# Lemon Tetras; Love 'em or dislike 'em?



## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Have you had, or presently have Lemon Tetras? Do you Love 'em or dislike 'em and *why*? 

I have read a lot of people find them to be a fun tetra with nice coloring, and others have stated just the opposite. I am sure like most fish, the environment has plenty to do with the coloring and behavior of the fish. And of course, in the end, it all comes down to personal preference. Still, I thought it would be interesting to have folks tell those of us that are interested in Lemon Tetras about their personal experience with this species.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Taking a front seat for this one...lol


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## reddhawkk (Dec 28, 2011)

I love mine, they are a great schooling fish!


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

I like them. They're placid, hardy, and if you keep them in the right conditions (low-light, soft, acidic) their colors really come through.


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## mcaquatic (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi amanda to answer your question. I think I just expected more from them. They are good looking fish and when I compare mine to pictures online there color seems just as good. I guess I wanted more yellow though. I think when i get better quality bulbs it will make a big difference. My tank is mod to heavily planted. They are just not doing much for me.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I like big rowdy fish but that is just a personal problem! My granddaughter does love her "Lemondrop".


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your opinions! I love it! Keep them coming  
Oh...and lemondrops...haHa! That's exactly what my 5 year old said they looked like!


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

mcaquatic said:


> Hi amanda to answer your question. I think I just expected more from them. They are good looking fish and when I compare mine to pictures online there color seems just as good. I guess I wanted more yellow though. I think when i get better quality bulbs it will make a big difference. My tank is mod to heavily planted. They are just not doing much for me.


Hmmm, that's too bad. They do appear to be more on the transparent side with a hint of yellow throughout. Is that what they look like to you? You probably already have seen the Electric Yellow Lab Cichlid (and it's not a schooling fish), but thought I'd mention it just so you could take a look-see if you haven't seen them. Talk about awesomely yellow!
Thank you for your thorough input


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> Taking a front seat for this one...lol


I knew you would! I was planning on it 



reddhawkk said:


> I love mine, they are a great schooling fish!


They school better than most other tetras such as Skirts, Phantoms, Bleeding Hearts, and Von Rios, I believe. Have you found this to be true in your tank? 



LB79 said:


> I like them. They're placid, hardy, and if you keep them in the right conditions (low-light, soft, acidic) their colors really come through.


Sounds like they will love my tank! Low light, soft and acidic. Perfect


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## Basilisk (Mar 1, 2004)

I've noticed the Lemon Tetra has somewhat of a tendency to school with other species. The more they resemble in size and shape, the stronger it is. Put them with Pristellas - another loose schooler - and you'll be watching a mess probably more than 80% of the time.

But a very nice tetra indeed.


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## mcaquatic (Apr 26, 2010)

Amandas tank said:


> Hmmm, that's too bad. They do appear to be more on the transparent side with a hint of yellow throughout. Is that what they look like to you? You probably already have seen the Electric Yellow Lab Cichlid (and it's not a schooling fish), but thought I'd mention it just so you could take a look-see if you haven't seen them. Talk about awesomely yellow!
> Thank you for your thorough input



I did africans for years, years ago. I think it more comes down to I am more of a large fish person. I have lemons, black neons, roselines, and Laetacara araguaiae, gold ring hillstream loach, and some others in my tank. The lemons are my least favorite.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Basilisk said:


> I've noticed the Lemon Tetra has somewhat of a tendency to school with other species. The more they resemble in size and shape, the stronger it is. Put them with Pristellas - another loose schooler - and you'll be watching a mess probably more than 80% of the time.
> 
> But a very nice tetra indeed.


That's good to know! Thank you!



mcaquatic said:


> I did africans for years, years ago. I think it more comes down to I am more of a large fish person. I have lemons, black neons, roselines, and Laetacara araguaiae, gold ring hillstream loach, and some others in my tank. The lemons are my least favorite.


Talking large fish, my favorite is the Crossback Gold or Red Arowana. I tell ya, if my husband loved fish as much as I do, we would so build a humongous tank for an arowana!

