10 cardinal tetras here today

[Magnum Man]

The small tetras used to be my nemesis, and I tried everything with terrible water, with no luck.. but now having RO, a dozen Rummy Nose’s group spawning in my South American tank, has me feeling positive… 10 Neon tetra sized Cardinals… all arrived alive, not much color in the bag, but they have all found each other, and already colored up… the biggest Angel was investigating, but didn’t give up much of a chase… if these go well, I should order like 20 more…

Pristella’s have really grown… they came in so tiny, 4-5 months ago

 

[GaryE]

I'll see your 10 and say I got 50 this morning. They are young, but really healthy. There is nothing like a large group of cardinals in a tank. Just wait. It'll be a show.

They're quarantining in a large tank. I kept trying to buy a group and it kept falling through. I thought about breeding some but laziness kicked in and I thought buying was better. I'm really pleased - I hope yours are as healthy as mine.

Mine are small, maybe 2-3 months, so I'll extend QT til they get bigger.

 

[Magnum Man]

I was going to buy 20, but there is just so many interesting fish out there

 

[EmmaS]

I have hard water and avoid.south American tetras now. They just don't live long.

Try Splash tetra but you already have two of the best tetras going.

 

[GaryE]

I have Copeina vilmae, part of the splasher group for most of the hobby, and they are the nastiest 'tetra' I have ever tried to keep. If something annoys them in the slightest, they try to kill it. They have skills. They're in a large tank, and are beautiful things. But they are no fun to watch unless you like fish that stalk and wallop each other.

 

[simonas]

The more you get the more impressive they get as they get a bit bigger. I have added a load to my tank last week and gone from 10 to about 50 and it gives off such an impressive display even though they are small fish

 

[Magnum Man]

Bigger schools on small fish are had to count… I counted 9 this morning a few times, so thought I lost one… but see a single that is swimming normally, but by himself ( loosely hanging with the Rummy’s) so not sure what’s going on with that single, maybe it found a different place to sleep, and hasn’t joined the group again, of if that one will end up dying??? It looks fine right now, but lights are just on an hour ago, and not everyone has found their places

 

[Magnum Man]

1/2 hour later, and I think the single has rejoined the group… those that have large groups, how do you keep track of losses??? If the tank is good, you just don’t worry about it??? If you had 50, I don’t think I could count that many, and if 5 went missing, I don’t think I could tell, weather from predation, or getting sucked into a filter, or just dying in a hidy hole somewhere

 

[GaryE]

Keeping track of losses is counting corpses on the floor. I have seen 5000 lots arrive from Colombia without one dead fish though. Well packed cardinals survive. I can't count them either, but I see groups as one big cardinal.

 

[simonas]

I don't keep count I did when there were less but now the tank is so busy I just count the discus

 

[Magnum Man]

Well I counted 8 yesterday at 1st light this morning my largest angel fish was hunting them… they came in too small ( neon size ) about 3/4 of an inch long, or as the angel says this morning … bite size… I think the angel is catching them, at 1st light, before they school up… I think they are trying to come out in the open, to school up, and the angel is seeing them as singles… I see 5 in the school now, and the angel is not chasing them… I think they came in too small for this tank….now see 6 or 7 guessing the angel is picking them off one by one at 1st light, before they school up

 

[GaryE]

At this time of year, you get the young from the recent rainy season. They are very young, just a couple of months. If I buy them now, they go into their own tank to be grown out. I've had no problem with angels eating cardinals. Adult cardinals. Bite sized ones have a problem.

I put mine into a tank with no other fish but Ancistrus. It's quarantine for diseases, but also grow out. They will go into my 120 in a few week, probably 6 to 8. I can still recognize my fry from last year as young adults, because they haven't caught up to their parents in size. But they had a massive growth spurt at about 2 months of age, about the age of the ones I received last week. They seem to grow like crazy and then slow down for a steady growth rate. I imagine predation spurred that pattern.

Later in the Spring, you'd probably get bigger ones. Since a significant percentage are wild caught, you follow the rhythm of the seasons with cardinal tetras.

I should have thought of that to warn you. Sorry...

 

[Magnum Man]

Not your fault, I’m a big boy…. I counted 6 this morning, probably all larger… I’ll add some more later, as you suggested

I milled some bug bite dust this morning, in my mortar, and added a shake of full sized pieces, to feed the little guys, and maybe take some pressure off from the angel

 

[Magnum Man]

Just looked at one of my other preferred on line sellers, they list sizes small, medium, or large, and all they have right now, are small ones as well… so… I’ll likely have to wait later in the season

 

[gwand]

Just looked at one of my other preferred on line sellers, they list sizes small, medium, or large, and all they have right now, are small ones as well… so… I’ll likely have to wait later in the season

Besides Dan, what sellers have you had great experiences and trust?