# A helpfull tip when purchasing delicate FreshWater Fish such as Marble Hatchetfish, C



## bradymathes

I have discovered over the years of Tetra keeping that some species seem to have a hard time being captured and bagged. Some like the Garnet Tetras and Rummynose Tetras will try to play dead.

One thing that I 've found worked was to purchase hardier specimens of a similar species.

For example when purchasing a pair of Garnet or Pretty Tetras I would also purchase a pair of Head and Taillight Tetras for Cardinal Tetras I would purchase a pair of Neon Tetras or Glowlight Tetras. Or I would purchse fish that are naturally found together in the wild like Cardinal Tetras, Tubenose Pencilfish and Marbled and Blackwinged Hatchefish or Glass Bloodfins, Silver Hatchetfish, Three lined Pencilfish and Neon Tetras. 


Here are a list of species below that are hard species to transport:

Cardinal Tetras

False Neons 

Pretty or Garnet or Black Wedged Tetras

Robert's Tetras

Flag Tetras

Tubenose Pencilfish

Rummynose Tetras

Common Rummynose Tetras

False Rummynose Tetras

Lemon Tetras

Black neons

Marbled Hatchetfish

Silver Hatchetfish

Bloodfin tetras

Three Lined Pencilfish

Other Pencilfish species

Spotted Headstander

Now here are some more species that I would pair up with these hard Species:

Cardinal Tetras, False Neon Tetras with Glowlight Tetras, Neon Tetras and Umber Tetras and Rummynose species.

Garnet Tetras and Green Neons or known by Neon Costellos with Diamond, Lemon, Black Neon, Red eye Tetras or with Head and Taillight Tetras.


Black Neon Tetras and Flag Tetras can be transported with, Brass Tetras, Silver Tip Tetras, and Blue 

Tetras.

Or Flag Tetras with black Neons.

Belfork's Pencilfish with Tubenose PencilFish and Black Neons or Black Lined Penguin Tetras.

Silver Hatchetfish with Glass bloodfins

Bloodfins with Green Fire Tetras

Red Phantom Tetras with Serpae Tetras, flame tetras and Black Phantom Tetras 

Common Rummynose with Sivertip Tetras, False Rummynose and True Rummynose tetras.

Emperor Tetras with Tubenose Pencilfish and or Black Neon Tetras and Marble Hatchetfish.

Robert's Tetras with Greater and Lesser Bleeding Heart, Rosy and Serpae Tetras.

Spottted Headstanders with Striped or Marbled headstanders 

When I purchase them together These finicky species feel more at home and tend to survive more 

better.


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## bradymathes

*Will different Species of Tetras school up together?*

Many freshwater Aquarium hobbyists are curious if different species of tetras will shoal up together!

The answer to this question based on my experience with having a *mixed tetra species tank *is *both yes and no*.


You may ask what do you mean both yes and no?

What I mean is this:

Generally if you *house similar species together* they *will* often *shoal up together;
*
yet *if* *they are not closely related they tend not to*.

Getting them all to shoal up is a real art to learn.

What you need are not only the species groups but also the blender species groups

Below I have listed different groups that commonly shoal up together:

Group #1 *The Neon like group:*
*Neon Tetras* Paracheirodon innesi, *Cardinal Tetras* Paracheirodon axelrodi, *False* or *Green Neon Tetras* Paracheirodon simulans somrtimes *Glowlight Tetras* Hemigrammus erythrozonus and *Umber* or *Strawberry* *tetras* Hyphessobrycon amandae.

*Group #2* I call them *The Silveries:*
*Black neon Tetras* Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi,* Flag Tetras* Hyphessobrycon heterorhabdus, *Brass* or *Gold Tetras* Hemigrammus rodwayi, *Neon Costello Tetras* or *January Tetras* also known as *Green Neons* Hemigrammus hyanuary, *Silver tip tetras* Hasemania nana, *Blue Tetras* or *King Blue Tetra* Boehlkea fredcochui,*Blackline or Boehlke's* *Penguin Tetras* Thayeria boehlkei *Penguin Tetras*Thayeria obliqua.
*These two groups will also shoal together.*
*
Group#3 The Head and Taillight Group:*
*Garnet* or *Pretty Tetras* Hemigrammus pulcher,* Head and Tail light Tetras* Hemigrammus ocellifer, *Red eye Tetras *Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae , *Diamond Tetras *Moenkhausia pittieri*, * and *Lemon Tetras* Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis


