I have to vote for neons. My water is moderately hard so that could explain it for me. I tried cardinals when my tank was fairly new so I may give them a try again.
Neon vs Cardinal Tetras
- Thread starter Flohrie
- Start date
Wait if neons are hardier than cardinals, then WOW they're not hardy at ALL! Neons are as hardy as in-bred fancy guppies.
I prefer neons. The body shape is more pleasing to me. Or maybe it's just the percieved body shape due to the color pattern differences.
Here in Houston, It is difficult to find Von Rio Tetras (Hyphessobrycon Flammeus) because they have a reputation at the stores for being fragile. When they are sold, it is usually without a guarantee.
I purchased some and put them into my planted tank, and they were tough as nails. I haven't kept anything yet that was fragile in the correct environment, but I'm sure that there are fish like this out there.
-Shay
Here in Houston, It is difficult to find Von Rio Tetras (Hyphessobrycon Flammeus) because they have a reputation at the stores for being fragile. When they are sold, it is usually without a guarantee.
I purchased some and put them into my planted tank, and they were tough as nails. I haven't kept anything yet that was fragile in the correct environment, but I'm sure that there are fish like this out there.
-Shay
I think I would go for the neons, just because you could get nearly 4X as many, and they basically look the same. Hey Shay, have you ever checked out www.fishrushouston.com , I went to that store in Houston and it was by far the best LFS I've ever been to. I wish we had something like that here
When I bought 11 Neons at my PetSmart they all lived, whenver I bought Cardinals at my LFS they all died. It could just be my water, but I still like Neons better. Cardinals, IMO, are considered by most, the ideal planted, community tank schooling fish species. They are preferred in nicer aquariums over Neons just because they are most expensive and harder to care for (You know how some fish keepers like to boats with the best of everything) but to me, I like Neons even more just because they are most hardier and overall, really just the same thing as the Cardinal. I think it's just personal preference and water quality, you can't really pick one over the other, the opinion differs from person to person given their circumstances. 
A neon is not a cardinal. If you get a bunch of neons, you'll eventually regret it when you see some cardinals. Cardinals grow bigger, have a really long and solid red line, and arent as prone to getting eaten by other fish.
Thanks for all the advice people, half of you seem to like Neons, the other half like Cardinals!!
Well I've decided to put it off for about a month so I suppose I can do more research and finally make a decision.
Well I've decided to put it off for about a month so I suppose I can do more research and finally make a decision.
Flohrie,
Yes I think it's wise to hold off for a while. From reading another post of yours you're still having a bit of trouble with your tank. You souldn't add any more fish until you have those test kits & you're sure the tank is cycled. If you do finally get some cardinals, I've had good luck with them by acclimating them to my tank water very slowly and keeping the lights for the first day to reduce stress. Good Luck.
Virginia
Yes I think it's wise to hold off for a while. From reading another post of yours you're still having a bit of trouble with your tank. You souldn't add any more fish until you have those test kits & you're sure the tank is cycled. If you do finally get some cardinals, I've had good luck with them by acclimating them to my tank water very slowly and keeping the lights for the first day to reduce stress. Good Luck.
Virginia
