Schooling Fish?

Actually, more Cardinals sounds pretty good. I checked out the Rummy Noses and they are a bit too plain.
I do have 2 Electric Yellow Labs, which are supposed to be semi-aggresive, but mine seem to be pretty laid back. They only spar with each other once in a while (like at feeding time). I dont think I want anything more aggresive than that. Dont want to stress out my fish just so I can watch them school.
 
i also find rummynoses to school the tightest and most consistently. you may like to give them a second chance, a school of them may win your heart. :) not sure how they will react with your other fish though. i would think cichlids would stress them out, as well as requiring a different water parameter.
 
Schooling is primarily a defensive activity and the school does tend to break down unless there is a threat. I have cardinals and rummys. When they feel threatened by the "great python monster" ;) they ALL school together!
 
Wow, I can just picture your tank!

I bet it's really pretty :). You can put yellow labs with those fish? I have bigger yellow tail tetras (9), a red-line shark, a pair of bosemani rainbows, some dojo loaches, a bristlenose, and a pair of rams in my planted 50 gallon tank. They also school really losely and when they feel frisky they chase each other in the school (kinda like sorting out a pecking order, all show though, they don't hurt each other). LOL, on the great python monster. My fish must be really comfortable (or dumb) since they come by and are curious what the thing pulling up the gravel is. I swear one time I'm going to suck up my ram female! Now, the big net menice though! LOL! Only works on the fish I'm trying to catch.
 
Yeah, the Yellow Labs really do pretty up the tank. They are so bright yellow with that beautiful black edging on the top and bottom fins. They are also very active, so they can always be seen.
I've had them for about 6 months now and they have never bothered any of the other fish, and they come up and take food from my fingers with all the rest.
 
I would give rummy noses a try. They might look plain at first, but they look nice in a planted tank. I actually like them more now then cardinals. Cardinals stopped schooling altogether, but I find that rummy noses reinforce cardinals to school a bit. They chase them too and on ocassion, the two groups will school together. I also have rasboras and find that they are pretty nice too and like to play in the fast current.

falcon
 
Back on the yellow labs

Are they OK with plants? I've been waffling about putting some peaceful african cichlids in my tank but was wondering if they needed special requirements, would tear up my plants, tear up my fish, etc. I was waiting for a lfs to get some wild strain kribs for me to see (pelvicachromis taeniatas). *Sigh* l love the color of blue peacocks like flame tails, but they grow so big and I'd have to redo my whole tank!
 
No problem with plants. I've never seen them show the slightest interest in any of my plants, and I have about a dozen different types of plants in my tank.
One thing that I think helped get my yellow labs settled peacefully was that I bought the smallest ones I could find. About half the size of my Platies and Mollies, so they werent big enough to beat up on anybody. So they just kept to themselves, and as they grew (about two inches now), they just settled in peacefully. (at least thats my theory, and I'm sticking to it.)
Still cant get these smily faces to work - But I'm laughing - Ok?
 
Hmmm, I wonder if they'll stay that way when they get bigger

I hope they do though :). I saw someone grow out baby Jack Dempseys in a community tank too, but I wouldn't keep them in there in their adult form! Maybe if they don't pair off and breed they'd be OK? Chiclids get teritorial when they have a family to think of.

I used to have a tank full of big South American cichlids as a kid, and when I moved out I didn't have a big tank until now. I vowed to have nice peaceful community tank and not have any cichlids, but someone traded me some rams and I'm looking again...

OK, maybe if I keep compatable cichlids? LOL, that wouldn't be waffling too much would it? I'm not to the point of totally reconfiguring my tank (though I just got an empty 20 long that I'm waiting for the local fish clubs auction to configure out :))
 
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