Black Skirt Tetra Care: Tank Mates, Tank Size, Tank Setup, Food, Breeding
Black Skirt Tetra might be the precise choice for your freshwater aquarium if you are looking for a peaceful and hardy fish to add to your tank.
Their small size, gentle nature, and gray-silvery hue make them an excellent addition to your fish tank. Read along with this article to discover why these fish species are popular with aquarium fishkeepers.
We also provide you with a detailed description of their origin, temperament, tank conditions and setup, diet, and not forgetting suitable Black Skirt Tetra tankmates.
By the time you’re through with this Black Skirt Tetra care guide, you will have all information required to house this fish in your freshwater aquarium.
| Quick Facts: | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | : Black Skirt Tetra, Black Tetra, Petticoat Tetra, High-fin Black Skirt Tetra, Black Widow Tetra and Blackamoor |
| Origin | : Warn water bodies in South America |
| Family | : Characidae |
| Scientific Name | : Gymnocorymbus ternetzi |
| Care Level | : Moderate |
| Temperament | : Peaceful |
| Social | : Schooling fish |
| Diet | : Omnivores |
| Size (average) | : 1 - 2.5 inches |
| Lifespan | : 3 to 5 years |
| Breeding | : Egglayer |
| Minimum Tank Size | : 15 gallons |
| Tank Environment | : Freshwater, Dark substrate, Rocks, Driftwood, Live aquarium plants |
| Temperature | : 70 – 85 °F (21 – 29 °C) |
| Water Hardness | : 4 - 8 dKH |
| Water pH Level | : 6.0 - 7.5 |
Overview of Black Skirt Tetra
Black Skirt Tetra is from the Characidae family. While the other family members are famous for their vibrant coloration, Petticoat Tetra is known for its dark silvery appearance.
It is scientifically referred to as Gymnocorymbus ternetzi and is a freshwater fish initially found in South America’s rivers. It goes by many names, and they include Black Widow Tetra, Blackamoor, Black Tetra, and Petticoat Tetra.
They are omnivorous, meaning that they eat both plants and meat. In their native habitat, they eat anything that crosses their path, from mosquito larvae, insects, worms, and water plants.
Black Skirt Tetra Size
Black Widow Tetra size is small and is a favorite among fish keepers because of their size, making it possible to house several in the same tank and tankmates. And like most Tetra species, this fish doesn’t get big.
The average mature Black Skirt Tetra size is around 2.5 inches. To reach their maximum size you must provide their optimal care, failure to give them good care your Black Skirt Tetra size will not grow up to 2.5 inches even in their mature age.
Also, this may affect your fish’s lifespan, so ensure that you are giving optimal care for better health and to get max Black Skirt Tetra size. Although rare situations, some can grow up to 3 inches, primarily observed in the ones that are found in the wild.
Black Skirt Tetra Lifespan
How long your fish lives is determined by the type of care you avail. If you provided less than optimal, it’s clear that your Black Skirt Tetra lifespan will be shortened.
But if you provide optimal care, your fish will outlive its intended years, giving you back your money’s worth. The average Black Skirt Tetra lifespan ranges from 3 to 5 years in an aquarium.
In some rare instances, the fish have been reported to live for over five years. Therefore, ensure that you provide your fish with a well-maintained tank, quality water, and a stress-free environment to see them live up to 5 years or beyond.
Origin, Distribution, And Availability
Black Widow Tetra originates from the warm rivers and streams of South America, particularly in Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In South America, you will mostly find Black Skirt Tetras in the Paraguay River Basin and the Guapore River.
Black Widow Tetras are successfully bred in captivity and made available worldwide. The only downside to private breeding is that the fish tend to have a shorter lifespan of 3 to 5 years compared to the wild ones.
Therefore, ensure that you mimic their natural habitat when setting up your tank and keep the water parameters at optimal conditions to guarantee a long healthy life.
If you want to house this fish species in your tank, buy from reputable aquarium fish suppliers. Black Skirt Tetra is a hardy fish that is easy to keep and raise.
However, it would help if you were vigilant with the water conditions, parameters, and temperatures as these fish species are quite sensitive to water changes.
