Best fish for shoaling

[Cato]

I have a Jewel 240 and looking to stock some shoaling fish, I am looking at neons or cardinals but I’m getting mixed messages about which variety. Some websites say neons are hardier and vice versa, I would appreciate any help or another choice of fish. My area has hard water.
thanks

 

[AquaBarb]

Both Cardinals and Neons are suited to soft water so your best looking into species what best fit your water hardness (Gh)

Do you know how hard your water is at all? You could look this up on your local waterboards website if not

 

[Byron]

Agree, we need to know the number for GH and pH, esp the GH. Maybe this is on the website of your water authority.

"Hard" can mean significantly different hardness depending upon the water and who is using the term. We have seen so-called "hard" water turn out to be moderately soft, and that is a very different situation when it comes to suitable fish.

 

[Essjay]

The OP's location is Bedfordshire, and Anglian Water say all their area is very hard. Taking a business address in Bedford, that gives hardness as 17 dH. I think part of Bedfordshire comes under Affinity Water though.
@Cato If your hardness is similar, I'm afraid the water is too hard for either neons or cardinals unless you use RO water to reduce the hardness.

 

[Cato]

Thank you all, we have Anglian water, any suggestions for alternative shoaling or small fish

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Danios or cherry barbs?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I would suggest Guppies, although they aren’t really schooling fish, but they are colorful and active.

 

[Essjay]

Rainbowfish would suit your water. Some are quite big, too big for even a 240 litre, but many are suitable.

This site gives things like hardness requirements and tank size (not all rainbowfish are hard water fish)

Search Results rainbowfish — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

And Maidenhead Aquatics site gives you an idea of what's available (but go by Seriously Fish for info about each species)

Rainbowfishes

www.fishkeeper.co.uk

 

[Cato]

Danios or cherry barbs?

I have got some cherry barbs, thanks for advice