Tankmate question

[AfflictionX]

I just rehomed my group of neon tetras as they were terrorizing each other and my other fish in the tank. Many cories have been nipped and my black neons were always hiding...

Now my neons are gone, my black neons are coming out again and the tank has settled down.

Looking for input... increase the black neons to a large single shoal, or get a second type of schooler?

Was interested particularly in:

Kochu's Blue Tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui)

Or

Golden Pencilfish (Nannostomus Beckfordi)

Or

Hockeystick pencilfish (Nannostomus Eques)


Tank is 46 gallons, stock:

6 black neon tetras
2 dwarf gourami (pair)
2 farlowella twig catfish
17 corydoras
14 pangio loaches

Tank is a planted blackwater. Photo was taken before I rehomed the neon tetras, little holy terrors lol
View attachment 111338

Note: GH is 90-145ppm, temperature 77F, pH 7.4

I had a 6 pack of diptail pencilfish. They were pretty cool to watch. Always hiding together in my surface plants.

 

[AfflictionX]

I just rehomed my group of neon tetras as they were terrorizing each other and my other fish in the tank. Many cories have been nipped and my black neons were always hiding...

Now my neons are gone, my black neons are coming out again and the tank has settled down.

Looking for input... increase the black neons to a large single shoal, or get a second type of schooler?

Was interested particularly in:

Kochu's Blue Tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui)

Or

Golden Pencilfish (Nannostomus Beckfordi)

Or

Hockeystick pencilfish (Nannostomus Eques)


Tank is 46 gallons, stock:

6 black neon tetras
2 dwarf gourami (pair)
2 farlowella twig catfish
17 corydoras
14 pangio loaches

Tank is a planted blackwater. Photo was taken before I rehomed the neon tetras, little holy terrors lol
View attachment 111338

Note: GH is 90-145ppm, temperature 77F, pH 7.4

Btw what is your surface plants? They are quite large I like them

 

[CassCats]

Btw what is your surface plants? They are quite large I like them

water hyacinths!
Usually for ponds, but I actually love them. A local was throwing out their excess and offered them free if anyone wanted them before chucking them. I got a bunch in this tank, a couple in my 55g and then a whole tote pond in the backyard full.

They have the fluffiest roots

 

[Byron]

I've got sparkling gouramis in my 20 gallon nano, and about 250 sparkling gourami fry in a grow out... but bad mix with the 46 gallon as I have a dwarf gourami pair in there.

And the dwarves in there wouldn't like a ram either, as adorable as they are

I missed that, sorry. I came to your later post with the question and responded off the cuff.

 

[Byron]

Water hyacinths are lovely plants. I had them in my garden pond when I first built it, along with a group of goldfish...then the racoon discovered the pond, and ate both fish and plants. Apparently racoon love this plant. They didn't seem to bother with the Water Lettuce, I guess it may be more tart compared to hyacinth, don't know.

Interesting, your Frogbit is doing exactly what mine does, and yesterday seangee's photos showed his doing the same. And here I though they just were not growing well...I have the temperate species, not the tropical, though it was sold to me as the latter.

 

[CassCats]

Water hyacinths are lovely plants. I had them in my garden pond when I first built it, along with a group of goldfish...then the racoon discovered the pond, and ate both fish and plants. Apparently racoon love this plant. They didn't seem to bother with the Water Lettuce, I guess it may be more tart compared to hyacinth, don't know.

Interesting, your Frogbit is doing exactly what mine does, and yesterday seangee's photos showed his doing the same. And here I though they just were not growing well...I have the temperate species, not the tropical, though it was sold to me as the latter.

Ah my frogbit is European frogbit, a non-native plant here in my locality, scooped it free haha

It does better than my Amazon frogbit.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/european-frog-bit

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Love that Water Hyacinths! My LFS carries the all the time - love the look.

 

[Crispii]

You lucky peeps! Water hyacinth is illegal where I'm at.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You lucky peeps! Water hyacinth is illegal where I'm at.

Let me guess - because its an invasive species?

 

[Crispii]

Let me guess - because its an invasive species?

Yes, and the fact that people might release that plant into natural bodies of water. Such a shame since I think that plant is gorgeous looking.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, and the fact that people might release that plant into natural bodies of water. Such a shame since I think that plant is gorgeous looking.

It is really pretty - unique look.

 

[Retired Viking]

Your water hyacinth really looks great, I received a little frog bite in the mail just a few small leaves and two with a small root. I hope it takes off as nicely as yours.

 

[utahfish]

I just rehomed my group of neon tetras as they were terrorizing each other and my other fish in the tank. Many cories have been nipped and my black neons were always hiding...

Now my neons are gone, my black neons are coming out again and the tank has settled down.

Looking for input... increase the black neons to a large single shoal, or get a second type of schooler?

Was interested particularly in:

Kochu's Blue Tetra (Boehlkea fredcochui)

Or

Golden Pencilfish (Nannostomus Beckfordi)

Or

Hockeystick pencilfish (Nannostomus Eques)


Tank is 46 gallons, stock:

6 black neon tetras
2 dwarf gourami (pair)
2 farlowella twig catfish
17 corydoras
14 pangio loaches

Tank is a planted blackwater. Photo was taken before I rehomed the neon tetras, little holy terrors lol
View attachment 111338

Note: GH is 90-145ppm, temperature 77F, pH 7.4

If you think neons are terrors then you wont like kocha blue tetra. They arent too nippy but are very active fast swimmers, slower tetras like black neons will be freaked out by their erratic swimming and the blue tetra will out compete them for food. Blue tetra pair well with bigger or more active tetra like bloodfin, congos, and serpaes. Black neons do well with similar calm swimming tetras like glo lights, von rio rummy nose.
Smaller pencil dish do well. Im surprised your neons were so aggressive, ive had neons with black neons before and the black neons were more nippy. I currently have neons with glo light tetra and the neons fight amongst themselves and leave the glo lights alone. Sometimes a group of tetras can be male heavy which can lead to problems. Good luck dont put the blue tetra with the black neons it wont end well.

 

[Retired Viking]

If you think neons are terrors then you wont like kocha blue tetra. They arent too nippy but are very active fast swimmers, slower tetras like black neons will be freaked out by their erratic swimming and the blue tetra will out compete them for food. Blue tetra pair well with bigger or more active tetra like bloodfin, congos, and serpaes. Black neons do well with similar calm swimming tetras like glo lights, von rio rummy nose.
Smaller pencil dish do well. Im surprised your neons were so aggressive, ive had neons with black neons before and the black neons were more nippy. I currently have neons with glo light tetra and the neons fight amongst themselves and leave the glo lights alone. Sometimes a group of tetras can be male heavy which can lead to problems. Good luck dont put the blue tetra with the black neons it wont end well.

I also have a shoal of 14 glow light tetras with my neon. I really like the glow lights, they are a little bigger then most of my neon right now and they seem to school together well. My ember tetra seem to stay together in the upper part of the tank .

 

[utahfish]

I also have a shoal of 14 glow light tetras with my neon. I really like the glow lights, they are a little bigger then most of my neon right now and they seem to school together well. My ember tetra seem to stay together in the upper part of the tank .

Cool. Ive never had ember tetra. Back when i had a 55gallon i had a shoal of neons, glo lights, black neons, Von rio, and rummy.The glo lights and von rios would try and shoal with the rummys and the neons and black neons would kind of do their own thing and the neons and black neons were always the most aggressive. I miss having rummys they show the rest of the tetra in the tank how to act, model citizens