Bloodfin Tetras? Anyone?

[John P.]

Anyone have these right now? How is their schooling behavior compared to Harlequin Rasboras or Cardinals?

It would be nice to be able to breed a schooling fish. This would be easier by all accounts with the Bloodfins from what I've read.

[Georgiadawgger]

My GF bought some for me long while back. They don't really school that well unless you get a LARGE number of them. I think I had nine of them in a 46g and they pretty much pecked at each other more than schooled. I thought they were all males untill we saw two of them spawning one morning. It was pretty neat to see them, but we ended up trading them in for some rainbowfish.

They would probably look nice in a planted tank because of their silverish body and high contrast fins.

[John P.]

Hmm . . . maybe cardinals would be better after all

[Momotaro]

John, you might want to revisit your idea about Rasboras.

I have a group of 35 Cardinals in my 75G. The fish school loosely at best. From what I understand, certain species of Rasbora will school very tightly.

Mike

[amanda huggenkiss]

My harlequins school very tightly, but I've read they're quite difficult to breed. Although I have seen them exhibit some mating behaviours. It's a community tank, though, so they may have laid eggs in there only to have them gobbled up by my clown loaches.

[SCMurphy]

I've kept them before, they were great schoolers when they were spawning, but otherwise they were like every other little freshwater fish in a tank, loose aggragates at best. I know I'm going to have to keep saying this, but if you expect to get a fish that schools in an aquarium like you see the schools of saltwater baitfish and herrings on TV (or snorkeling), give it up. You are going to get a bunch of fish that alternately shoal, swirl, and scatter, and that is as close as you are going to get. A tank doesn't give them a lot of reason to school, no predators, no zooplankton swarms, and very little open water without cover.

[Georgiadawgger]

I agree with SCMurphy that "schooling or shoaling" fish will rarely do so unless they have a threat to them. My GF has an angelfish tank with 6 neon tetras. They aren't known to school as much as others, but since the angels are pretty large they actually move about the tank as a group. (and no none have been eaten )

I've always seen Harlequins "schooling" relatively tightly, and same goes with rummy nosed tetras. Moreso than any other small fish.

[bharada]

My 8 rummynoses school pretty well in my 40. I have 14 cardinals that cluster together right after the lights go on (must be a reflex thing caused by the mild shock from instant sunrise), but that's about as far as it goes. No big predators to intimidate the tetras.

What is pretty cool to see is my fish (Rummynoses, Cardinals, 6 Congos and 4 SAE) semi-schooling while I'm doing maintenance on the tank. Once the perceived threat is over (i.e., the Python gets put away) the go back to random fishy behavior.

[John P.]

I plan to take a lesson from Amano and plant the entire tank bottom with a low-growing aquascape, a few rocks or driftwood, and try to keep the fish semi-nervous for as long as possible.

[anonapersona]

Originally Posted by John P.

I plan to take a lesson from Amano and plant the entire tank bottom with a low-growing aquascape, a few rocks or driftwood, and try to keep the fish semi-nervous for as long as possible.

Or get some semi bullies like Serpae tetras, they chase the cardinals and keep them a bit nervous.