Cardinals and Rummys

[jaywings19]

I just bought 6 rummynose and 9 cardinal tetras for my 72G tank. They are the second residents in the tank after I added some corydoras this past weekend.

Before you ask... yes the tank was fishless cycled first.

I did my full introduction routine for the fish tonight. However, once I introduced the fish... 5 rummys and 1 cardinal sit in the front of the tank... but the other rummy and 8 cardinals just darted for the plants in the back of the tank. I was worried because they were all pale when I got them home, but their colors darkened up nicely once introduced in the tank.

Is that normal? Why would 1 rummy run back when the other 5 are content staying in front? Likewise for the cardinals.

I am planning to get another 4-5 rummys and 4-5 cardinals to make a larger shoal... before adding my Discus in August/September.

Will my cardinals ever come out of hiding? Or am I destined never to see them in front?

 

[Nisha]

I have Cardinals and Rummys too and this is perfectly normal. Some of them will be more adventurous than others and come out to explore. Some of them will take a week or 2 to get comfortable enough with the other fish and the new space. Some of them may not even eat for a week until they get really hungry.

Also, my fish tend to pale during the trip from my LFS to home too. I think it's because of the lack of light and stress. They're all fine once they've been transfered to the tank and have adjusted.

I shouldn't worry about it, but keep an eye on them just in case. They'll adjust in time.

 

[digital_run]

Id agree with nisha...maybe hes just chicken ....give him some time...he'll come around

 

[jaywings19]

Well... after a couple of days, I lost 2 rummys and 1 cardinal. The LFS said that might happen when I bought them because those fish are very fragile... and my pH is lower than the LFS, so I tried to be extra careful when introducing them.

The remaining 4 rummys all hang out together... usually in the front of the tank... very active.

The remaining 8 cardinals have dispersed themselves all over the tank. A few of them are brave enough to come to the front... the rest stay covered in the plants towards the back. I've noticed the whole school of them together in front when the tank lights are off... but that's hard to see because they are so small.

Most of the fish have been eating (like piggies) when I scatter the flakes around the tank.

Anyway, I still plan to get some more of each in the next week or so.

 

[G_Sharky]

Just wait for them to settle down and they would start to shoal together once they do.... good choice of tetras.... I bet they look awesome swimming together....

 

[jaywings19]

Yeah... the rummys look awesome parading around together... and the cardinals too (when they come out of hiding).

Didn't have much choice of which tetras to pick since this is going to be a Discus community tank and it's at 84F temperature. I believe they're the only tetras that can withstand that heat.