What Kind Of Tetra Could Fit In This Tank?

[hawkdaddy]

Hi all,
I have always wanted to have a shoal of bright tetras in my tank, but my current Emperor Tetras do not shoal at all. I was wondering if i could get another shoal of Tetras for my tank. I was thinking mabye Rummy-nose or Black-Skirt tetras?
I currently have:
3 black angels
6 Emperor Tetras
A bristlenose
Any replies appreciated

 

[creeker]

What size tank?

 

[hawkdaddy]

It's 165 litres

 

[KittyKat]

What are the dimensions of the tank? Do you have adequate filtration? Planted? Water parameters? Size of angels?

Which of the two species are your emperor tetras and are they all of one species? I would normally expect to see a larger group of a shoaling or schooling species in an aquarium that size. I did find that emperor tetras were more of a shoaling than schooling fish when I was looking after some, although with angels in the tank, I would have expected them to stick relatively close to each other.

Black skirt tetras won't be much better than the emperors, but rummy-nosed might. I would recommend that you replace all the emperors with the new species, aiming for at least 10-15 tetras of one species in total.

Be careful with the angels, you are almost guaranteed to have two gang up on one or the dominant one harass the other two.

 

[hawkdaddy]

The tank dimensions are 84 x 44 x 59cm, it is a 2000L/hour filter, plenty of plants, all standard range water parameters (0 NO2, <30 NO3, 6.8pH).
The angels are quite small, around 7cm. I had 5 originally, but an outbreak of ich killed two. as for the emperors, they are all normal (Not blue) and the tank is relatively new (a couple of months).

 

[keimak]

Well try upping the emperor tetras instead

 

[KittyKat]

The tank dimensions are 84 x 44 x 59cm

Most common tetras should work in that, although the tank is on the short side for real schooling behaviour, unless you go for smaller tetras, but then the angels will probably eat them.

all standard range water parameters (0 NO2, <30 NO3, 6.8pH)

What about ammonia? Are those with a liquid or strip test kit?

The angels are quite small, around 7cm.

In my opinion, the tank isn't really big enough for angels. You really will have problems with three in a tank that size once they get older.

as for the emperors, they are all normal (Not blue) and the tank is relatively new (a couple of months).

Both species can look almost identical, the biggest visual difference is that Inpaichthys kerri have an adipose fin, while Nematobrycon palmeri do not. The two species do not school together and one is a lot more aggressive than the other.

Since the aquarium is relatively new, I recommend slow addition of fish until you have more experience with it. For an aquarium that size, you should be looking to have at least 10 individual per species of schoaling fish, so my recommendation for 10-15 Hemigrammus rhodostomus as a replacement for emperor tetras still stands, although I would personally prefer to have a shoal of taller bodied tetras such as black skits because of the size of the aquarium.

 

[hawkdaddy]

Yeah, with the angles i was going to upgrade to a larger tank once they outgrow my current setup. The tetras are definitely Nematobrycon palmeri, no adipose and my fish shop also sells blue emperors from another tank. I also think i might go with a few rummy-nose, they shoal so well in the shop. Also, ammonia levels are 0, based off my test strips, which have been quite accurate in the past. thanks for the advice, kittykat

 

[Caprichoso]

I second the rummy nose. They are my only tetras that seem to school up at all, all the other tetras I have break up into small groups or individuals. Even though my rummies are my largest school, they never seem to separate much, the lil chickens

 

[KittyKat]

Yeah, with the angles i was going to upgrade to a larger tank once they outgrow my current setup.

Great you'll still need to add at least another 3 to not have problems (unless you're upgrading to something like an 8+ ft tank).

The tetras are definitely Nematobrycon palmeri, no adipose and my fish shop also sells blue emperors from another tank. I also think i might go with a few rummy-nose, they shoal so well in the shop.

Good luck with the new fish try to get at least 6, and preferably more!

Also, ammonia levels are 0, based off my test strips, which have been quite accurate in the past.

I'm interested to know which strips these are as I have tested strips against liquid kits before and the liquid kits were relatively consistent while the strips were all over the place. How did you test them for accuracy?

 

[moochy13]

buenos aires tetra stick together great in my tank, much better than the emporers i have.