Cardinals Schooling

[carsonb]

Background: purchased cardinals 2 weeks ago, after about 5 days, they dispersed all over the tank and refuse to school. they are quite happy and are not hiding, just swimming with other fish. I bought them to have a school.

Fish:11 cardinals, 3 saes, 3 columbian tetras, 2 corys, 1 angel, 2 black phantoms, 1 oto, 1 mollie, 4 GB rams, nerite snails

Tank: well planted 29 gal, 130 watts corallife, co2 DIY
Parameters: 76 temp, 6.3 ph, 1.7 kh, 11.2 gh

 

[Truck]

there not schooling because they dont feel threatened, if you buy more the chances are they will school.

 

[Miah002]

Wouldn't the angel try to eat them?

 

[Truck]

no, angels normally pray on neons, but cardinals are generally ok as theyre a bit bigger, but they may eat them when they get bigger, which wont be long

 

[Miah002]

I've heard that if you get an angel when it's a baby and you put it into a community tank then it won't prey on smaller fish?

 

[Truck]

I've heard that if you get an angel when it's a baby and you put it into a community tank then it won't prey on smaller fish?

it works sometimes, but its still a risk

 

[Miah002]

This ones on it's own so it should be fine.

 

[carsonb]

I can see where adding more cardinals might encourage schooling, but I have a small problem. The only thing I like more than a planted tank is the fish that swim in it. By my calculations, I now have about 40 inches of fish in a 29 gal setup. I knew better than to have this many fish. I would move some to another tank, but this is my only one.

 

[RushingChamp28]

I can see where adding more cardinals might encourage schooling, but I have a small problem. The only thing I like more than a planted tank is the fish that swim in it. By my calculations, I now have about 40 inches of fish in a 29 gal setup. I knew better than to have this many fish. I would move some to another tank, but this is my only one.

While in general, the one inch of fish for every gallon is a good basic guideline for tanks, according to this very rough guideline:

1 12" Oscar = 12 1" Cardinal Tetras

Consider that, the oscar has a body 100s of times greater than a cardinal and a biological demand equally larger than the tetra, so the guideline ultimately fails in this sort of situation. While your tank may not have room to expand its list of inhabitants regardless, do not use this calculation as the definitive never fail guideline. Just something to consider...