Black Skirt Tetra Typical Behavior
Apart from their striking, long-flowing fins, Black Skirt Tetras are peaceful fish species. The funny thing is that they are also fish nippers, despite being a victim of other fish nippers.
Therefore, do not house them with other fish nippers, nor fish that have long fins.
Black Widow Tetra is a pretty active fish and moves in a school of about six. It spends its day moving around the tank, exploring the caves, driftwoods, and playing with the plants.
They move away from the group for a little while to explore on their own, but they always return. Since they stick to the middle part of the tank, make sure that the plants are tall.
It does have no parenting ability as they tend to eat Black Skirt Tetra eggs and fries; that is why breeding is done in a separate tank. And when the Black Skirt Tetra eggs are laid and fertilized, the parents are immediately returned to the main tank.
Appearance, Colors, and Special Markings
Their distinct coloration and long fins make them stand out in your freshwater tank. It is quite a task distinguishing between males and females because they share similar features apart from the long anal fin in males and the rounded belly in females.
Their active nature and translucent coloring make it an exciting aquarium fish to watch.
This fish species improves the aesthetic of your freshwater tank with its unique shape and gradient color.
It has a distinct shape that is Tetragonal and can be likened to a rectangular prism cube meaning, the front and back of the fish are different.
The front part of Black Tetra is taller than the back, and the end of the tail is tapered. The shape of their fins enhances their unique shape.
In the Tetra family, Black Skirt Tetras have the most distinct fins. The tailfin is thin and forked while the dorsal fin is small and square, and don’t forget the most dramatic of all, the anal fin, which extends from the middle down to the tail.
The anal fin is thicker near the belly and thin as it extends out, forming a quirky shape. It boasts of stunning coloration, which borders between dark gray with a translucent silvery hue at the head and darker at the rear.
The fish has two vertical stripes on the front part of the body, strikingly complementing the color’s gradient. The fish is more translucent from the head to the middle of the body and gets darker towards the rear.
Petticoat Tetra gets its name from the unique coloration. Upon closer inspection, you notice that the dark gray fins are translucently featuring tiny rays.
Breeding this fish species can be pretty daunting for a newbie as it’s rather difficult to distinguish between male and female Black Skirt Tetras. The differences are somewhat visible as they prepare to breed.
Black Skirt Tetra Care and Habitat Requirements
As we have discussed above, your Black Skirt Tetra lifespan and size are determined by the type of care and tank conditions you maintain. This fish species is very easy to please and does not require complex tank requirements.
Thus perfect for beginner fishkeepers and pros as well. When caring for this Tetra species, you must adhere to the guidelines given by the aquarium store, from setting up the tank, water, feeding, plants, and Black Skirt Tetra tank mates.
Your tank’s conditions determine the Black Skirt Tetra lifespan, so ensure that you provide your fish with optimal tank conditions and care.
Black Skirt Tetra Tank Size
The small size of this fish species makes it easy and cost-friendly for aquarists to house this fish species. The recommended Black Skirt Tetra tank size for a small group of Black Tetra is 15 gallons.
If you want to house them together with some Back Skirt Tetra tank mates, go for a 20 gallons tank or larger. Black Widow Tetra are active swimmers, and this will give them enough space to swim around.
A larger tank is always ideal as it allows you to place more aquarium plants and tankmates while providing enough room to play around.
Black Skirt Tetra Tank Setup
When setting up the aquarium you must pay attention to the lighting, substrate, and decorations as they all are a prerequisite to the fish’s health and happiness.
Suitable Lighting: This fish species does not require a robust lighting system, so outfit your tank with dim lighting. This is best as it allows the fish to display more vibrant colors.
Substrate: They prefer gravel or dark sand, which is a replication of their natural habitat. Since this fish species is rarely found at the bottom part of the pond, the substrate’s material is not as important as the color.
It would be best to add some dried leaves to accomplish the natural brown color reflection in the water. However, it would be best to replace the leaves every few weeks to avoid upsetting the water balance through decomposition.
Decorations: You need to get creative with the aquarium decorations as they improve the aesthetic appearance of your tank. It is an active swimmer; thus, it would be best to place some logs, driftwoods, and caves.
They will serve as hiding places as they swim through the plants.
