White Skirt Tetra

Name

Alas, we come to a fish unlike any other, in some respects — the one and only, the White Skirt Tetra! Now, this fish, as one of its own in uniqueness, has a name that stands out (as you probably noticed just now). Why a white skirt?

Actually, in some cases, that skirt could be gold (hence the other name it carries, the Gold Skirt Tetra). If you look at this fish closely (Google it and see the images that appear), you will come to derive that it looks like an actual white skirt (even if it’s a male species of this breed, oh, how embarrassing). The technical name for it is the “Gymnocorymbus ternetzi”.

Origin

This fish came from Bolivia and Paraguay. And now, of course, you can find it in any pet store that sells it — oh, thank goodness for technology and globalization, easing the process of exports and imports altogether.

This fish tends to come from, usually, a water hardness ranging between 5° to 20° dH, so try your best to stay within these levels. It came from river basin areas.

Diet

This kind of creature can eat from a diet of the omnivorous type, eating most foods provided. It likes different types of plants, too, and can nibble on flakes or pellets.

On that note, keep this fish in a planted type of aquarium as that is what it’s usually used to being around ; pet stores will sell you plenty of live algae and similar real (or even fake) plants to make a good surrounding.

If you get too many live plants and place them around this fish, it may eventually nibble on all of them, until it’s time for you to run to the store and buy some more (or mix in some fake plants that it won’t eat from).

Good ‘Roommates’

Roommates for the White Skirt Tetra should be likewise peaceful, community - adaptable fish. This fish is a schooling fish and like those big groups (of no less than three or more, at the very minimum).

You can tell it likes to be around others, just so long as you avoid putting them with any betta fish or even angel fish. Why? Well, let’s just say these two types of fish tend to take their time in the water and move a bit more slowly — and, as such, the White Skirt Tetra likes to occasionally nip at them (or at their fins, mostly).

Other Facts to Keep in Mind

Some other things you should note are that the White Skirt Tetra female is almost always larger than the male, it occupies the higher tank regions, and tends to scatter its eggs after breeding (quite a dispersion to witness, if you ever happen to do so, in person). What do I mean by “higher tank regions”? Good question….

Simply put, this fish likes to float anywhere from the upper middle half of the tank to the top. So any bottom - dwellers won’t really come into contact with it. Buy yourself a nice school of White Skirt Tetras today!