# Diamond Head Tetras - Have you seen them? (Poor Pics)



## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

Hi all,
I went to a really nice aquarium store here in Denver over the weekend (Premier Reef and Pond, I think it was called) and found these little beauties. The store had at least 4 species of interesting freshwater fish that I had not seen before, which was great. Anyway, supposedly these fish are in the same genus as Cardinal Tetras. They sure look like they could be. As you can see in the attached pictures, they look similar to Cardinals, but the vivid blue is not a horizontal stripe but is more on the head, up between the eyes and almost to the dorsal fin. The eyes are much more vivid blue, and the reddish on the body is a bit more orange than the red on the ventral surface of Cardinals. My pictures just don't do the fish justice (I am no photographer). The fish look gorgeous in person. Overall, they are a beautiful fish and if I did not already have a couple of dozen Cardinals in my tank, I would have picked up a school of them in spite of the $8 price tag.

The guy who sold me my fish suggested that I get one and play "Where's Waldo?" with a single Diamond Head Tetra. I thought that was a great idea. So, of course, Waldo is now home schooling happily with his Cardinal tank mates. It is, indeed, lots of fun to scan through my school of Cardinals looking for Waldo all the time  

Does anybody else have experience with this species? Does anyone know of an online source with a more reasonable price? Is there a different common name that this species is known by? Does anyone know of other info about this species that I need to know in order to keep it effectively?

On a different note - I am usually pretty snobby about which fish I put together in my tanks. I think that too many species in a single tank ends up with a very haphazard presentation and looks "unfocused." The Where's Waldo idea, however, was a great exception to my usual fish-keeping sensibilities. Does anybody else have stories about how they have mixed fish species in a tank based on a similar theme or gimmick? It just never would have occurred to me to introduce a single individual into an existing school of fish. I wonder what else I am missing! BTW, I would not have bought a single individual of a schooling species without being fairly certain that he would school with fish already in the tank. 

Anyway, just thought I would give props to Waldo and tell other people about these great little fish that may not have seen them before. 

TB


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## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

I forgot to say that, though in my pictures Waldo may look like a neon, I can assure you that he is different. The store had ordinary neons in a tank on one side and cardinals in a tank on the other and the Diamond Heads were noticeably different. Here is a link to some other information that I found:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=903&js_enabled=0

So, for those of you thinking it, I did not just buy an $8 neon ;-)


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

Those are really cool aren't they? From what I have been told these are domestic bred neons. There are quite a few different ones out there now like brilliant neon, diamond neon, diamondhead neon & gold neon. There are also a few breeds of cardinals like that as well.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

Ajax is dead right. They are selectively bred form of Neon Tetra where the reflective scales are supposed to go up onto the dorsal surface.
From what I've read they were first bred in the far east, like many other sports.
Anyway Waldo looks way better like this than that stripy top from the book!!!!


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Wow, that's very interesting. It also looks plumper than the Cardinals, and more like a Neon in color, but I bet he doesn't mind joining their school at all.

I think I hit that shop when I was in Denver and was very impressed. You're lucky to have something like that in the area. If they have healthy stock, I would just go ahead and buy them there to support them, plus by the time you pay shipping fees, you probably wouldn't save much buying them online anyway.


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## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

Interesting stuff, folks, thanks. I would love to see some of the other breeds out there. It is encouraging that these are domestic breeds rather than wild caughts because it probably takes some pressure off of native stock and it will probably mean an eventual price drop.

JanS, you are right that Waldo is a bit more rotund than most of the Neons and Cardinals I have seen which are much more streamlined. I like this about Waldo since it is a characteristic that I seem to share with him more with each passing year! I agree with you about that particular store, as well. They seemed very interested in stocking fish for the hobbyist rather than folks looking for the cheapest prices on extremely common species.

One of the other fish they had at the store was called a "green neon" which was also something that I hadn't seen before. Very similar to a cardinal with a deeper green stripe. Is this another domestic breed? 

Thanks again for the replies.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

Green neons are a different species, _Paracheirodon simulans_ and I have only ever heard of them being wild caught. As far as I know they aren't bred in captivity.

BTW there is something to say for actually buying the wild fish. Their harvest, I have read from a number of sources, is a sustainable one (as cardinal tetras are effectively annuals in the wild) and fishing seems to have no effect on their populations long term. And it provides locals with a regular source of income that relies on the environment.


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## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

Again, interesting information. As for the sustainability of the neons and cardinals, that is indeed good news. What do you mean by "effectively annuals?" Is it because of the wet/dry seasonal cycle? I was curious why a fish that doesn't typically have the opportunity to live long would have the capability at such long life in captivity. I have heard stories about very long life for cardinals in aquariums while neons don't seem to share this trait.

TB


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

TortoiseBoy said:


> Again, interesting information. As for the sustainability of the neons and cardinals, that is indeed good news. What do you mean by "effectively annuals?" Is it because of the wet/dry seasonal cycle? I was curious why a fish that doesn't typically have the opportunity to live long would have the capability at such long life in captivity. I have heard stories about very long life for cardinals in aquariums while neons don't seem to share this trait.


From what I can gather the short life span of the fish is due to the low water cycles and very intense predator pressure / low O2 etc. at that time of year. I'm sure some must manage to survive for more than a year, but not many. Bigger fish will make a better target!
Most fish in captivity significantly outlive their wild counterparts. Maybe some population do survive better than the ones I read about. Many small fish have a very short lifespan in the wild and hence produce lots of eggs so that some will survive. I have cardinals and glowlights that are 5 years old, but when I managed to breed them I had success with young fish. Maybe just a coincidence?
I've never had as much success with Neons either. They do ok, but just don't seem to thrive. Even when mixed with cardinals. Dunno why, but it might have something to with the fact that they are captive bred from a relatively small genetic pool. I imagine they are bred brother / sister as many captive bred fish are. It effects some species more than others.


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

Here is a list of tetras that I like to reference. All of the domestic bred neons & cardinals have pictures as well.


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## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

That is an excellent list, Ajax. That is just what I needed. Thanks so much for posting it.


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

Hey no problem! Only problem with that list is that there are a ton of tetras on there we'll never see  There are 2 that I hunted for all over the net, and made a few out of country calls, but to no avail.


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## TNguyen (Mar 20, 2005)

repeating what TortoiseBoy says, excellent list John! Some of these tetra is just too sweet. another save to favorite list.

Thanh


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## TortoiseBoy (Dec 30, 2004)

Which two are you looking for, Ajax?


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

Axelrodia stigmatias (Pepper tetra) & Hyphessobrycon amandae (Ember tetra) I'm setting up a nano in a few weeks & I think those would fit in well.


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## Ajax (Apr 3, 2006)

Check out this one too Hyphessobrycon minor. That one's really cool looking!


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