Good schooling fish

[Jan Cavalieri]

Amazing video but how in the heck do you figure out how much to feed all these fish - and with white sand no less. I'm inspired.

 

[seangee]

My neons are broken haha they don't school tightly. Just sorta pick a spot and chill all over the place.

Cardinal and neon tetras are not schooling fish, the fact that yours chill all over the place proves that they are not stressed. They will only shoal tightly when they feel threatened or stressed. That group of neons was just a big group swimming together. If you (@Meg0000) want 3 distinct schools that stay together all the time cardinals and neons won't do it.

 

[Meg0000]

Cardinal and neon tetras are not schooling fish, the fact that yours chill all over the place proves that they are not stressed. They will only shoal tightly when they feel threatened or stressed. That group of neons was just a big group swimming together. If you (@Meg0000) want 3 distinct schools that stay together all the time cardinals and neons won't do it.

Oh ok thank you, I looked at more videos yesterday and I think I would still be interested to get a group of them. Cardinals or neon?

 

[seangee]

Personally I prefer cardinals to neons. As you you say your water is soft and you keep your tank at 25 this is perfect for them. They have similar needs to the other fish mentioned in this thread. I keep mine at 25 although the tank does get warmer than that in summer.

 

[Byron]

Given the data here, there really is nothing but personal preference between the Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. innesi, and I have had them at 25C for several years in the past. Neither will "school" if by that term one means remaining together in a tight formation as the Trigonostigma rasbora species do. The rummynose tetras do this too. But most characins do noit, unless threatened.

Observations of P. axelrodi (cardinal) in the habitat discovered that the fish remained in groups of five when it was in a branchy habitat, by which I mean a habitat like a small blackwater stream with lots of tree branches and such. The fish clustered around a branch in a group of five. These smallish grooups were within eyesight of other similar groups, so in the entire watercourse there would be hundreds but broken up like this. In areas where they were in more open water by contrast, they remained in the shoal numbering in the hundreds.

 

[Meg0000]

Given the data here, there really is nothing but personal preference between the Paracheirodon axelrodi and P. innesi, and I have had them at 25C for several years in the past. Neither will "school" if by that term one means remaining together in a tight formation as the Trigonostigma rasbora species do. The rummynose tetras do this too. But most characins do noit, unless threatened.

Observations of P. axelrodi (cardinal) in the habitat discovered that the fish remained in groups of five when it was in a branchy habitat, by which I mean a habitat like a small blackwater stream with lots of tree branches and such. The fish clustered around a branch in a group of five. These smallish grooups were within eyesight of other similar groups, so in the entire watercourse there would be hundreds but broken up like this. In areas where they were in more open water by contrast, they remained in the shoal numbering in the hundreds.

Ok thank you, the choice will be difficult It's really fascinating what you said about cardinal tetra, I never heard about that!

 

[Retired Viking]

Since you are looking at tetras, ember tetras are smaller and in my tetras tank I have noticed they tend to stay together more in their shoal then my other tetra shoals which include a neon tetra shoal. Ember tetra tend to stay together at one end of the tank and then after awhile swim as a group to the other end.

 

[Meg0000]

Since you are looking at tetras, ember tetras are smaller and in my tetras tank I have noticed they tend to stay together more in their shoal then my other tetra shoals which include a neon tetra shoal. Ember tetra tend to stay together at one end of the tank and then after awhile swim as a group to the other end.

I tought about getting ember tetras but I already have quite a lot of fish with orange color in my tank so I want a fish that will contrast a little bit. I think I might go with neon tetra

 

[Retired Viking]

I tought about getting ember tetras but I already have quite a lot of fish with orange color in my tank so I want a fish that will contrast a little bit. I think I might go with neon tetra

I certainly can understand your logic, it is nice to have a colorful tank.