1 big school OR multiple small schools?

1 big school OR multiple smaller schools

  • 1 big school

    Votes: 34 45.9%

  • multiple smaller schools

    Votes: 40 54.1%
  • Total voters
    74
anonapersona said:
Tetras need large numbers of fish to really be able to see them well from across the room.

I suggest 30 cardinal tetras, plus a small group of larger fish, maybe the barbs, like just 6. Some barbs are nippy and that will make the cardinals school better. I had 30 cardinals plus 6 serpae tetras in 60 gallons and they schooled well. The Serpae tetra males were always sparring amongst themselves, the females waited in the bushes for the victor. Add some cories 6 or more, and shrimp, and you have a nice community, with large schools.
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This sounds really cool and is right along the lines of what I'm wanting. A really big school and a smaller school to keep them schooled. :D
 
If hockey stick tetras are the same as Penguin Tetras, I wouldn't include them. I had a number of them that were worse than tiger barbs in their fighting and nipping.

I also vote for one big school. I have a tank with a nice school of brilliant rasboras, with some non schooling cherry barbs to add interest ing the bottom of the tank. It works out well, and the rasboras are so happy to be able to school.

--Mia
 
Serpae tetras

I have more serpae tetras now than I did then and I think that 6 was a better number than 10. With 6, 4 were male, 2 female. The females stayed hidden for the most part. The males were so few that they were bullies to the cardinals. There were so many cardinals, and they all look alike, that any serpae that ran toward the cardinal couldn't catch any one. So the serpae would look mean and threaten, tipped downward to look mean and intimidating, and stare down any fish he could. The cories were intimidated, sort of, the kuhlies totally ignored everyone. The cardinals would swim so fast it didn't matter.

With only 4 males, there was always a sparring match going on in the open space up front. Nose down, they twist around and threaten each other, then charge and feignt at the last moment, never touching. Their colors deep and intense, fins held erect and well colored. Eventually a female comes out, to say, hey, over here, did you forget about me? But they keep at the display, ignoring her.

With a group of 10 now, too many serpaes are standing around waiting to get to spar, so they swim around more, chasing the girls, and the cardinals are not as together as when 2 left over serpaes harassed 30 cardinals. Now maybe 6 or 7 serpaes mill around everywhere, and the cardinals are all over the place.

So, IME, 6 is about ideal for that. And if you use the right aquarium lights, the serpaes take on great color. Especially in a planted tank.
 
chefkeith said:
I think a 75g is too small for multiple schools.
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Please clarify. :confused:

Is it because two schools would be too busy in that small of a place? I know it could handle the load, but maybe I'm better off with a few different fish and one school.
 
It depends on how many fish, in your opinion, make a school? IMO, for small fish, like tetras, a small school is atleast 20 fish. A large school would be over 100. A huge school would be 200+. If you were to start with 20 tetras and let them spawn, sooner or later you'd have a huge school of a few hundred fish.
 
chefkeith said:
It depends on how many fish, in your opinion, make a school? IMO, for small fish, like tetras, a small school is atleast 20 fish. A large school would be over 100. A huge school would be 200+. If you were to start with 20 tetras and let them spawn, sooner or later you'd have a huge school of a few hundred fish.
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Oh, gotcha. I was thinking a large school would be 15 or so fish. Most fish books say 6 or so fish at least for most tetras so the fish are comfortable.

I don't think I'd put 100 of anything in my dinky 75 gallon. :)
 
If I had the tank, I would fill it with about 35 zebra danios, and 25 neon tetras.
Put java moss on the bottom for spawning pruposes.
 
I just got my 55 up and running, and have 3 separate schools. It looks quite nice since they inhabit different levels of the tank. 30 or so neons in the middle, 8 corys on botttom and 6 hatchets for the top. I will be adding some other semi aggressive fish to help keep them in thier scholl, but that will be after the little guys get accustomed to thier new tank.
 
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