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How can i tell ?

post #1 of 17
8/3/09 at 3:50am
Thread Starter 
Is there any way of telling male and female x-ray tetras ? I was doing a water change today and noticed two of them have big bellies! There are two with black tipped dorsel fins and three with orange dorsel fins. Does anyone know how to tell ? The krebensis babies are getting big so fast, im going to have to get another tank for anymore babies !!!!
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post #2 of 17
8/5/09 at 9:30am
hmm, I'm not 100% sure with xrays but I don't think their colours are going to indicate any difference. With some species of tetras the males are more intensely coloured, and there can be some difference in fin-size. However the females will have obviously larger bellies (some pet store only sell one gender of fish, so don't be too surprised if you don't have females & males; but it sounds like you have 2 girls and some boys!).

Now tetras scatter their eggs so if you want babies you have two options (I don't remember what else you had in this tank). You can separate the females into another tank (carefully! you don't want to change their environment a whole lot or you are going to stress them, I can tell you how to do it). Or for a moderate result (which you may want) you can lay a net across the bottom of the tank & keep it well planted. The second option is going to result in few babies surviving, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing!

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres.../pristella.php
Here is a great page on the little characins!

I still recommend a large tank with a carnivorous cichlid for the krebs . You are well on your way to becoming a bone-fied fish-head! Be careful, it's a slippery slope! Multiple Tank Syndrome (or MTS) is a widely diagnosed disease.

A general note:
When purchasing fish such as xray tetras, be sure you are purchasing naturally coloured fish, not those who have been dyed neon colours. It is a fatal and cruel practise.
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post #3 of 17
8/5/09 at 11:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nes View Post
hmm, I'm not 100% sure with xrays but I don't think their colours are going to indicate any difference. With some species of tetras the males are more intensely coloured, and there can be some difference in fin-size. However the females will have obviously larger bellies (some pet store only sell one gender of fish, so don't be too surprised if you don't have females & males; but it sounds like you have 2 girls and some boys!).

Now tetras scatter their eggs so if you want babies you have two options (I don't remember what else you had in this tank). You can separate the females into another tank (carefully! you don't want to change their environment a whole lot or you are going to stress them, I can tell you how to do it). Or for a moderate result (which you may want) you can lay a net across the bottom of the tank & keep it well planted. The second option is going to result in few babies surviving, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing!

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fres.../pristella.php
Here is a great page on the little characins!

I still recommend a large tank with a carnivorous cichlid for the krebs . You are well on your way to becoming a bone-fied fish-head! Be careful, it's a slippery slope! Multiple Tank Syndrome (or MTS) is a widely diagnosed disease.

A general note:
When purchasing fish such as xray tetras, be sure you are purchasing naturally coloured fish, not those who have been dyed neon colours. It is a fatal and cruel practise.

BF.F.H and M.T.S. Do you know of any medication for this !!??
Thanks for the info! Really appreciate it . Well, looks like another tank is on the agenda!! ???!!Dyed .....Neon.... Colours!!???? I wasn't aware this happends? Im worried now !
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post #4 of 17
8/5/09 at 11:53am
I don't think yours are dyed, they sound naturally coloured to me. I lost my original article but man if wikipedia doesn't have everything! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_fish

And no, there is no known cure for MTS .
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post #5 of 17
8/5/09 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nes View Post
I don't think yours are dyed, they sound naturally coloured to me. I lost my original article but man if wikipedia doesn't have everything! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_fish

And no, there is no known cure for MTS .

WOT NO CURE???!!! Well i guess im ..........!! Their colours are quite vibrant orange,black and white and im sure their bellies are getting bigger! Ive got enough babies, i could open my own shop!!...." Wanna buy a fish?" !! to "Painted Fish"
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post #6 of 17
8/5/09 at 12:27pm
Actually you should ask your LFS (local fish store) if they are interested in some of your fish for store-credit! You're going to have to find a smaller local shop (not a big box) but they will probably be very interested. I did quite well selling my corydoras. In fact they wanted to give me more credit then I would take for them, I had DOZENS !

