The trick is feeding them a balanced diet, setting up their tank just right, and keeping them happy and healthy. However, a few aquarists have come forward saying that their petticoat tetras have reached three inches in captivity. The simple answer is that they can reach two and a half inches with proper care and maintenance.
We get several questions asking how big black skirt tetras get. Their caudal fins are also smaller and peppered by white spots. Male Black tetras have broader and larger anal fins than females. These differences become more apparent when they are about to breed.Īnother way to distinguish between male and female Black skirt tetras is to take a close look at the anal fin. However, female black skirt tetras are larger and have a rounder abdomen than their male counterparts. The differences between male and female black skirt tetras are indistinct.
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– How to Distinguish Between Male and Female Black Tetras While the rays are not as pointy or firm as what you’d see on other fish, they are easily visible on close inspection.
In addition to the base coloring on the fish, the front half of the petticoat tetra is peppered with two vertical black stripes. Their head is almost translucent, but as you work your way down to their tail, the silver color darkens to virtually a dull gray. To top it off, their anal fins extend from the middle of their body down to their tail in a unique, quirky shape.Īs far as color goes, black skirt tetra has a unique color gradient responsible for their name. The black skirt’s fins are distinct: the tail fin is thin and fork-like, while the dorsal fin is small in comparison and squared off. If you think the tetragonal shape is the most dramatic thing about this fish, then you haven’t seen their fins. They are longer at the front and have a rear that tapers dramatically to their tail. Appearanceīlack skirt tetras share the same tetragonal shape that all species in the Characidae family have. So if you want a fish with a long lifespan, stay clear of colored skirt tetras. The coloring process is painful and often leads to the untimely death of this fish. Usually, they are white skirt tetras that have been injected with dye to change their color. They come in different color morphs ranging from yellow to blue and even red. – Colored Skirt TetraĬolored skirt tetras are artificially colored skirt tetras as well. However, in an effort to change their colors, some breeders dye them this can have harmful effects on the fish. Their solid white body lights up any aquarium. The cross-breed process is a deliberate attempt to get these fish to express their albinism trait. White tetras do not naturally occur in the wild because they are a product of cross-breeding in captivity. They go by several names: long-finned black widow tetra, black skirt, hifin tetra, black hifin tetra, and longfin black skirt tetra. Long-finned skirt tetras are also a little larger. They are genetic offshoots of black skirt tetras. Long-finned skirt tetras may have brighter hues than the black skirt tetras, but they also share similar patterns. Here are a few of the Skirt Tetra species you will find: – Long-Finned Skirt Tetra Owing to black skirt tetras’ popularity and record with aquarists, you will find many of them at your local pet store. Due to their ease of care and massive popularity, petticoat tetras are readily available at your local pet store. Across the globe, black skirt tetras go by many names, a few of which are black widow tetra, blackamoor, and petticoat tetra. But being dark doesn’t mean that they are less beautiful than the other bright, colorful tetras.įrom Argentina, Brazil, and the Paraguay River Basin, these fish are rift through South America. However, unlike most members of the Characidae family, these tetras have a much darker appearance. How to Ensure Your Black Skirt Tetra Is Healthyīlack Skirt Tetra is also referred to as Gymnocorymbus ternetzi and is a member of the Characidae family.– What Happens as Black Skirt Tetras Age?.– How to Condition Black Skirt Tetra For Breeding.– How to Distinguish Between Male and Female Black Tetras.