Can I Keep Neon Tetra's On Their Own?

[Neon.Tetra]

Heya,
We're considering getting Freshwater Tropical fish and I have a couple of questions. We plan to keep them in an aquarium attached to the wall, 11cm deep and 33cm's high.

1) Would it be ok to keep a shoal of Neon's in a tank on their own?

2) Will this stop them from shoaling because there are no other predators or fish?

3) I've heard any more than 6 would be a good shoal number, how many should I actually get. (Complete tank size not known)

4) Has anyone got any advice for this new fish keeper about Neon's?

Thanks :]

 

[mark.w.jones]

Heya,
We're considering getting Freshwater Tropical fish and I have a couple of questions. We plan to keep them in an aquarium attached to the wall, 11cm deep and 33cm's high.

1) Would it be ok to keep a shoal of Neon's in a tank on their own?

2) Will this stop them from shoaling because there are no other predators or fish?

3) I've heard any more than 6 would be a good shoal number, how many should I actually get. (Complete tank size not known)

4) Has anyone got any advice for this new fish keeper about Neon's?

Thanks :]

How long is the tank? Then we can work out its volume. Without that I can't advise on stocking. Neons are not great in new tanks unfortunately as they are very sensitive little fellows. It is usually advised to stock them in tanks that have been up and running with other fish for 6 months. However, in your case this would be impossible. You are right to say that they need to be in a shoal of 6+ They will also not shoal too closely, especially if there is nothing else in the tank with them. They will more likely hang around in a rough group. They will be fine on their own as long as your tank is big enough. Length is more important than anything else as they are fairly active little fish and need the swimming space. I would advise an 18" tank in length as a minimum size although 24"+ would be better.

Apart from that, please fishless cycle your tank before adding any fish following the "add & wait" method from the link in my sig. Good Luck

 

[Neon.Tetra]

Ok, Thanks for the help. The Tank length is 59cm, 33cm High and 11cm deep.

 

[nakomis90]

Heya,
We're considering getting Freshwater Tropical fish and I have a couple of questions. We plan to keep them in an aquarium attached to the wall, 11cm deep and 33cm's high.

1) Would it be ok to keep a shoal of Neon's in a tank on their own?

2) Will this stop them from shoaling because there are no other predators or fish?

3) I've heard any more than 6 would be a good shoal number, how many should I actually get. (Complete tank size not known)

4) Has anyone got any advice for this new fish keeper about Neon's?

Thanks :]

Well my neons are on theire own but i have a rather big tank!
they tend to shoal still!

 

[fish-aholic]

That is only a 6 gallon. There is no way that you could have happy tetras in there. You might be able to try some guppies or betta. Just be careful with the guppies because they can reproduce like rabbits.

 

[nakomis90]

That is only a 6 gallon. There is no way that you could have happy tetras in there. You might be able to try some guppies or betta. Just be careful with the guppies because they can reproduce like rabbits.

ahhh i didnt read that!!
lol ahhh i see mine have a great big 15 gallon to themselves!

 

[jennybugs]

Will the tank be lit/heated/filtered?

That's a small tank compared to many, so once you've kitted it out with media, filter, plants, heater etc the actual amount of water will be small. Too small for neons.

A betta would be nice once fully cycled, but I'd be inclined to put a few white cloud mountain minnows or such like in. They're nice little fish and interact well with each other.

 

[Neon.Tetra]

How about a single angelfish?

Is that too cruel to leave it on it's own?

Or maybe a goldfish, I have a liking to those to, though I'd prefere tropical fish.

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

:]

 

[natural blue nina]

An angelfish or a goldfish would not be able to turn around in 11cm when they grow a bit (like, 2 weeks after you buy them!)

I've seen these wall mounted tanks in the Ideal Home show..... they look nice, until you actually think about it.

Have you actually bought one yet??? You may want to reconsider......

 

[lym]

How about a single angelfish?

Is that too cruel to leave it on it's own?

Or maybe a goldfish, I have a liking to those to, though I'd prefere tropical fish.

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

:]

Woah! That tank is way too small for a Angel or Goldfish. Goldfish need at least a 20 Gallon tank for one single fish. Personally I think you should reconsider this wall aquarium, it's just too small to keep anything in it and I think it's cruel.

 

[darkwolf29a]

In short, no.

An Angelfish will outgrow that tank VERY quickly.

A goldfish needs A LOT more space. Minimum suggested size for one is 30 gallon, depending on the species you might get away with a 20 long. However, goldfish are notoriously messy.

With a 6 gallon tank, you could get a betta or...


a dwarf pufferfish or 2. 6 gallon is plenty for one. I had 1 in a 5. The dwarf puffer is very cute and smarter than heck.

 

[mark.w.jones]

2 Dwarf Puffers is not an option for that tank. They are too aggresive and need more space than that otherwise they'll do nothing but fight, probably to the death.

With a 6 gallon tank you have 2 fish options:

A single Betta

or

A single Dwarf Puffer

And that is it. There are no other options at all.

And to be honest even then your tank is far from ideal as the depth being only 11cm is just not great for any fish. I would advise you not to get it at all. It gives you virtually no stocking options. Will be a pain to clean or plant as I doubt you could get your arm down into it easily. Also not sure how you will hide the wires hanging down the wall. They are just a very gimicky idea if you ask me. If you are set on getting one I would advise you look at one at least double that volume.

 

[guppy fan]

You could keep 2 african dwarf frogs. I cept one in a 2.5 gallon. They are fun to watch. These frogs are completely aquatic, so you wouldn't have to have any land for them. they also eat sinking pellets, so you won't have to worry about handling insects. Some of them like to go exploring so make sure there arn't anny spaces they can go through to get out of the tank. They dry up quickly. For more info about these frogs go to www.allaboutfrogs.com .

 

[SuperColey1]

Will the tank be lit/heated/filtered?

That's a small tank compared to many, so once you've kitted it out with media, filter, plants, heater etc the actual amount of water will be small. Too small for neons.

A betta would be nice once fully cycled, but I'd be inclined to put a few white cloud mountain minnows or such like in. They're nice little fish and interact well with each other.

Added to this the WCMM can live without a heater provided that your house is at 21-22ºC

Galaxy/Firework Danios (sometimes known as Rasboras due to an initially incorrect naming.) are another nice small fish.

Andy