Can different tetra group together??

[PCDawg]

I recently brought a 5.5 Gal tank for my office and its been running about a week with no fishes yet....

Im planning on getting some small fishes for the tank....

Im looking at Tetras ( i have goldfish at home, kois, moors and orandos...) so im not familiar with tetras....

If i get a pair flame tetras, pair of red eye tetras and a pair of serpae tetras.....will they swim in one group or only in pairs???

I also hear that sometimes the serpae tetras can get aggressive and attack other lil fishes...is that true??

And for a 5.5 gal tank how many small tetras can i get???

Thanks!!

 

[OrionGirl]

Well, first off, have you provided the tank with either an established media, or plants? Many of the commonly available tetras are really sensitive to ammonia and nitrites.

For a tank that small, I'd avoid trying to mix groups. You won't be able to have good schooling behavior either way, but a single species group will be more comfortable. I'd recommend instead one medium fish (no more then 2-3 inches) like a single dwarf gouramie, and 3-4 small cories (pandas or skunks stay smaller. The schoolers won't display very good behavior in such a small tank. If you add some low light plants, and have regular maintenance, the tank will be better off and more entertaining, IMO.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I agree with orion girl...schooling fish need just that....a school. Two fish of a species does not make a school, nor do 8 fish of 4 species. The only tetra species that I've seen that even remotely school together are neons, cardinals, glow-lites, etc....I have a group of neons and glow-lites in my 10g that school together...funny thing is, the glow-lites seem to be the dominant of the two..my neons not only are larger than the glow-lites; they out number them as well...go figure.

 

[PCDawg]

Thanks for the advice.....

Perhaps i should jsut place the same group of fishes ....

I have 3 various sized plastic plants for now, but Im planning on getting some real plants for my tank so that it will level off the environment ( in terms getting worried about the nitrate being 2 high) for the fishes when they are to be placed into the tank.