Different Tetras Schooling Together?

[Somner]

I've currently got 3 Neon Tetras but would like to get more as I'm aware they're more comfortable in groups of 6+. I'd like a bit of variety however. If I got 3 Glowlight Tetras and 3 X-ray or Black Tetras, would there be any chance that they would school?

 

[ech0o]

Negative, they must be the same species to school.   I actually was JUST doing the research on this, as a buddy was wondering what he could add to his neons that would school as well.  Here is all the neon tetra variations I was able to turn up.
 
Standard neon, Diamond Head neon, Gold[en] neon, Albino neon, Lutino neon, Green neon, Black Neon.
 
I bet most people didn't realize there were so many!!!!

Somewhere in there you can wedge cardinals too, so there really is 8

 

[Madness13]

That's funny actually, you say they don't school together yet my 6 glowlights and 6 caridinal neons have no problem with schooling together!
 
Although they are not always together, they definitely do school together sometimes.

 

[ech0o]

That's funny actually, you say they don't school together yet my 6 glowlights and 6 caridinal neons have no problem with schooling together!
 
Although they are not always together, they definitely do school together sometimes.

Well any fish, if sensing danger, is going to try to group itself in with like fish, I have seen a clown loach try to school with tiger barbs, but for the most part these awkward fits don't seem to hug together in a group like a true school.  Even the color variations sometimes throw off a unified school for whatever strange reason.   The most luck you will have though I would think is with exact species and variation, then different variations, then diff species within the family, then diff families altogether, in descending order.

 

[Madness13]

I would have to agree that it's not a true school, but they do spend quite a lot of time together. Also, my lot tend to make a few small groups of their own (until feeding time of course!). I thought that they would completely avoid each other personally, but they do swim about together.

 

[Meeresstille]

It is better for the fish, less stress, if they are in groups of the same kind of species. Of course you can put different fish in a tank and they may school together but you run the risk of them being more susceptible to get sick, since stress lowers the immune system, and you may shorten their life span. 
 
Personally I find a large group of one species beautiful to watch!

 

[ech0o]

I wish I could find the video where someone kept about 15 of 6 of the listed neons in 1 tank, the school was INCREDIBLE, with mixing color patterns creating neat intertwining waves.  I found it to be very beautiful!

 

[AlitaConejita]

I wish I could find the video where someone kept about 15 of 6 of the listed neons in 1 tank, the school was INCREDIBLE, with mixing color patterns creating neat intertwining waves.  I found it to be very beautiful!

sounds neat

 

[Madness13]

It does look better with a bigger school of the same species. I really want to rehome my 6 glowlights so I can get more cardinal neons. Sounds epic ech0.