Individual Fish Description Page

This page will give a completely detailed profile of the selected fish, from A to Z. The profiled fish will be chosen randomly by Badman, and will come from the complete genre of tropical fish. I will try to up-date the profile on a monthly basis. If you have a specific fish you want profiled please vote for it in the favorite fish poll on the main index page. This month the profile was written by "Tobi~Dawne (Prairie Lily)" , a knowledgeable and helpful hobbyist. If you would like to write a profile just email me and let me know.

"Shampoo and Mousse", Photo courtesy of Tobi~Dawne .

Overview:

The Goldskirt Tetra, which is also known as the Whiteskirt or White Tetra are a fairly common fish that are very difficult to track down information on. It's my best guess that they are simply a variation of the Blackskirt Tetra and thus have the same distribution, behaviors, and required water conditions.

"Blackskirt Tetra", Photo courtesy of sbs.

Quick stats:

size:	about 2 inches (give or take a quarter of an inch)
tank:	24 inches
strata:	bottom, top, and middle
pH:	huge range from 5.8 to 8.5
Hardness:	soft to hard
temperature:	68· to 79· (that's Farenheight obviously)
Diet:	omnivorous (will take anything from flakes to live food)

Classification:

Order:	Cypriniformes
Sub-order:	Characoidei
Family:	Characidae
Genera:	Gymnocorymbus

Gold Skirt Tetra
(Black-skirt Tetra)

Southern Brazil, in the Rio Negro and Rio Paraguay.

Tall and highly compressed they are noted for their curved anal fin which is quite long. It is almost as long as the entire rear half of the body. In the Goldskirts there are no easily identifiable sexual differences. The female Blackskirt is bigger and more robust than the male.

Although their natural colour is a very becoming pearly white these Tetra's are often sold as a coloured fish. The common names for these coloured fish reflect the dye colour, Blue fish are called Blueberry tetra's, Purple fish are Grape tetra's, Orange/Yellow fish are Mandarin or Tangerine tetra's, etc. The dye process is not nearly as stressful as the process undergone by painted Glassfish and instead of lasting only a couple months can last for up to a year. (I currently have two of the coloured tetra's, a Blueberry and a Strawberry).

Goldskirts are a wonderful fish for beginners and are also a great choice for pretty much any habitat. They are a small fish who are not all that finicky about their water conditions and will live in water with a pH of anywhere between 5.8 and 8.5 (mine are kept at a neutral pH of 7). As long as you keep up with regular water changes (I currently change about 25% every three weeks) they'll live a long and happy life. These tetras, unlike most, can be a bit aggressive. They are an active fish and prefer to be in groups of three or more. They are wonderful in a species tank but also do well in a community tank of other similarly sized and larger fish.

Shaded calm water of the Rio Negro and Rio Paraguay watersheds.

The Goldskirt Tetra is difficult to breed in only that it is next to impossible to tell the differences between the sexes. They are an egg layer and have no special requirements. If breeding is your goal with these pretty little fish I'd recommend purchasing a community of at least six and just hoping for the best.

Goldskirts are, in my opinion, one of the fish that should be on everyone's must have list. They are enjoyable to watch, and easy to care for. Whether you want a couple fish in a small four gallon tank in your dorm room, or your looking for your next addition to your 180 gallon community tank, you should definitely take a closer look at the beautiful Goldskirt Tetra.

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