Thanks for sharing your opinion regarding the Lemon Tetra!


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## mcaquatic (Apr 26, 2010)

Amandas tank said:


> That's good to know! Thank you!
> 
> 
> Talking large fish, my favorite is the Crossback Gold or Red Arowana. I tell ya, if my husband loved fish as much as I do, we would so build a humongous tank for an arowana!
> ...


Asian aros are gorgeous. Too bad they are not legal in the US.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

mcaquatic said:


> Asian aros are gorgeous. Too bad they are not legal in the US.


Wow...I've seen them online and did a little reading on. Never knew they were illegal in US until now. That's too bad.


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## mcaquatic (Apr 26, 2010)

the silver, black, jardini, leichardti, and african (not a true aro) are legal tho.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

mcaquatic said:


> the silver, black, jardini, leichardti, and african (not a true aro) are legal tho.


Not as striking IMO but at least we can have _something_ hu? Do you know why the Asian Arowana is illegal? I could go look it up myself, but in case you already know, I don't have to


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## PamAndJim (Sep 15, 2010)

FWIW I love Lemon Tetras. I used to have 27 in my 55g. Sadly I lost them all in one day due to a stupid mistake on my part. Shortly after that I got some Rummies (which I love) and some Black Phantoms. I really wanted to like the Black Phantoms, but find myself regretting not getting more Lemons. I am now in the process of setting up a new 125 gallon tank. When it's time to move the fish over the BFs are going back to the lfs and I am getting more Lemons. As far as the color goes, I had mine for about a year and they had some excellent color, far different than when you see them in a store.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I went to my lfs this morning to see how their stock looked - they had one lemon tetra and it was quite pretty - the fins had bright, solid, and distinct color and the body was a translucent lemon drop color. They also carry Gold tetras all the time, and even though everything I read say fry won't get the gold sheen (it is apparently due to a reaction to parasites in the waters of wild caught fish) they are still spectacular! They schooled as tightly as rummys and looked like they were dipped in liquid plate colored like platinum/gold. Staying under 2" is adult size, I'm going to QT a bunch for a 29g. I pulled some pics off the internet, these may be a fair substitution for lemons?


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> They schooled as tightly as rummys and looked like they were dipped in liquid plate colored like platinum/gold. Staying under 2" is adult size, I'm going to QT a bunch for a 29g. I pulled some pics off the internet, these may be a fair substitution for lemons?


Hmmm...interesting. It's not too often fish keepers actually want "Infected wild caught fish" but with this fish, sounds like that's the way to go if you want a trully golden fish! Platinum gold (silver) is quite nice too. Schooling as good as Rummy Nose is a plus! You'll have to LMK what you think of them after they've settled in your tank DriftwoodHunter. I am still on the track of Lemon Tetras. Maybe it's the name...Afterall. I do loooooove lemons :tongue:
:hihi: 

I am going to give them a try. Perhaps 15+. Nice thing with our LFS is if the fish don't turn out to be just what ya were looking for, you can exchange them for something else.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

PamAndJim said:


> FWIW I love Lemon Tetras. I used to have 27 in my 55g. Sadly I lost them all in one day due to a stupid mistake on my part. Shortly after that I got some Rummies (which I love) and some Black Phantoms. I really wanted to like the Black Phantoms, but find myself regretting not getting more Lemons. I am now in the process of setting up a new 125 gallon tank. When it's time to move the fish over the BFs are going back to the lfs and I am getting more Lemons. As far as the color goes, I had mine for about a year and they had some excellent color, far different than when you see them in a store.


Ahhh that's too bad you lost them all. What happened (if you don't mind me asking...if you do, don't answer)? The Black Phantoms don't really school do they? They are a shoalng species instead I believe and they are pretty, but lemon'y yellow is nearly unbeatable isn't it


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I am going to give them a try. Perhaps 15+. Nice thing with our LFS is if the fish don't turn out to be just what ya were looking for, you can exchange them for something else.

