# White Skirt Tetras



## Simplestmind (May 30, 2012)

Will white skirt tetras be compatible with zebra danios (glofish) and a male and female guppy? If so how many is recommended. 

I have a 29 gallon tank, currently stocked with 8 danios, 2 guppies and a bristlenose pleco.


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## jamesk (Mar 24, 2012)

Your aquarium sounds a lot like mine. I have 10 guppies, 2 balloon mollies, 2 neon tetras, and a spotted sailfin pleco in my 29 gallon. White skirts seem a lot like neons. They prefer schools, but the two I have seem fine. I think your tetras would be fine, and I suggest you get more than I have.


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

The white skirt is a mutant form of the old standard black widow tetra. It's a generally peaceful fish that has been known to nip the fins of fancy guppies and bettas - but then again, danios will do the same about as often. 
I found my black widows got grumpier with age, and they got to a solid two inches, up and down. The natural black form tended to lose colour as it aged, but I have no idea about how the breeder made form reacts that way - it probably stays about the same.
So I'd put it in the slightly nippy community fish category. My black widows were a little nasty sometimes, but only to fish with over the top finnage. They just couldn't resist a travelling buffet.


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## Simplestmind (May 30, 2012)

If I do a group of them say 5 or 6, will that lessen the fin nipping or does it just depend on their personality?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I was going to duck that one - but I don't know. When I had the black form, they seemed very territorial for a tetra. In a group, they are likely to socialize with their own and not care about tankmates, but those flowing fins may still catch their eyes. 
It's a food issue, and it's only the tail of a fancy male guppy that concerns me. They could completely ignore him. If you have ever had a broad plant leaf decay in your tank and get caught in the filter current, it moves a lot like a fancy guppy's tail, and it is an irresistable treat to a plant eating fish. 
I would try it, but it could go wrong for your male guppy... no certainty either way.


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