18 August 2017

serpae names

I am finding it easy to identify the individual tetras now. They each have a black mark behind the gills, with a distinctive shape (roughly the same on right and left side for each fish, too). Interestingly, I've noticed that the serpaes I got from different sources had similar kinds of markings- one group in particular they are small blots. I bet it's because they are from a single spawn- I've seen when there is a new tank of angelfish at the lfs they all have some very similar features in things that are variable- because they're siblings. So I was super curious if I actually had a fry from these tetras, would I be able to guess at the parents by the size/shape of its marking. But I digress. Here's my fish by name:

This is Diamond, the 'boss' fish, dominant in the aquarium. You can tell because all the fins are in perfect condition- no torn or uneven edges. Nobody touches Diamond. Its mark (I still have trouble telling apart males and females) has very crisp edges at the bottom, ending in a neat point. I've also noticed when it swims, momentarily there's a bright horizontal line where the tail fin creases on itself.
Spark is my oldest serpae tetra, the only 'adopted' one I have left. Its mark is similar to Diamond's but not as crisp. It is often rather faded, more of a liver color. It also sits more in the back hiding under aponogetons, and usually comes out last to feed (but then eagerly, as if it had just woken up). I call it Spark because it was among those who first triggered my interest in keeping this species. Also it has a few individual scales on its flanks that really gleam and reflect the light- one on the left and two on the right side. These photos are a bit blurry but I was trying to catch that gleam.
Dot- name is self-explanatory. Shy fish. Hides a lot. Usually in the back with Spark unless its feeding time.
Broad. Or sometimes, just Wide. The spot on its side is so wide compared to the others. Really stands out. Like someone blotted it with a fat sharpie marker.
Lino. This one's mark by contrast is very narrow. Like a line.
Truck. His marking is roughly square with two circular blots underneath. I used to think of it as 'Note' but Truck is better. He's pretty bold.
Punk- this is a very poor picture since it is one of the more active fish- seems to have the biggest personality. This fish is displaying and showing off to the others all the time. It tries so hard to be important in spite of being smaller (is my thought). It jerks the dorsal fin wide and swaggers around- once my daughter's friend was visiting and looking at the fish laughed: "that one looks like it has a mohawk!" Punk's marking is rather indistinct, kind of like Truck's but with just an uneven smudge under the squarish shape.
The name of this photo in my files is punk gleam spark and even though it's blurry, shows the distinctive features well. Spark above- you can see the gleaming pair of scales. Punk on the bottom has his fins jerked wide as possible in display and I caught on camera this particularly striking move. The displaying fish tilts its body perpendicular to the water surface so the light bounces off its side. They flash and shine- bright like brand new pennies. It's wonderful to watch.

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