Raphaels with Tetras

greenmonkey51 · Post by **greenmonkey51** » 08 Oct 2005, 21:03

Are either of the 2 raphael cats ok with tetras and cories. I can only see a problem at night when the tetras are sleeping and the raphaels are out.

Post by **corybreed** » 08 Oct 2005, 21:12

You answered your own question. Once the lights go off the tetras will be fair game for the raphaels. You will have to find some Characins that are too large for the raphaels to swallow.

Mark

Post by **medaka** » 08 Oct 2005, 22:00

2 raphael cats

Hi
Can you give us the size of these raphael cats, and the size of your aquaria.
It may help when advising on which characins to keep with them, sort of what type that maybe available from most LFS, that you could buy that would increase in size along with your raphaels.

sidguppy · Post by **sidguppy** » 09 Oct 2005, 12:21

Any highbuild Characin will be perfectly safe.

think about fish like Hyphessobrycon rosaceus and H erythrostigma, Astyanax sp "Colomba" (blue with red fins) and other mediumsized Astyanax, Gymnocorymbus socolofi and G ternetzi, Poptella spp, larger Moenkhausia pitteri, Ctenobrycon spilurus, larger Hatchetfish like Gasteropelecus and Thoracocharax, the pretty Headstander Chilodus punctatus and the like.

or go for bigger Characins alltogether like the pretty, but very docile Hemiodus and Hemiodopsis.
they like a long tank, as they're agile active swimmers.
other possibilities are Abramites, the headstanders Anostomus (A ternetzi and A trimaculatus stay smaller), Tetragonopterus (if you can get them, they're fantastic!)...

Of course, if you got a big tank, and live plants don't do it for you and Metynnis (silverdollar) might do it for you; they're very peaceful and harmless to Corydoras.

SorubimLima · Post by **SorubimLima** » 06 Feb 2006, 01:40

If you must have tetras, then I suggest a larger tetra, like a bleeding heart or blind cave tetra, then the bleeding heart would be okay with caution and the blind cave tetras would be fine if they are all full grown. I'm not an expert but I have seen very thick blind caves bordering on 4 inches. Just a little advice,
SorubimLima

Post by **Shane** » 06 Feb 2006, 04:17

Once the lights go off the tetras will be fair game for the raphaels.

I realize I may have an "abnormal" situation, but here is my experience. "Lucky" (striped raphael, Platydoras costatus) came in as a less than one inch fish that I got for free. He (she?) was so small he was actually hidden in an Amazon sword plant I bought. I only found the fish when I planted the sword in my 55 gallon display and Lucky swam free (so much for quarantine). A year later Lucky is an easy 6 inches and still lives with the same 12 cardinal tetras that were placed in the tank shortly after him (her?).
Why the name Lucky? The Amazon sword was not packed in water. I have no idea how the fish survived as I ran several errands between the LFS and home.
-Shane