Suitable Plants
Since it prefers a subdued lighting system, ensure that your aquarium plants do not require strong lighting. Also, since this fish species barely goes to the bottom of the tank.
Ensure that your plants are tall enough for the fish to explore and swim through. They should also be hardy enough to withstand snacking by the fish in between feeding.
This fish sticks in the middle part of the tank, so your plant should be tall enough to provide the fish with enough places to hide without venturing to the lower part of the aquarium.
Since they are active swimmers, it would help if you placed the plants in the background and around the tank’s perimeter, leaving the fish with enough open space to swim.
The best plants to use in a Black Skirt Tetra aquarium include:
- Anubias
- Java Fern
- Amazon Sword
- Amazon Frogbit
- Java Moss
Water Conditions and Parameters
When setting up your tank, water conditions and parameters are the most crucial point in determining your fish’s life and health. So be extra careful. You must install a robust filtration system to filter out ammonia, nitrates, and any other waste.
Black Skirt Tetras are sensitive to water parameters and cleanliness; thus, the filtration system ensures that the water is always clean. Maintaining Black Skirt Tetra temperature is also critical to avoid your fish becoming sick.
In their natural habitat of South America, the waters are warm, soft, and a little acidic, so make sure that you replicate that in your aquarium.
To maintain optimal water conditions, ensure that you change at least 25 to 50% of the water every two weeks. This helps in maintaining low levels of ammonia and nitrate.
- Temperature: 70 – 85 °F (21 – 29 °C)
- Water pH: 6.0 – 7.5
- Hardness: 4 – 8 dKH
The water in its natural habitat is warm. Therefore, outfit your tank with a heater to maintain the temperature around 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
It would be best to invest in a top-notch test kit to ensure that your reading is accurate. With the kit, you will detect any changes in water parameters and run quick interventions.
Diet and Feeding
Black Skirt Tetras are not picky eaters in their natural habitat as they feed on everything that comes their way, from plants, insects, and worms.
What Do Black Skirt Tetras Eat?
In the aquarium, the fishkeepers must carefully plan their diet and feeding schedules to guarantee a healthy and long life. You should ensure that you feed your fish with flakes or pellets, live and frozen foods, and vegetables as well.
This ensures that your fish are getting a balanced diet. The live and frozen food comprises blackworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, bloodworms, and tubifex.
The vegetables include Broccoli and Lettuce. You will also find them feeding on algae and aquarium plants.
How Often Do You Feed Black Skirt Tetras?
It would be best if you fed your Black Skirt Tetras with pellets or flakes once a day. The amount should be small, such that they can finish it within 3 to 5 minutes. Occasionally you can offer them treats such as live or frozen food.
Black Skirt Tetra Diseases
Black Skirt Tetra is no different from other freshwater fishes, as they are all prone to diseases brought about by poor water conditions and stress. These diseases include;
Ich
This is a disease that is caused by a parasite known as Ichythyophthirius. It appears as white spots on the body of Black Tetra, especially on the fin. They are so small that you must be keen to spot them. The parasite grows in poorly maintained water.
You can increase the water temperature to 86 degrees Fahrenheit to heal your kill the parasite and heal your tetras.
Dropsy
This is a condition that presents itself by swelling or bloating in fish, particularly in the abdomen. It is caused by bacteria called Aeromonas, which is always present in the aquarium but becomes a hazard once the fish has a weak immune system caused by poor water conditions and poor diet.
If it’s not detected on time, it can affect the major fish organs such as the eyes, gills, color, loss of appetite, and a lethargic fish. So ensure that you monitor your fish.
Change water weekly and continue checking on the fish’s health. And isolate the infected tetras to another tank.
Fin Rot
Fin rot affects all freshwater fish’s and Black Skirt Tetra is not an exception. The disease targets the fish’s fins and tail. It starts by discoloring the fins and tail and progresses to the body, if not detected early.
The disease is fatal, as it can lead to other infections, and it is contagious. Poor water conditions cause it. As soon as you detect fin rot, isolate the infected fish and rectify the water condition by removing decaying matter and resetting the water parameters.
The Flukes
This disease is common among Tetras and presents itself as mucus on the fish’s body and mouth. And the skin tends to redder than normal. It is caused by worms found in the tank.
