Stocking question for a 3ft, 130 Litre tank (28.6 gl).

[Byron]

The two species are quite distinctive.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Unfortunately my tank doesn't look like that anymore .....but yes, it should be OK in low light, I think it just grows at a slower rate...so less trimming!

Oh damn...sounds like a horror story might be hiding behind that emoji.
The vallis growing slower under lower light is aok with me..in fact, id prefer a plant like that to be less vigorous.
Im really starting to lean toward this plant, i think it would work very well in my tank, thank you CB.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

The two species are quite distinctive.

Thank you very much for the comparison Byron.
My 12 are definately Hyphessobrycon amandae.
Appreciate you giving me their scientific name...i always like to use that instead of their common names.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

I think I would add a few scissortails to get them up to 10-12 and then leave it at that.

Yesterday, the scissortails group went from 6 to 8 fish
Next week it will be 10 and then thats it.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

And today the Scissortail family grew to 10.
Not quite a week like i said but hey, you know how it is.
Ive got to admit, a group of 10 looks awesome. They maintain a tight group most of the time which is really impressive but occassionally, they like to go for a dart around the tank...man, these guys are fast and can navigate on a dime, at full speed
Tank's at its stocking limit now so its time to pull up. All the fish get along really well so i couldnt be happier.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[Byron]

And today the Scissortail family grew to 10.
Not quite a week like i said but hey, you know how it is.
Ive got to admit, a group of 10 looks awesome. They maintain a tight group most of the time which is really impressive but occassionally, they like to go for a dart around the tank...man, these guys are fast and can navigate on a dime, at full speed
Tank's at its stocking limit now so its time to pull up. All the fish get along really well so i couldnt be happier.

Just so you know for the future...when adding a shoaling/schooling species, or adding more of the species, always acquire the full intended number and add them at the same time. In other words, as you had six and intended 10, the additional 4 should be added together at the same time. The main reason is that the fish will always be less stressed the more there are in the bag or the tank, and that means less chance of ich or other problems. There is a second and very important factor with a species that is more inclined to form an hierarchy or has more aggressive nature, and that is that the hierarchy will establish fairly quickly once the first fish are in your tank and others introduced later may not get a good reception. This is not an issue with Ember Tetras, but it certainly would have been with the Aphyocharax.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Just so you know for the future...when adding a shoaling/schooling species, or adding more of the species, always acquire the full intended number and add them at the same time. In other words, as you had six and intended 10, the additional 4 should be added together at the same time. The main reason is that the fish will always be less stressed the more there are in the bag or the tank, and that means less chance of ich or other problems. There is a second and very important factor with a species that is more inclined to form an hierarchy or has more aggressive nature, and that is that the hierarchy will establish fairly quickly once the first fish are in your tank and others introduced later may not get a good reception. This is not an issue with Ember Tetras, but it certainly would have been with the Aphyocharax.

Thanks very much Byron, there's some really good info there that i wasnt aware of.
That ups the knowledge bank...much appreciated.
I noted one of the larger scissortails started to chase one of the smaller new guys.
It kept nudging and pushing the smaller one and even lightly nipping at its tail...but when i got up this morning, it had stopped and they're all grouped and relaxed.
To be honest, ive never seen any physical aggression from scissortails, just head lifting and shimmying-no actual body contact etc. They are very well tempered, non-aggressive fish.
Do you think this may have been a show of what you mentioned above? about introducing same species after the main group has established ?

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Pics or it didn't happen!

Hehehe.
Im not gonna lie, trying to photograph Scissortails is like trying to s**t throught the eye of a needle...basically impossible
Ive got a couple of shots of a few of them just before feeding time. They all come up to the feeding corner and hang out when they know brekky's on its way.
Its about the only time i can get a shot of them...but they're still mostly blurred due to their speed and agility (might be a couple there that were still enough to get a half decent photo LOL).
There's the group of fish in the photo and off to left, out of shot, is the rest of the maniacs.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Well done! I know the struggles with super quick fish, keeping Boesemani Rainbows has been an eye opener where my camera has been concerned

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Well done! I know the struggles with super quick fish, keeping Boesemani Rainbows has been an eye opener where my camera has been concerned

Thank you CB, its always just as you're about to take the shot and they vanish...try again, same thing again.
The only time i can get a half decent shot is just before feeding time when they are all hanging around the same area.
Getting a good photo of a fast fish is a lot harder than you think.

 

[Byron]

Thanks very much Byron, there's some really good info there that i wasnt aware of.
That ups the knowledge bank...much appreciated.
I noted one of the larger scissortails started to chase one of the smaller new guys.
It kept nudging and pushing the smaller one and even lightly nipping at its tail...but when i got up this morning, it had stopped and they're all grouped and relaxed.
To be honest, ive never seen any physical aggression from scissortails, just head lifting and shimmying-no actual body contact etc. They are very well tempered, non-aggressive fish.
Do you think this may have been a show of what you mentioned above? about introducing same species after the main group has established ?

Its likely to do with the group size, one way or another. We now have scientific studies proving that the number of fish in a group of a species that is shoaling/schooling does impact the individual fish significantly. The study found that in groups of five, all species showed increased aggression, while groups of ten did not. The fish in the smaller groups also showed a marked latency to feed. You can be certain the fish are being impacted when they are reluctant to feed.

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Its likely to do with the group size, one way or another. We now have scientific studies proving that the number of fish in a group of a species that is shoaling/schooling does impact the individual fish significantly. The study found that in groups of five, all species showed increased aggression, while groups of ten did not. The fish in the smaller groups also showed a marked latency to feed. You can be certain the fish are being impacted when they are reluctant to feed.

Very interesting and important info there Byron, thank you.
I really appreciate the education on this topic as all of my fish are shoalers/schoolers.