Fruit tetra fish?

ok...last weekend i bought two fruit tetras(one pink and one blue)they are still alive after one week and i have them in a regular bowl with no filter thing but i recently brought my fish two my parents house and they wont get off my back about there oxegyn so heres my question.............do my fruit tetras need a filter to live or is the oxegyn in the water good enough?or...do they breathe the oxegyn in the air.....

Fruit tetra fish?
Your parents are right. All fish need to derive oxygen from the water in which they live. Only a few types can breathe in atmospheric oxygen (from the air we breathe) and they do that only to supplement what they receive from the water.



Next, all fish need filtration in order to live their longest and best. You are quite lucky these fish are even still alive! But your luck won't last much longer if you don't get them in a properly outfitted tank. You may ask the shop where you bought them if you can return them while you get the tank set up and allow it to go completely through its nitrogen cycle. That cycle takes about 6-8 weeks if you lack any gravel, ornaments, filter media or other material from a tank which is already well-cycled. You aren't ready for fish yet.



Lastly, 'fruit' tetras are not naturally those colors. They are white skirt tetras (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) which have been injected with dye by companies which are just trying to make more money. This is a cruel practice and it also leaves the fish which survive (many die during the injections) much more vulnerable to infections and shortened lifespan than those tetras left to their natural coloration.



With these factors combined, I am sorry to say, your fish probably won't live long. Please check with your shop and ask them to accept the fish back. If you are really wanting to keep tropical fish, please consult a recent well-written book on the topic of establishing a new aquarium. In the US there is one by David Boruchowitz (publisher is TFH Publications) called "The super simple guide to freshwater aquariums." It's great!



Good luck to you and your fish.
Reply:Yes they and all other fish extract oxygen from the water through their gill membranes. This is part of their respiratory system. All fish should have a filter to keep their water clean and make it a suitable enviorment by extract dirt and waste by products from the water.
Reply:YES YES YES! Your tetras need to be in schools of 6 or more, need a 10 gallon tank, and a heater and filter. You should of done more research before you buy any fish. Your tank also needs to be cycled.
Reply:All fish need oxygen so you should get a bubble disc or something like that. Also you should not keep fish in bowls it is not a very sufficent tank, expecially for tetras who like lots of space to swim. You should also include a filter.
Reply:Tetras are tropical fish they need a heater (they like the water around 76 or so) and a filter too. There are very few types of fish that you can safely keep in a bowl without heat and filtration. For a short time they might survive, but they really need the heat and clean clear water with a constant temperature. If you can set them up in a small aquarium with a little heater and small filter. They will thank you for it.

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