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blind cave tetra

3K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  daisycutter 
#1 ·
ive recently finished cycling a 35g tank and have so far put in a pictus catfish, an upside down catfish, 3 mollies and a swordtail. a pitbull plec shall soon be joining them but i was going to put another couple of fish in soon as i think i have room for another 2 or 3 as long as theyre not too big (though correct me if im wrong please). using the 1"/gallon rule i am using 24" when they fully grow. just now at the size they are i am only using 13". i really like the look of blind cave tetras as i prefer obscure looking fish rather than just pretty fish. i have done a bit research and have found that they like a range of temperatures and water harness/softness and are peaceful. my tank has 2 caves and reasonably well planted so there would be hiding spaces if they wanted them. my question was really whether they would be compatable with my tank. so far they seem to be but as they arent the most popular fish there isnt a great wealth of information. i found on a number of sites that a dimly lit tank shows them off best, but this doesnt mean that they will prefer a dim tank does it?

any help would be appreciated, and if not compatable, could anyone suggest other fish that would go well with my tank that are more unusual looking?

thanks
 
#3 ·
the ones i saw in a lfs were about 2" long. aparently they grow to 3.5" max which i would think would be fine as that's bigger than my mollies just now and probably about the same size as a full grown molly??? my pictus just now is about 3" but i know he will grow to about 6"
 
#4 ·
My book says they can grow to 4.7 inches but are normally 3.1 inches. They need to be kept in groups of at least three and may lightly nip at other fish or disturb them with their constant movement. It says to keep them with robust species and avoid delicate tankmates. Interestingly, the fry do have eyes but they recede and are covered up with skin as they get larger. The book doesn't mention anything about light requirements and they prefer swimming space over plants. Neat fish!
 
#5 ·
i think i should be alright then. i have both ends of my tank planted with a large open area in the middle for them to swim. i also wouldnt consider mollies, swordtails or my catfish delicate. when i go back in i think ill ask about them - thoguh i shall be cautious of what they say as i always worry that theyll tell you anything for a sale.

thanks for your help and aye, that is interesting that the fry have eyes but they get covered over.
 
#6 ·
they dont have any light reqirements and are happy in the pitch black but for the benifit of everthing else a normal tank is fine as they are blind its always dark to them :D and as tetras go they will live in water much harder than any other species
i do like the idea of having adimly lit "cave" setup :D
 
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