Rainbow with Emperor Tetras

[cupofjoel]

So I'm still in the hunt to find two species of fish that will get along in my 75 gallon tank.

I'm thinking about Rainbowfish and Emperor tetras. I'm sure that water parameters are close enough since both are pretty hardy. Thoughts?

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

Yep. Both will be just fine!

 

[JuiceBox52]

@Byron what do you think?

 

[cupofjoel]

@Byron what do you think?

Good idea, we should always wait to see what @Byron has to say.

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

Good idea, we should always wait to see what @Byron has to say.

Who is he? Like the all time expert around here or something?

 

[JuiceBox52]

Lol sort of! Him (and the other members obviously) taught me almost everything I know now

 

[Quin]

He's the one you call when you need to know what's gonna happen and why, complete with research and citations. It's definitely reassuring to have him weigh in on a discussion!

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

Lol sort of! Him (and the other members obviously) taught me almost everything I know now

But shouldn't we value all members opinion/s? Those with experience on a certain subject should be valued more then others but everyone's opinion should count. It shouldn't be that everybody looks up just to one member for advice but to all members. (hypothetical situation) What if someone disagreed with the 'all knowledgeable' member and are right but they still take the 'all knowledgeable' member's advice?

No offence was meant at you, Bryon or anybody else. I just want a fair open forum.

 

[Retired Viking]

I can understand you view point and agree that we should be open minded to all views. In @Byron case he is very knowledgeable and has experience many here do not. We do have open discussion and disagreement is allowed and not discouraged. A fair and open forum should be every member's goal.

 

[cupofjoel]

On a side note...I haven't kept rainbows for a couple of years, but do they need the one male to 3 female ratio?

 

[Colin_T]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

------------------
What species of rainbowfish did you want to keep?
Many rainbowfishes come from hard water with a high pH, whereas emperor tetras come from soft water with a low pH. Some rainbowfish can get quite aggressive and will eat smaller fish including tetras. Emperor tetras are deeper bodied than cardinal tetras but small emperor tetras could get picked on or eaten by some species of rainbowfish.

As a general rule I would not keep Most rainbowfish with tetras. Rhadinocentrus ornatus and Iriatherina werneri come from soft acid water and are smaller and more peaceful and would probably work with emperor tetras.

The following link has information on all the different rainbowfish species. Click on Content in the top right to see the different species. There is also a link at the bottom of the page that will allow you to download the book onto your hard drive. It's about 198MB

Rainbowfish Book

A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinea

rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au

 

[cupofjoel]

What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?

What is the GH (general hardness), KH (carbonate hardness) and pH of your water supply?
This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).

------------------
What species of rainbowfish did you want to keep?
Many rainbowfishes come from hard water with a high pH, whereas emperor tetras come from soft water with a low pH. Some rainbowfish can get quite aggressive and will eat smaller fish including tetras. Emperor tetras are deeper bodied than cardinal tetras but small emperor tetras could get picked on or eaten by some species of rainbowfish.

As a general rule I would not keep Most rainbowfish with tetras. Rhadinocentrus ornatus and Iriatherina werneri come from soft acid water and are smaller and more peaceful and would probably work with emperor tetras.

The following link has information on all the different rainbowfish species. Click on Content in the top right to see the different species. There is also a link at the bottom of the page that will allow you to download the book onto your hard drive. It's about 198MB

Rainbowfish Book

A website dedicated to Rainbowfishes of Australia and New Guinea

rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au

I actually do remember my rainbows being aggressive. I had the correct ratios and it was annoying how the males chased the females. I want a true peaceful community tank so I'll forgo the rainbows.

 

[DwarfCichlidLvr]

I actually do remember my rainbows being aggressive. I had the correct ratios and it was annoying how the males chased the females. I want a true peaceful community tank so I'll forgo the rainbows.

you could go with larged colorful tetras then. Congo tetras would be nice. Although they come form different parts of the world they live in similar water.

 

[Aussie_Bristle]

My pacific blue eyes also from the rainbow family are very peaceful. The males do get a little naughty with each other when in breeding but nothing to extreme at all, all they do is heckle their little fins up at each other and have a little circle stand off. Other then that they are amazing little guys

 

[Colin_T]

On a side note...I haven't kept rainbows for a couple of years, but do they need the one male to 3 female ratio?

Rainbowfish should be kept in groups with even numbers of males (2 males, 4 males, 6 males, etc), and the males should be the same size otherwise big males will bully smaller males.

If you only have 1 male and a group of females, the male can bully the females. If you have 2 males the same size, they will spend a lot of time showing off to each other and less time hasseling other fish.

People use 1 male and a couple of females for breeding purposes but they should be kept in bigger groups in the community tank.