(Cory are SUPER fun fish & really really fun to breed because you have to do a tropical thunder storm (complete with crazy fish dance, trust me, that is the secret) plus they are ADORABLE and really fun to watch... but I shouldn't tell you that!!)
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post #7 of 17
8/5/09 at 12:44pm
Thread Starter 
No! You shouldn't of told me that !! Now,...what time does that shop open?!!

Tropical dance ??!! am i going to need a pair of gogs and a snorkle and get in the tank ??!! ( only joking !!) Im very interested now !!
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post #8 of 17
8/5/09 at 1:14pm
They also come in a wide range of colours & rarities (the most rare are several hundred dollars, no kidding! You just scoop them out of the rivers in South America!!).

My favourite are the albino bronze cory (corydora aeneus) but panda cory are also very popular because of their colouring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corydoras
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post #9 of 17
8/5/09 at 1:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nes View Post
They also come in a wide range of colours & rarities (the most rare are several hundred dollars, no kidding! You just scoop them out of the rivers in South America!!).

My favourite are the albino bronze cory (corydora aeneus) but panda cory are also very popular because of their colouring.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corydoras
Thanks ! Just checked out the link.....thats me sold !! Which do you have ?
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post #10 of 17
8/5/09 at 1:47pm
We have two green cory (that is not enough, the should be kept in groups of 6 to 8) until we get them into the larger tank. Actually maybe I'll do that later tonight, hmmm...

Anyway, bronze are my favourite because they have GREAT personalities. The more corys you can get together in a group the more fun they are! .
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post #11 of 17
8/5/09 at 1:56pm
Thread Starter 
Wow ! Well new tank 2moro then !! Are they quite active? Just thinking of Daisy! If she gets any closer to the main tank she would be in it !! She loves watching the loach and Monty Burns my huge pelco , who is making a huge mess of the tank!
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post #12 of 17
8/5/09 at 2:04pm
he he he, yes they like to jump out of the water to grab air when the oxygen in your tank is low (and sometimes just for fun). They don't just very far, just to the surface. She is goign to have fun!!

What sort of loach do you have?
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post #13 of 17
8/5/09 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Just an alge loach( I think), nothing special but had him a while,he was tiny and now hes getting very active and big! Daisy loves it when he shoots around the tank! its so funny! but he does his job,keeps the tank clean and entertains Daisy! Are they many types of loach do you know?
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post #14 of 17
8/5/09 at 4:44pm
Oh honey, I'm almost feel bad sending you here as well... http://www.loaches.com/ and you thought planet catfish was bad!!

What you have is most probably a Siamese Algea Eater http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_algae_eater (more frequently seen in a peachy albino colour). However their are lots of different species sold under "algea eater" title (most of them incorrectly) and you could actually have a loach.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...d.php?t=192330 More algea eaters!

I have 3 kuhli loaches but clowns are my absolute favourite (sadly I had a giant colony of about 20 including a 10" (that is REALLY big for these guys) that were all killed by a virile strain of ich a few years ago, I still get tearing thinking about it ), they have fantastic personalities!
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post #15 of 17
8/6/09 at 1:28am
Thread Starter 
OH NO!! Now you ve done it !!!! Ive had a kuhli loach before Daisy would like one of them too !!

Im sorry you lost them. Tell you what, i will get one and you can name it, hows that ?? !!
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post #16 of 17
8/6/09 at 6:35am
If you get clown loaches you have to get a whole whack of them or you will never see them. Same with Kuhlie loaches. But I am a GIANT nerd and all mine were named after the cast members of Futurama (yes, I`m that dorky). No one could believe I could tell them apart until I showed them I really could .

So is your algea loach an SAE?

MTS in its early stages you are completely doomed...
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post #17 of 17
8/6/09 at 10:25am
Thread Starter 
Woe is me !!!! Yes he is ! Thanks to you i would never have known!! Oh well, the only thing for MTS IS................another tank !!!!!
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