You can treat your fish using potassium, but be careful when applying it as it can alter the color of the water of your aquarium.
Maintaining optimal water conditions is the only way to protect your Black Skirt Tetra from the diseases above.
Differences between Black Skirt Tetra Male or Female
The difference between Black Skirt Tetra male or female Black Tetra is very little. You can tell whether a Black Skirt Tetra male or female by looking at their size and the size of their anal fin.
Compared to other fish species, female Black Skirt Tetras are larger and plumper than males, especially during breeding. You can also tell between the two by looking at their anal fin; the males are larger than the females.
Black Skirt Tetra Breeding
They have no parenting skills as they have the propensity to eat Black Skirt Tetra eggs and fry; thus, it’s recommended that you have a separate breeding tank.
The breeding tank should be at least 15 gallons, and the tank and water conditions should be the as those of the main tank. You can also add decorations and plants to the tank.
To protect the eggs from the parent, use a net or a spawning mat to cover Black Skirt Tetra eggs.
After you have prepared the breeding tank, place the breeding pair in the tank and give them food rich in proteins for about 7 to 10 days before breeding occurs.
Feed them at least 3 times a day because they need a more nutritious diet before breeding. If the male chases the female, it’s because her belly is full of eggs.
If they are a success, the female lays approximately 1000 eggs. And since Black Widow Tetra does not prepare a nest, they are scatterers; the spawning mat comes in handy; otherwise, the eggs will sink to the bottom.
Immediately the eggs are laid and fertilized. Remove the parents from the breeding tank back to the main tank.
The Black Skirt Tetra eggs hatch after 1 to 2 days and the fries feed on the egg sac. After that, you can feed them using powdered fry food or infusoria. You can feed them brine shrimp after several weeks.
Keep the baby Black Skirt Tetra from the community tank until they are large enough to avoid being turned to food by their parents or other fish.
Black Skirt Tetra Tank Mates
Black Skirt Tetra is a schooling fish; therefore, keep a decent number of this fish species in a tank as Black Skirt Tetra tank mates. A maximum of five in a 15 gallons tank. However, a larger tank is ideal if you want to house tankmates as well.
They are peaceful fish species, so avoid placing aggressive fish as Black Skirt Tetra tank mates as they can intimidate and harass Black Skirt Tetras. Since they have long fins, avoid fish that are fin nippers.
Surprisingly, Black Tetras are also known to nip other fish’s fin when presented with an opportunity.
What Fish Go Well with Black Skirt Tetras?
Because Black Skirt Tetras are active and live in the middle part of the tank. So, it is best to go with less active fish that live at the bottom part of the aquarium as Black Skirt Tetra tank mates.
A Few best Black Skirt Tetra tank mates include;
- Chili Rasbora
- Galaxy Rasbora (Celestial Pearl Danio)
- Cory Catfish
- Bolivian Ram
- Neon Tetra
- Dwarf Gourami
- Honey Gourami
- Dwarf Cichlids
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Black Skirt Tetras Live Alone?
No. Black Skirt Tetras are a schooling fish; therefore, aim at keeping a group of six (3 males, 3 females) in your tank. This makes it possible to form a mating pair.
It also reduces stress and keeps the fish happy because Black Skirt Tetras feel safe when they are in a group.
Are Black Skirt Tetras Hardy?
Yes. This fish species can survive in a range of water conditions, parameters, and temperatures. They can also withstand having various tankmates.
Are Black Skirt Tetras Aggressive?
This is a pretty peaceful fish species, but they can become aggressive towards their fries. That is why breeding is done in a breeding tank.
Do Black Skirt Tetras Eat Other Fish?
No. Black Skirt Tetras are not known to eat other fish except their eggs and fry. Their diet comprises live food such as worms and insects. In the wild, they eat pretty much anything that they come across.
Are Black Tetras Fin Nippers?
Yes. Although Black Tetras are victims of other fin nippers, the funny thing is they also nip the fin of fish that have long, flowing fins.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have all the knowledge required to keep this hardy fish, the next step is to get yourself a pair or two for your tank. Their dynamic and playful nature will keep you and your family entertained.
When you plan ahead you have to get at least 15 gallons tank and set up the tank with the specification mentioned in the Black Skirt Tetra tank setup section.
