the same thing to long fin serpae tetra?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> so its just the same thing to long fin serpae tetra?


The so-called "longfin" serpae is just a strain of the same fish (Hyphessobrycon eques) developed by selective breeding, i.e., not a natural species, to have longer fins. As far as I can recall, they are otherwise the same.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

so on that link do you mean that white spot on the dorsal fin?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> so on that link do you mean that white spot on the dorsal fin?


On the fish in the photo I posted, the front portion of the base of the dorsal fin (the fin on the back of the fish) is not black. It looks sort of pale reddish.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

Oh ok and you mean that reddish spot at the dorsal fin?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> Oh ok and you mean that reddish spot at the dorsal fin?


What reddish spot?


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

the reddish spot at the front of the dorsal fin its kind of white too.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> the reddish spot at the front of the dorsal fin its kind of white too.


Yes, that is the base of the dorsal fin where there is no black.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

Oh, but i went to the store and i see all of them have that but its only a little, is that all female? or female has more of those colors?


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

Also at this link is it this one is a female? Redirect Notice the long fin serpae tetra. That is a female right? and i want to know how long does it takes for them to be in breeding mood?


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

(You dont have to answer the one that says "Oh, but i went to the store and i see all of them have that but its only a little, is that all female? or female has more of those colors?" just answer the other one and this one and make the first one 1) and the 2nd one 2).)
Is this a good breeding tank set up? i only use 2 tetras and i want to know if this is good enough, breed.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket. And i want to know if this carry infusoria, breed.jpg picture by sai559 - Photobucket if it do then can the long fin serpae tetra fry eat those for couple of days?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

On the photos of the fish, the lower photo is a male in front and i think a female behind. The upper photo (the Longfin) I am not sure, I suspect a male.

On the breeding tank, have a read of the bit i posted previously concerning the spawning material, whether plants like Java Moss on the bottom or artificial. These are egg scatterers, so when they spawn the eggs are just scattered and have to fall into something that will prevent the parents from gobbling them up.

Infusoria is best cultured from dry leaves, such as oak, beech, almond. Collect these yourself is fine, dry them completely, then put a few in. Add more regularly. You can also buy Infusoria cultures in some fish stores i believe.


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

but i mean the orange thing on my tank does that carry infusoria?


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I Love Tetras And Oscar said:


> but i mean the orange thing on my tank does that carry infusoria?


I'm not sure what that is. ??


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## I Love Tetras And Oscar (Jan 12, 2012)

oh ok thankks for everything


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