What do you keep with your Neons?

[cohazard]

Just curious as to what other people keep with their neons. I have a cycled 6 gallon with nothing in it but a mickey mouse platy (which I plan to get rid of). I want to set up the tank for neons, and was thinking about adding a fish or two with them.

[Blinky]

When I had neons they were part of a 45g community tank, I kept them in a group, with other quiet fish; a group of skunk cory cats and a group of pygmy cory cats, a 5" whiptail catfish, a shoal of harlequin rasboras...
Your tank is pretty teeny, may I humbly suggest keeping three Pygmy cory cats (like neons, they dislike living alone) with no less than 4 and no more than 7 neons? Even though these fishes are small, at that level you'll have to keep an eye on things, you'll be fully (even over) stocked.
NB: Neon Tetra Disease isn't named after neons for nothing! Last summer we had a blackout that lasted more than three days. During that time I managed to preserve the bio filters in the HOB filters, but the UGF stagnated, and since we had no water for 72 hours I couldn't do water changes until the power came back on. Long story shortish, the tank recycled, the fish were stressed dispite daily water changes and very light feeding, and while most of them made it through the initial blackout, my shoals of neons and harlequins later succumbed to NTD and had to be euthanized. Neons can be quite sensitive, I've read and heard from other aquarists that Cardinal Tetras are often hardier when it comes to disease succeptability.
Happy choosing!

[cohazard]

Thanks for the reply!:D I only planned on keeping 7 neons in the tank, and I wanted pygmy cories but none of my LFSs carry them. Do you think I could squeeze in a few harlequin rasboras? Thanks again for the reply!:D




Serg

[holyherbiness]

I kept with my neons with a slew of schooling fishes of the characin family (Black skirt tetras, red eyed tetras, serpae tetras) and with guppies , etc.

But I have the luxury of having a tank that is many times bigger than yours.

maybe you could add a small bottom feeder
Good luck!

[Starry]

A few Otocinclus would be cute, but they can be sensitive as well, and remember they need buddies. They'll also keep your glass and everything clean of algae.

[Rava]

Holyherbiness- I heard tetras can be fin nippers... Do your's nip at the guppies fins at all? I would love to put both in a 10 gal., but had scratched the idea because I'd heard tetras nip fins. :confused:

[m3th0d]

I've kept Neon Tetras with Fancy Guppies before and I never experienced any nipping problems. Neon Tetras are very peaceful fish I believe and you don't really have to worry about them nipping tankmates. But then again fish are weird and don't all act the same, lol.

[PumaWard]

With 7 neons in a 6g, there's really no more room for anything else :(. I would suggest getting a 10g if you would like more fish :).