That's one thing my lfs won't do. They have a three day warranty on fish, and NO warranty at all on special order fish.

I need to do more reading as I was just skipping though earlier, but I think the parasite is found in the water, the fish creates some kind of protective barrier which in turn creates the sheen & color. Tank raised fry don't get the sheen/gold color because the parasite isn't present - it's in the water, not the fish itself. I've also read that wild caught fish can loose the sheen and gold color, leaving a bright silver look after a few years due to the absence of the parasitic water. I may have that all screwed up though - lol.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> I am going to give them a try. Perhaps 15+. Nice thing with our LFS is if the fish don't turn out to be just what ya were looking for, you can exchange them for something else.
> 
> That's one thing my lfs won't do. They have a three day warranty on fish, and NO warranty at all on special order fish.
> 
> I need to do more reading as I was just skipping though earlier, but I think the parasite is found in the water, the fish creates some kind of protective barrier which in turn creates the sheen & color. Tank raised fry don't get the sheen/gold color because the parasite isn't present - it's in the water, not the fish itself. I've also read that wild caught fish can loose the sheen and gold color, leaving a bright silver look after a few years due to the absence of the parasitic water. I may have that all screwed up though - lol.


Nope! I think you've got it right! I read the same thing. I immediately looked them up after you mentioned them. (I love looking up fish :biggrin Too bad about your LFS. Gosh...first they try to cheap you out on your Columbians then they won't give more leg-room for exchanges. I realize more and more all the time just how awesome our LFS guys are. Things are quite spendy, but it's a good trade off to have an ever-lasting revolving door policy with fish. I've had my Denison Barbs for months and months! Maybe a year???? And they are going to take them back this week.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I've noticed my lfs doesn't QT anything - when the shipments come in, they acclimate them directly into the sales tanks. They will take fish back, but it's a different set up. They consider it to be like buying my Columbians. If they have a need for them, if they look pristine, they will consider giving you a small store credit - 25 or 50 cents a fish. Certainly not a revolving door policy on purchases. I don't know, But I'd bet your lfs is rather unique on that!


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> I don't know, But I'd bet your lfs is rather unique on that!


I'm thinking so too. The owners are a wonderful couple and are so understanding and helpful. They even let you exchange dog coats when the puppy outgrows them! We have a Petco too. They opened just under a year ago. Other than products the LFS doesn't carry I won't shop there for anything else(especially fish). I won't simply because of good measure. Their prices are cheaper on a lot of items, but the LFS has always been so kind and considerate I actually felt like I was "cheating" on them when I browsed Petco the first few times HaHa!


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## PamAndJim (Sep 15, 2010)

Amandas tank said:


> Ahhh that's too bad you lost them all. What happened (if you don't mind me asking...if you do, don't answer)? The Black Phantoms don't really school do they? They are a shoalng species instead I believe and they are pretty, but lemon'y yellow is nearly unbeatable isn't it


It happened during the summer of 2011 aka the hottest summer in Dallas Fort Worth history. I did a water change and didn't pay attention to the temp of the water going back into the tank and it got too hot. I have no idea how hot it actually got, but when I got home from work the next day (the first time I was able to look at the tank since the wc) The temp was still 97 degrees and all 27 of my Lemons were dead. Ever since then I always have a bag of ice at the ready and make sure check the temp of the water coming from the tap several times.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

@PamAndJim "Oh man that must have been terrible! Sorry to hear that. Good you are prepared if something like this shall ever arise again." 

So fish came in my LFS today. Checked out the Lemons. Right now they are so stressed and colorless I hardly recognized them! I thought they were Pristellas! They are super tiny juveniles. 

One thing he said that caught me by suprise was that they are agressive. What???? Anyone experience this? I have known him for years and he is honest and knowledgable about fish temperments. Great guy! Perhaps he's talking if there is only 6 or less? I couldn't ask him to elaborate because I was in a hurry. If I got some I wouldn't get less than 15, 30 being most.


