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Salmonella
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Misc Lizards 2
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Misc Lizards 6
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Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9


Snakes
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Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
How to Add New Fish
How to Keep Healthy
Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
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Sponge Filters
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Preventing Disease
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Pet World Visit
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Lace
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Onion
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Watersprite

Origin.  Baby vampire tetras get shipped to the U.S. from Peru.  The peruvians eat the adults.  In Peru they hold fishing safaris and call these guys chambira.  They grow to 40 pounds in heft and four feet in length.

Other Names.  Our last batch came in as saber-tooth barracudas.  They’re also called Dracula fish, saber-tooth dogfish, water wolf, tiger characin, and payara.

Schoolers.  They’re tetras (characins) and run in schools in the wild.  If you’ve ever seen a stringer (made of wood because these fish are so heavy), you know that vampire tetras run in schools.  Singles like to hide at first.  Groups tend to cruise.

LA Pic
Looks harmless doesn't he?  And he does have the tetra top fins.

LA Pic
Another 2" characin (today) -- called a vampire tetra.  Excellent dentures.

Size.  In the river, vampire tetras grow large enough to eat.  Peruvian anglers bait their hooks with piranhas.  You will not grow yours this large.  Not enough room.  Not enough piranhas to feed them.  They don’t seem to grow quite as large on rosy reds.

LA Pic
As you may suspect, he's a predator.

LA Pic
When he grows larger, we'll get a picture of his teeth.

Impressive Teeth.  Unlike Count Dracula, the long teeth of the vampire tetra come up from the bottom.  And they don’t suck blood or take dirt naps.  They don’t even watch Buffy on TV.  But they do sport some wicked choppers.

LA Pic
Can't see the teeth on this guy either.

Mixers?  When we mixed a vampire tetra with freshwater barracudas, he ate their tails off way beyond their warranty.  You could probably mix them with speedy barbs.  But they like to chew on other slow lurkers -- even those of equal size.

LA Pic
Teeth still not visible

Growth Rate.  As you might expect, a fish that grows this large grows quite fast.  You will be surprised.  And the more room you give him, the faster and larger your vampire tetra will grow.

LA Pic
At three inches, he still easily fits into a 10-gallon tanf

LA Pic
Put plants at the ends of your tank to avoid "calluses" on his upper lip.

LA Pic
Some cover in the tank makes your vampire tetra feel more comfortable.

LA Pic
In real life you can see his teeth, but ...

LA Pic
Yowsa.  We finally got a decent shot of his dental work.

LA Pic
... in death, you can see them even better.

Last Words.  I don’t believe I’d keep one of these in a house with kids in it.  Kids have no sense about teasing fish.  LA.

© 2004 LA Productions

Jaguar Spawning II
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Misc Odd V
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Sharks  
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Pond Info 
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Wild Ponds

Pond Info 
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Bob Humphrey's Ponds
Cattails
Maffett Reservoir
DMACC's Pond
D.M. Botanical Center
D.M. Water Works
Dr. Ervanian's Garden
Duckweed
Dwarf Lily
Ewing Park "Pond"
Jan & Chris's Water Garden
John McDonald's Pond
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Landscaper Effects
Mini-Pond Pics
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Pond on 38th Street 
Pond Pics
Pond Plants
More Pond Plants
Pond Plants III
Reiman Ponds
River Scenes
Riverview Island
Selin's Water Gardens
Selin's Japanese Garden
Tom's Used Cars Pond
Urbandale Duck Pond
Water Hyacinth
Water Lettuce
Wild Ponds