Which Type Of Rummy Nose Tetra "schools" Best

[IvanBliminse]

Hey everyone,
I have been looking around for a good type of fish to put in my new 29 gallon tank.

I read that the rummy nose tetra is one of the most disciplined schooling fish, but when I finally found some at a pet shop they were swimming slowly in a loose shoal rather than a tight school.
Could it be that most people mean the common rummy nose tetra when they say it is a tight schooler? The fish I saw had a prominent yellow band on the dorsal fin.

I've seen videos of the common rummy nose (hemmigramus bleheri I think) and those were swimming back and forth across the tanks in very nice schools, but that could have been due to other factors.
A tight school would be ideal, but mostly I just don't want to spend 50 dollars on a school of fish that are sluggish.
 
Thanks,
 
Ivan

 

[Fishmanic]

my rummynose don't always perfectly school together----I have read that if they feel threatened then they will closely school together--but if relaxed and comfortable, they may more loosely school and this has been my experience too.   Mine have no yellow band on the dorsal fin but is white and black.  Also, if comfortable, their noses turn bright red---if not at ease, the red disappears.

 

[l_l_l]

Hello!
 
I have never seen any rummy nose tetra with a yellow dorsal fin. I think you might be refering to lemon tetras.
 
The rummynose tetras are great schoolers, probably the best at what they do. They look especially good in large schools (10+)
I have a mix of the three species and they all school together so I'd think it doesn't make any difference which species you choose.
 
I'd just go with what you think looks the best!

 

[Byron]

As already mentioned, there is no yellow on any of the three "rummynose" species.  Any chance you could post a photo of the fish you are referring to?  I cannot recall a rummy-like species with yellow, but there are many newly discovered species appearing these days.
 
To the rummy "schooling" issue.  As mentioned in post #3, the species do need a larger group than the often-suggested six.  I personally would not have less than 12.  The three distinct species under the common name "rummy" are Hemigrammus rhodostomus, Hemigrammus bleheri and Petitella georgiae, and H. bleheri is certainly the most colourful and is now the most commonly available of the three. This species is easily distinguished from the other two; only in this species does the red colour extend beyond the head onto and past the gill covers. Also, the central caudal fin band extending laterally onto the body of the fish that is quite evident in the two similar species is almost non-existent in H. bleheri. The red colouration is brightest in this species, though this can be misleading as it pales if the fish is under stress and it usually would be in dealer's bare tanks. The "original" Rummynose, H. rhodostomus, is unlikely to be encountered today, as the paler colour means it is less desirable; P. georgiae is sometimes available and when combined in the same aquarium they will (as mentioned by |_|_|) all remain together.
 
No freshwater fish "school" in the strict sense of the word as it applies to some marine fish.  I prefer to use the term shoaling for the species that must be in a group.  The rummys certainly remain together more than most other shoaling fish, perhaps with the exception of some of the rasbora.  Rummys like to swim distances together, so the longer the tank the more natural will be their behaviour.
 
Byron.

 

[l_l_l]

Byron nailed it.
 
I have seen a show tank with a school of 30 rummy nose tetras and the view is stunning. Since they are a lot, and in a very wide tank, they tend to stick more together, or at least it looks like it.. Since they have a longer distance to swim, they continuously do it.
I have also noticed how he kept them with larger fish, I think this was helping in the sense that they had a reason to stick together.
 
I've noticed that everytime I change my aquascape a bit, my rummynose will be schooling very tightly together for a day. Then they are off to shoaling.
 
In the future I will be getting a 75 gallon tank and adding more rummynose to the tank is something I defenitely am going to do. They are amongst my favorite fish to watch as they are constantly on the move.

 

[IvanBliminse]

Thanks for all the answers.
I'm afraid I can't post a picture of them as the shop I found them in is a couple of hours away. The tank may have been mislabled, or I may have been looking at the wrong fish (which is more likely.)
I think I will order atleast 10 or 12 of the Hemmigrammus Bleheri type online. I would like to get atleast 15 or 20, but I don't want to overcrowd the tank with too many fish swimming at the same level, since it's only a 29 gallon aquarium. Also, I was planning on some fish like kuhli loaches or corydoras for the lower level, and I don't want to overload the biofilter.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for all the answers.
I'm afraid I can't post a picture of them as the shop I found them in is a couple of hours away. The tank may have been mislabled, or I may have been looking at the wrong fish (which is more likely.)
I think I will order atleast 10 or 12 of the Hemmigrammus Bleheri type online. I would like to get atleast 15 or 20, but I don't want to overcrowd the tank with too many fish swimming at the same level, since it's only a 29 gallon aquarium. Also, I was planning on some fish like kuhli loaches or corydoras for the lower level, and I don't want to overload the biofilter.

 
Remember that rummynose tetra remain in the lower third to lower half of the aquarium.  I don't know what else you have/intend, but the level of a species in an aquarium is something to keep in mind so you don't end up with all the fish in the lower half or whatever, and it seems you are aware of this.
 
Corydoras would be a good mix.  Kuhli loaches can spend all their daylight time hidden, unlike corys.

 

[l_l_l]

Kuhli loaches are very outgoing if you give them a lot of hiding places and put them in a decent sized school.