Animal-World > Freshwater Fish > Characins > White Tetra

White TetraGoldskirt Tetra

Family: Characidae

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Gymnocorymbus ternetziPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     The White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra is not only a good fish for the beginner, but a school of these fish are really striking in a community aquarium!

     A very commonly available fish, the White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra is a strain of fish developed from the Blackskirt Tetra. Like its predecessor it is very hardy, undemanding, and easily bred. It is also very active and fast moving, but with a tendency towards fin nipping. Because of this it should not be kept with smaller fishes, but will do very well in a community tank with larger fishes.

     The White Tetras like a well lit tank with dense areas of bunched low vegetation, which leaves lots of open areas for swimming. Being a schooling fish they will appreciate the company of their own kind, a standard school is made up of about 7 fish. They also like a well lit tank with dense areas of bunched low vegetation which will leave lots of open areas to swim in. They are hardy at 70 ° F to 90 ° F, but are prone to develop ick if kept in colder temperatures.

     Along with a longfin or hifin version of the White Tetra, various strains have been developed that have a natural pink or blue coloration and called the Colored Skirt Tetra. These fish are often artificially dyed in various pastels colors and sold as Colored Tetras, or under various colored names such as the Blueberry Tetra, Strawberry Tetra, or Rainbow Tetra.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Distribution:      The BlackSkirt Tetra was described by Boulenger in 1895. They are found in South America in Paraguay and Guapore Basins where they inhabit the upper layers of the water feeding on worms, small crustaceans and insects. Many are captive bred for the aquarium industry and the White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra is a captive bred color morph.

Status:      There are no wild populations of this color morph.

Description:      The White Tetra is a deep-bodied species and laterally compressed. It is distinguished by what appears to be overly developed dorsal and anal fins. These make it appear as if though it has a "skirt", with most of its mass on the bottom half of the body. It is very light, almost transparent looking and lacks the black stripes of its parentage.

Size - Weight:      These fish get up to 2.25 inches (5.5 cm). Will breed at 1.5 inches.

Care and feeding:      Since they are omnivorous the White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra will generally eat all kinds of live, fresh, and flake foods. To keep a good balance give them a high quality flake food everyday. Feed brine shrimp (either live or frozen) or blood worms as a treat.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:      These fish will swim in all areas of the aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:      Hardness: to 30 ° dGH
     Ph: 5.8 to 8.5
     Temp: 70-79 ° F (21-26 ° C)

Social Behaviors:      They are active and can be semi-aggressive fin nippers. They should be kept in a community aquarium with fish the same size or larger. With age they become a more sedentary fish.

Sexual Differences:      The male's dorsal fin is more narrowed and more pointed. Also, the male's frontal portion of the "skirt" or anal fin is noticibly broad while the female's "skirt" tends to run parallel to the stomach line. A mature female is also more plump.

Breeding/Reproduction:      The White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra are egg layers. See the description of how to breed these fish in Breeding Freshwater Fish.

Buy Black Skirt Tetras From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:      The White Tetra or Goldskirt Tetra is readily available and is inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
I bought 3 white skirt tetras in the petshop near our house and i think they were happy to be with me! I placed them in a 60 gallon tank with 3 swordtails, 2 molly, and 2 tiger barbs. These fish were perfect for a beginner. When i placed them in the tank, the tiger barbs were always chasing them, but i think they are happy whenever they were chased and i have learned that they do not allow other fishes to chase them. I do not know which is the boy nor the girl because whenever i look at them they always hide from me. A perfect fish for a community tank! Fish lover 2007-03-31
I had bought ones of these about six months ago along with a few neon tetras. About one month ago I moved to my college which was a three to four hour drive and they survived wonderfully! no ick or any other stress related disease. but I wanted to add a Bala Shark to my collection and when I did the Goldskirt Tetra became very aggressive and continuously torments the Shark which is quite larger than itself. Mick 2006-07-15
i kept these a while back. they are gorgeous and generally friendly. i had a small bout of ich, but they all recovered (i caught it at an early stage). they nibble on plants, but its not really a problem. give them the varied diet they deserve. They look cute with their relatives the blackskirt tetras. PLEASE ***DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ARTIFICIALLY DYED VARIETIES, IT IS AN EMBARASSING CULT IN AQUARIA THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER STARTED. PLEASE DONT ENCOURAGE BREEDERS TO CONTINUE THIS PRACTICE, IT IS MORALLY BANKRUPT AND VERY STRESSFUL TO THE FISH. good luck! barbs 2005-12-23
I love these fish! I have 2 of them and they really are quite enjoyable to have in my aquarium. When I introduced them into my aquarium all of my other fish seemed to be happier. Alyssa 2005-12-14
they are clear and peaceful. but the males tend to fight w/ each other glory 2005-08-11
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
WOW! I bought several of those and added them into my tank, then dug through every possible book on tropicals. I returned to the dealer, and to my shock, he had no idea what kind of fish it was. In my experience, they are lovely fish with an overall peaceful disposition unless provoked. Im so happy I finaly discovered what type of fish they were. Barbara 2003-11-07

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