Sabretooth Tetra - Hydrolycus scomberoides

[Racersk]

I am looking for any real world info on this mean looking fish...Like if it can be housed with anything else?

Has anyone ever kept one of these fish? They have the look of an Aro, but don't get as large, I think. Here is a link to a profile on this fish:

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish/sabretoothtetra.php

The site says 30", which I am sure will be less in captivity, as the worker at the LFS that is selling these stated about a 12" adult size.

Thanks for any incites!

 

[xrayjeeper83]

If a fish is housed correctly there is no reason it should get as large as it does in the wild.

 

[Racersk]

If a fish is housed correctly there is no reason it should get as large as it does in the wild.

'Should' or did you mean 'should not'?

I was just quoting the size that the above web site stated. I know nothing about this fish other than it is a carnivore and looks mean! I am just curious if anyone has kept these in a home aquarium and has any experiences with this species.

Is this also known as a Vampire Tetra? I have seen some others posting on this species and it looks like at least a close cousin.

Here is a picture of the fish I am looking at...

 

[Otherone]

There are plenty of ppl who own and have owned these guys - myself included. It is unkown what their actual size is in the wild or how long they live, in captivity 12" is generally their adult size and their lifespan has been quite short. Mine is over a year old and I suspect can kick the bucket at any time. They are very claustrophobic in small (less than 120gal) and highly suseptable to disease, poor water conditions, and low oxygen levels. This fish is not for the novice fishkeeper.

 

[manlyfish]

the one in the link is a scomb i've never heard of an adult scomb in captivity

 

[Racersk]

Thanks all for your input, I will pass on this one.

I have the river flow current in tank, good water conditions, can get more O2, but I only have a 90 gallon. If this one won't last 2 years in the aquaria, I won't promote the sales of this fish to a 'novice'...

 

[Industrial]

The largest scomb ever seen is at the Shedd aquarium. It's 12-15". In captivity they normally grow to a foot, and in the wild, it's the same.

They seem to die very easily at around 12" and are prone to bacterial infections.

These fish are not aggressive and will only eat fish small enough to be swallowed whole. Aggressive tank mates can easily kill a scomb.