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## daz4321 (Apr 1, 2012)

I had a shoal of 20 lemons in a 5ftx2ftx2ft tank and they decimated my cherry shrimp population over time, they would all gang up on one shrimp and pull it to pieces and then onto the next, so they had to go.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

daz4321 said:


> I had a shoal of 20 lemons in a 5ftx2ftx2ft tank and they decimated my cherry shrimp population over time, they would all gang up on one shrimp and pull it to pieces and then onto the next, so they had to go.


Whoa! That is extremely important! My family loves shrimp and in a year we were going to get some! Okay!!!! Too bad, because I really thought these were the fish for our tank. I love what I have read and seen so far up until the shrimpies. 

Before I make a final descision, was your tank heavily planted so the shrimp had places to hang out/hide? Just curious if the Lemons were lurking through the plants hunting them.


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## Basilisk (Mar 1, 2004)

Amandas tank said:


> So fish came in my LFS today. Checked out the Lemons. Right now they are so stressed and colorless I hardly recognized them! I thought they were Pristellas! They are super tiny juveniles.
> 
> One thing he said that caught me by suprise was that they are agressive. What???? Anyone experience this? I have known him for years and he is honest and knowledgable about fish temperments. Great guy! Perhaps he's talking if there is only 6 or less? I couldn't ask him to elaborate because I was in a hurry. If I got some I wouldn't get less than 15, 30 being most.


Hi,

I wouldn't tag them aggressive. There's some intraspecific aggression in the Lemon Tetra, just their protocolary arguments to decide the pecking order. I would say, from experience only, that this aggression is noticeably more than in neons and other tetras with weak character, but not even close to serpaes. It seems to me that in larger groups (15+) they are busier among themselves trying to settle their sixes and sevens and ignore most other fish.

I think you should get them.


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## mcaquatic (Apr 26, 2010)

Amandas tank said:


> Not as striking IMO but at least we can have _something_ hu? Do you know why the Asian Arowana is illegal? I could go look it up myself, but in case you already know, I don't have to



CITES protected. They are considered good luck to own so they were over harvested in the wild to the point that they were endangered. Even though they are readily bred in farms we cannot have them here. Canada can though.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Basilisk said:


> Hi,
> 
> I wouldn't tag them aggressive. There's some intraspecific aggression in the Lemon Tetra, just their protocolary arguments to decide the pecking order. I would say, from experience only, that this aggression is noticeably more than in neons and other tetras with weak character, but not even close to serpaes. It seems to me that in larger groups (15+) they are busier among themselves trying to settle their sixes and sevens and ignore most other fish.
> 
> I think you should get them.


Oh well that's no problem at all. I think I'd get 20-30 then just to be sure they have plenty to do among eachother gnoring the Angels and Betta  Thanks!



mcaquatic said:


> CITES protected. They are considered good luck to own so they were over harvested in the wild to the point that they were endangered. Even though they are readily bred in farms we cannot have them here. Canada can though.


Hmmm. That's neat. Another new fact about these beauties. Thank you for sharing!


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## daz4321 (Apr 1, 2012)

Amandas tank said:


> Whoa! That is extremely important! My family loves shrimp and in a year we were going to get some! Okay!!!! Too bad, because I really thought these were the fish for our tank. I love what I have read and seen so far up until the shrimpies.
> 
> Before I make a final descision, was your tank heavily planted so the shrimp had places to hang out/hide? Just curious if the Lemons were lurking through the plants hunting them.


yes heavy planted and plenty of bogwood, loads of hidey holes. in fact so many that i lost a full grown ancistrus for two weeks in there(thats with me checking multiple times a day for it and the tank being veiwable from 3 sides)


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

daz4321 said:


> yes heavy planted and plenty of bogwood, loads of hidey holes. in fact so many that i lost a full grown ancistrus for two weeks in there(thats with me checking multiple times a day for it and the tank being veiwable from 3 sides)


Wow. Do you know if yours were tank bred or Wild caught? I don't know but maybe if they are wild caught or F1's or F2's they'd have more of a drive to hunt their own prey?


