Please Help Identify :D

se7en8ight

Hi everyone!

i'm new to the forum and i hope you can help me out a bit in identifying this really beautiful fish!

i visited my local petshop and they had this peculiar fish i had never seen before!

What's so interesting is that the tail fins were split all the way! in the photos it doesn't really show it because the fish were swimming around so fast it was hard to get a focus and the one the turned out clear isn't really a good example of the interesting tail...

i asked the sales staff if they knew what it was but they said that the fish was not for sale so the owner of the shop never told them what it was and only left it there for now...

Thanks so much in advance!

Attached Images

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Byron

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping.

This fish is the beautiful Congo Tetra, Phenacogrammus interruptus, one of about 400 species of characin that are native to West Central Africa. It occurs in the Lower Congo River, from whence it derives its common name.

I will be adding this species to our Fish Profiles, but in the interim it must be kept in a group--like most all characins it is a shoaling fish, and given its larger size (males attain 3.5 inches) it requires a spacious tank. I used to have a group of 5 in a planted 55g tank, quite a beautiful site indeed. The males have the greatly-elongated middle rays in the caudal fin, and a much longer dorsal fin that arches down onto the back. The iridescence reflected by the fish as it swims is strikingly beautiful.

There is a very similar African species, Alestopetersius caudalis , not quite as striking to my thinking, but it is the original one that you picture here.

Byron.

aunt kymmie

Welcome to TFK, se7en8ight. Congo tetras are some of the most beautiful freshwater fish there are, IMHO. Are you setting up a tank soon or do you already have one set up? Details, please. :)

se7en8ight

Wow! Thanks Byron for replying and thanks for the added info!!! :D i truly appreciate the help

-Sherwin

se7en8ight

Hi Aunt Kymmie!

Thanks so much for your reply!

i've other tanks set up but i don't have Congo Tetras... the only store that i saw them being displayed doesnt sell them...

i'm waiting for them to start putting them up for sale and as soon as they do go on sale... i'll get a batch!

Thanks again for the help!