# Red Eye or Serpae Tetra eating the entire tail off my fish !!!!!



## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

I have had a number of smaller fish die with the entire tail bitten off in my 75 gallon tank. 
I'm not talking about a little fin nipping but rather the entire tail missing!!! 

Most recent changes to the tank is that. 

1. I added 10 Serpae Tetra previously had maybe 4 or 5 in there without a problem. 

2. Added 5 Red eye Tetras ( did not have any before) 

If I was guessing I would think the red eye tetra since I did not have any of these in the tank before however the Serpae is listed on liveaquaria as Semi-aggressive. So I'm not really sure. 

Does anyone have experience with these 2 fish killing other fish by eating the tail off? 

Thanks.


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

Is it fish or do you have a case of tail rot?


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## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

Nlewis said:


> Is it fish or do you have a case of tail rot?


Seem like the entire tail fin is missing like overnight then the fish dies. 

Is fin rot all the fins for just the tail fin? 

Thanks.


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

Overwatch said:


> Seem like the entire tail fin is missing like overnight then the fish dies.
> 
> Is fin rot all the fins for just the tail fin?
> 
> Thanks.


It can affect all the fins, what other fish do you have? I mean serpae tetras can be nippy but I can see them being that bad.

Take some pictures


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## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

Nlewis said:


> It can affect all the fins, what other fish do you have? I mean serpae tetras can be nippy but I can see them being that bad.
> 
> Take some pictures


Picture a fish with no tail down to the raw stub of a tail. I will try to take a picture but its as I described. 3 black Neon, 1 Rosy Tetra, 1 Orange Von Rio Tetra, have all died like this over the past week. Probably more that I forgot. 

Do you have Sepera or Red eye Tetras in your tank? 

Thanks.


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## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

I have serpae's in a couple tanks and never had any issues with them, I don't think it's a fish issue.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

Fish won't die after having their tail nipped off. 

Disease or poor water quality is the culprit.


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## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

Nlewis said:


> It can affect all the fins, what other fish do you have? I mean serpae tetras can be nippy but I can see them being that bad.
> 
> Take some pictures


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## darklord (Feb 22, 2015)

Any other inhabitants? My worst aggression experience come from cute little pea size puffer.

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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

The other question is have you seen them alive and missing tails? 

Perhaps something is nibbling on the dead flesh.


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## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

longgonedaddy said:


> The other question is have you seen them alive and missing tails?
> 
> Perhaps something is nibbling on the dead flesh.


I have seen alive and missing tails. 

Ony new fish are the red eye tetra and added more serpae Tetra to the ones in the tank already. This thing happen to many other fish. 

Thanks.


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## longgonedaddy (Dec 9, 2012)

You seem to be having a lot of calamities in your tank, based on your posts over the past few weeks. My guess is that most, if not all, of the problems aren't due to your livestock choices, but rather tank conditions. 

If you truly want help, you'll need to be forthright about the following questions, as in other posts, you've been evasive with your answers. What is your total livestock roster? What is your maintenance routine? Water parameters? Tank dimensions? Substrate? You have plants, what is your fert dosing schedule? How Long has this tank been set up? What is your experience level keeping fish?


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## DigityDog70 (Jan 20, 2017)

Have 8 Serpae, 10 cherry barbs, 7 rummy heads and a bunch of corydoras, never had any issues. Serpae do chase each other around and this is in a 55 Gal with lots of hiding spots. 


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## Mallory Chaput (Jul 2, 2018)

I am having the same problem in my 40 gallon tank that is cycled and I do weekly water changes and water chemistry is perfect. Every new tetra species I put in this tank gets its tail chewed off and they struggle to swim and die of infection. I have 10 serpaes and 6 red eyes, and they never seem to bother each other. Only other fish, I see them chase the ottos.


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## Discusluv (Dec 24, 2017)

As a species, characins are well-known fin nippers in the aquarium. No big surprise here. And, of the particular varieties within the species, the Serpae tetras are one of the most notorious for engaging in this behavior. The Red-eye tetra is also frequently a characin that will engage in this behavior.

A big misconception: Just because they "are fine" citizens in one tank will not make them fine in another. 
Variables will change the dynamic in an aquarium: particular occupants, school size, size of tank, etc...

Tetras are gregarious and often live in LARGE schools in the wild-- this instinct doesn't alter in an aquarium. If they are not kept in adequate numbers in the aquarium they often will feel stressed which may increase fin nipping behaviors. But, even at adequate numbers, if kept with fish with trailing fins ( guppies, angelfish, etc...) or incompatible fish ( differing levels of aggression) , fin nipping may occur.

If you are choosing to keep a characin that is notorious for fin nipping, I would stick to one type in a large school the aquarium. Dont keep fish with this tetra that has longer fins that this fish will find enticing. 

Here is an article that may be of interest to you: 
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/blog/articles/the-10-worst-community-fish-of-all-time


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