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## 02redz28 (Jan 16, 2011)

I've had Lemons numerous times in my community tanks over the years. They are great fish that add a splash of color with that bright red eye and gold body. I'm big into eye color these days and I've got 5 colors in my tank at the moment from blue to green and red. I also agree with the comments about their schooling. They are just like pristillas in that they are loose schoolers often hanging out with other critters of smilar disposition.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Okay thank you  I am not familiar with how Pristella school...but I have had Serpae Tetras, White Skirt and Black Skirt Tetras as well as Glowlights and Rummynose. Can you tell me which of the above species compare to the schooling behavior of Lemon Tetras?


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## Big O (Jun 28, 2011)

*i have one*

First of all, your HOT!

He or she killed the other two I had. And now he's the only one in my 29 community planted. I love tho.
Cheers,
big o


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Big O said:


> First of all, your HOT!
> 
> He or she killed the other two I had. And now he's the only one in my 29 community planted. I love tho.
> Cheers,
> big o


:redface: Oh My G..:redface: HaHA. Thanks....Awe too bad there's only 1 left.


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## 02redz28 (Jan 16, 2011)

Amandas tank said:


> Okay thank you  I am not familiar with how Pristella school...but I have had Serpae Tetras, White Skirt and Black Skirt Tetras as well as Glowlights and Rummynose. Can you tell me which of the above species compare to the schooling behavior of Lemon Tetras?


Not as aggressive as black skirts or serpae tetras. Not as tight schooling as rummy nose. Sorta like glowlights in that they will drift around the tank but keep their buddies in eye sight.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

02redz28 said:


> Not as aggressive as black skirts or serpae tetras. Not as tight schooling as rummy nose. Sorta like glowlights in that they will drift around the tank but keep their buddies in eye sight.


Oh okay! Thank you  Now I totally have the picture of what they'd look like in my tank.


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## Algae Beater (Jun 3, 2011)

IMO a decent group of lemon tetras in a blackwater tank is one of the prettiest examples of tetras i can think of


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Algae Beater said:


> IMO a decent group of lemon tetras in a blackwater tank is one of the prettiest examples of tetras i can think of


They do look great in blackwater. I just watched a couple vids of them in this biotope setup.


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## Basilisk (Mar 1, 2004)

02redz28 said:


> Not as aggressive as black skirts or serpae tetras. Not as tight schooling as rummy nose. Sorta like glowlights in that they will drift around the tank but keep their buddies in eye sight.


Kind of, yes. But to me, the Lemon is in a higher tier of boldness/confidence. The glowlight is a little more wary, but not in the wuss tier with neons who usually choose to hide among the plants.

I'd say they resemble the drifty behaviour of glowlights, but with the boldness of black neons (which school differently).

Just talking about them makes me want to have them again. 

There's _something_ about the Lemon. People who have enjoyed keeping them will agree.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Basilisk said:


> There's _something_ about the Lemon. People who have enjoyed keeping them will agree.


There really must be because you are far from the first person who has said this!


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## NeonRob (May 1, 2008)

Hey Amanda,

Here is my planted 75 w/ 100+ Lemon Tetras in it. Hopefully, this will answer your question about schooling behavior. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU7NeHYgFA0&feature=plcp

I love 'em! My passion for the hobby is breeding Tetras. This tank could have been filled w/ all Neon or Cardinals that I have breed, but right now I have chosen to put my Lemons on display, because they are:

1) Very beautiful. The more mature they get, the more the body yellows up. The striped finnage is striking as well.
2) Very friendly. They don't pick on themselves or other fish. They don't even eat the runts of the litter like Buenos Aires & Head & Tail Lights do.
3) Social behavior. While they might not be the tightest schooling Tetra, they do school tightly when they need to (scared) and are stunning to see as a group especially in a planted tank.

IMO, you just can't go wrong with this species.

Best of luck,
Rob


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

That's a cool video - and in your case, the Lemons seem to prefer the upper levels of the tank. I find it's hard to get fish that like the upper levels - this could really help fill out a tank.