*Group #4 The Rosy Group:*
*Rosy Tetras* Hyphessobrycon ornatus or Hyphessobrycon bentosi or Hyphessobrycon rosaceus,*Robert's Tetras* Hyphessobrycon robertsi, *Serpae Tetras* Hyphessobrycon eques orHyphessobrycon or Hemigrammus serpae or Hyphessobrycon callus , *Lesser Bleeding Heart Tetras* Hyphessobryn socolofi,* Greater* *Bleeding Heart Tetras* Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma, *Black Phantom Tetras* Hyphessobrycon megalopterus, *Red Phantom Tetras *Hyphessobrycon sweglesi,*Yellow Phantom Tetras* or *Red and Yellow Phantom Tetras* hemigrammus stictus or Megalamphodus roseus, *Pink or Flame Backed Bleeding Heart Tetras* Hyphessobrycon pyrrhonotus and *Lemon Tetras* Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis, *False Pristella *or* X- Ray tetras *Hyphessobrycon simulatus and *Kitty Tetras* Hyphessobrycon heliacus.
Please note These species will school nicely if given enough space
or else they will compete for their own territory 

*Group #5** The Bloodfin Group:*
*Bloodfin Tetra* Aphyocharax anisitsi, *Green Fire Tetras* Aphyocharax rathbuni sometimes the *Glass Bloodfins* Prionobrama filigera
and *Dawn* *Tetras* or* Paraguay Tetras* Aphyocharax nattereri

*Group #6 The Pencilfish and Emperor Tetra Group:*
*Tubenose* or *Rocket Pencilfish* Nannostomus eques*, **Four Barred Pencilfish*, Nannostomus espei,* Golden or Belfork's* *Pencilfish* Nannostomus beckfordi, *Three Lined Pencilfish *Nannostomus trifasciatus, *Dwarf Pencilfish* Nannostomus marginatus, *Red Pencilfish* Nannostomus mortenthaleri,*One-lined Pencilfish *Nannostomus unifasciatus, *Splashing Tetra* Copella carsevennensis and Copella arnoldi,* Emperor Tetra* Nematobrycon palmeri and *Rainbow Emperor Tetra* Nematobrycon lacortei.


*Group #7 Hatchetfish Group:*
*Glass Bloodfins *Prionobrama filigera, *Silver Hatchetfish* Gasteropelecus Sternicla, *Marble Hatchetfish* Carnegiella strigata, *Black Winged Hatchetfish* Carnegiella marthae,*Pygmy Hatchetfish *Carnegiella myersi and *Spotted Hatchetfish* Gasteropelecus maculatus.


*Group#*8 *The Combining Group:

When adding these species they *will *cause species from the other group to shoal up with them.
* *
Common Rummynose Tetras* Hemigrammus bleheri, *True Rummynose* or *red Nose Tetras *Hemigrammus rhodostomus, *False Rummynose Tetras* Petitella georgiae,
*Flame Tetras* Hyphessobrycon flammeus, *Griem's Tetras* Hyphessobrycon griemi, *Pristella* or *X-* *Ray Tetras* Pristella maxillaris, The *Pink Bellied* or *Black eyed Pristella *or *Black eyed* *X- Ray Tetras* (*Pristella riddlei)*, *Black Skirt Tetra* also known as the *Mixed Fruit* or* Strawberry* or *Blueberry Tetra* Gymnocorymbus Internet, *Columbian Tetras* Hyphessobrycon columbianus and *Buenos Aries Tetras* Hyphessobrycon anisitsi or Hemmigrammus Caudovittatus.

*Group #9 The Boisterious Group:*
Buenos Aries Tetras* Hyphessobrycon anisitsi* , Serpae Tetras usually males not so much females, *Dawn Tetras*, *Blue Emperor Tetras* Inpaichthys kerri .

Please note that* Blackline Penguin Tetras and Penguin Tetras* can be aggressive towards *Black Neon Tetras* if not given enough space.

Lastly *Blue Emperor Tetras* Inpaichthys kerri are best kept by themselves as they are aggressive towards others of its own kind. 

Please note that the *Black eyed Pristella Tetra* I believe is a new species of Tetra. I am using the latin name *Pristellariddlei* for it and the regular Pristella tetra *Pristella maxillaris* with the silver eyes and *black pupil*.


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