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## NeonRob (May 1, 2008)

Maybe they were hungry at the time of the video shoot and were expecting to get fed? LOL!


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

NeonRob said:


> Hey Amanda,
> 
> Here is my planted 75 w/ 100+ Lemon Tetras in it. Hopefully, this will answer your question about schooling behavior.
> 
> ...


Wow thank you Rob! Good display of lemons! Tons of them!!! I imagine by their schooling behavior in their own personal tank, they would tighten up in a tank with Angel fish. They school quite well without a possible threat in your tank. Very nice. They are beautiful.


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## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

I have 8 of them in now with my angels...they are over Pool Filter Sand as a substrate in a heavily planted tank. They are a bit subdued but pretty.

They shool decent when they aren't chasing eachother. Overall I like them but they lack that POP that I'm looking for.

Can't go wrong with them if you want something a little more subdued. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldve done HY511 Tetras or 5 banded Barbs. I chose the Lemon over these 2 becuase I wanted something Subdued. I now regret it.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Thank you for your description. Because they are subdued (which I too have noticed in youtube videos) I am going with a different species. I too am looking for a pop of color. But, not over the top, so I am leaning towards Diamond Tetras. The HY511 Tetras are commonly called Rosy Tetras...this is correct right? If so, I have been thinking about these fish too. A loose shoal dotted about the lower level of the tank would be quite nice I think. As well as the RedBack Bleeding Heart Tetra.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Thank you everyone for sharing your feelings regarding these cute little tetras! I appreciate your opinions. Sounds like this Tetra is good fun and overall, a nice addition to a community tank. I have decided to pass on them for my tank though, because I am looking for something with a bit more color then these guys offer. Some people have had great color with these, but it seems most have not.

Thanks again!!!


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## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

HY511 are actually different from Rosy's'. Rosy Tetras are a bit darker with Black tips on the fins. They also exhibit grey beneath the back portion of the fins.

HY511 are in the "rosy" tetra complex with the Phantom Tetras and other similarly shaped tetras. The difference between these and Rosy's'are a more vibrant pink base color, White tips on the fins, and Red Highlights under the white tips. As a maater of fact, some places call these "white tip Rosy tetras" though its not always an accurate description.

These are IMO nuch nicer than your standard Rosy tetra.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

robxc80 said:


> HY511 are actually different from Rosy's'. Rosy Tetras are a bit darker with Black tips on the fins. They also exhibit grey beneath the back portion of the fins.
> 
> HY511 are in the "rosy" tetra complex with the Phantom Tetras and other similarly shaped tetras. The difference between these and Rosy's'are a more vibrant pink base color, White tips on the fins, and Red Highlights under the white tips. As a maater of fact, some places call these "white tip Rosy tetras" though its not always an accurate description.
> 
> These are IMO nuch nicer than your standard Rosy tetra.


Oh okay! I will go check them out


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I once saw HY511s at a lfs about an hour away - my friends & I stood in front of the display tank, amazed. The pink grapefruit type of color and the finnage was outstanding. They were far more expensive than I would spend on a fish at that time (and maybe now too). At the time they were running just under $8 each.


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## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

They have come down quite a bit due to the ease of breeding them. Thatpetplace has them for 2.99 a piece right now and they have a BUNCH of them.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

hey! That's good to hear - I would love to have some in any tank - they are that beautiful.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> hey! That's good to hear - I would love to have some in any tank - they are that beautiful.


 Sooooo...since you have seen these in person, and it is obvious you know what fish I love, would I love 20+ of these in my tank?


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't know if they school or not - the ones we saw were in what looked to be a 29g tank that had absolutely nothing in it, other than what was needed for filtration and all they did (10 or 12 of them total) was hover in the center of the tank - but their color was ethereal. The pink body color was so delicate, and the fins were so bold. The white of the fins was very opaque and bright. I fell in love with them. Pink is my favorite color though and that helped - lol. If I could afford to stock one of my 29s with them as a species tank I would, even if they never shoaled - just because they look so unique to me.

I found this video on youtube - I hope it's ok to link to someone else's vids?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njzd-GTmyUA&feature=related


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

I think it is okay. If someone puts stuff on the internet without water marking or stating it is copyrighted, then it's free for dispersal (as far as I know this is the way it works) 

These fish are at my LFS and I love them. I thought they were rosy Tetra, so all this time, I have been talking about possibly adding _these_ fish to the tank to shoal at the bottom. HaHa! I never knew. So, yeah, I love them  

Purple is my favorite color...hence why I decided to go with the Diamond Tetras...the males get pretty lavendar finnage as they mature. I would have loooooooved that! I just can't see adding 20+ of a species that won't school together. I would hate to have a "dotted tank", as I call it. I like movement; flow, a swaying appearance if you know what I mean.


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## driftwoodhunter (Jul 1, 2011)

Oh yes, I get the whole flow thing - I love a tank of schoolers/shoalers. I grew up on the Connecticut coast of Long Island Sound and nothing was better than diving & seeing schools of fish flow like flocks of birds during a fall migration - there's something so beautiful and relaxing about it. I still want Diamond Tetras, even if they don't school - lol. The HY511 look to be a smaller fish, and I need a small fish for my 29g tanks - there simply isn't enough length for a fish that likes to cruise back & forth. You're lucky your lfs has them - they are still rare to see here. I'm going to pester my store again and ask them if they can get them & at what quantity price breaks ; )


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

driftwoodhunter said:


> Oh yes, I get the whole flow thing - I love a tank of schoolers/shoalers. I grew up on the Connecticut coast of Long Island Sound and nothing was better than diving & seeing schools of fish flow like flocks of birds during a fall migration - there's something so beautiful and relaxing about it. I still want Diamond Tetras, even if they don't school - lol. The HY511 look to be a smaller fish, and I need a small fish for my 29g tanks - there simply isn't enough length for a fish that likes to cruise back & forth. You're lucky your lfs has them - they are still rare to see here. I'm going to pester my store again and ask them if they can get them & at what quantity price breaks ; )


Perfect analogy! Like flocks of birds. With my incredible LFS revolving door policy, tonight as I try to sleep, I can't stop thinking about trying the Diamonds anyway and seeing if their behavior works in my tank. I wouldn't be getting htem ntil the plants are in the tank and then not until after things start to take hold, so I have awhile yet. But then, I may just see about trying them for several months and if they don't work out, trade them for something else. I am tired of traiding fish though LOL! I have gone through 5-8 species in 2 years!


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## robxc80 (Aug 4, 2009)

HY511 tetras will be more like your dots. Most tetras will be that way. Only good schoolers are Rummy's, Penguins, and Cardinals. Funny thing is, Cardinals school better when there is little to no aquascape in the tank.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

robxc80 said:


> HY511 tetras will be more like your dots. Most tetras will be that way. Only good schoolers are Rummy's, Penguins, and Cardinals. Funny thing is, Cardinals school better when there is little to no aquascape in the tank.


The HY511's will be perfect than for my dots at the lower level of the tank right? In youtube vids, they appear to most often be at the bottom. Thanks!


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Speaking of Lemons, I started with a group of 7, then had a pH crash in the tank, leaving me with 2. From those 2 back in 2008, I now have about 85-95 offspring. They just won't stop shaggin. I can't give them away fast enough. But they're nice peaceful fish that get along well with anything and don't seem to be phased by a bit of aggression.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

exv152 said:


> Speaking of Lemons, I started with a group of 7, then had a pH crash in the tank, leaving me with 2. From those 2 back in 2008, I now have about 85-95 offspring. They just won't stop shaggin. I can't give them away fast enough. But they're nice peaceful fish that get along well with anything and don't seem to be phased by a bit of aggression.


LOL! Dang shaggin lemons anyway  That's amazing they breed so regularly. Have you checked with the local LFS's to see if they would buy them?


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