[RandyB]

Hi all,

What are the best/hardiest tetra's to cycle a tank with?? Are there any strong varieties? I am just looking for strong hardy fish besides danios and barbs as they may nip at my angels which will be moving in eventually. Any suggestions??

Thanks!

RandyB.

 

[TAF CAF]

I would think black skirt tetras would be pretty hardy, but mine have always had a fude between them and my angels for some reason.

I have had no issues with danios and my angels... Of course with the exception of the angels sometimes eating the danios when they got large enough to. LOL

 

[MikeNas102]

From my experience the hardiest fish I ever owned was what Petsmart calls a Lampeye Tetra. I don't know the real name. It's a silver tetra with a black tail and red eye. Mine have been through multiple CO2 poisoning accidents which killed everything else in the tank. They also handle medications or other tank treatments like a champ.

 

[Ulan]

Lampeye tetras will probably also nip the angels. They are known fin nippers.

 

[MikeNas102]

Mine have never nipped a fin in their life. Very docile and keep to themselves in a tight group.

 

[Ulan]

You probably have a large enough group? And there are always individual differences . But you will find enough reports of them being described as nippy and eaters of neons.

They are definitely a hardy bunch .

 

[PEVINE]

i recomend any fish you like and some bio - spria. bio - spria works great i used it on my tanks. . . .. . . .

 

[Rex Grigg]

Or use the silent cycle method as outlined in my Guide.

 

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Randy, do you have any other tanks currently running?

 

[toffee]

Buenos Aires Tetra are pretty hardy but plants unfriendly and pretty aggressive when matured.

 

[scilence]

i think the angels would be fine with the danios. After a while they may even eat some of the younger danios.

 

[aman74]

Why not do a fishless cycle? You will most likely subject the fish to permanent damage even if they live. I think most of us are here to provide the best environment for our fish so why hurt them?

 

[DebbyS]

Head and Tail Lights: plain looking but strong and personable, no more than 1.5 inches long (the females), and will eat the occasional small snail

 

[joejoeg]

i would say the most hardy tetras are the ones that are ''nippy'' now ive never had a problem with them but have heard brutal stories these are:
black skirt tetras
white skirt tetras
serpae tetras ( not the usual starter fish but they seem hardy enough)
it all comes down to the ''new tank syndrom'' every tank has its own cycling habits, some mature quickly , as some struggle. If you let youre tank run for approx. 5 days and hours before you buy fish add bio support ( cycle, stability ect.) then choose a hardier tetra ( meaning NOT neons, cardinals, rummynose....) they should be fine. if you have a pre-existing aquarium borrow some filter media for the new one and youre rarin to go.

good luck.

 

[Betowess]

Lamp Eye aka Red Eyed Monks are very nervous Tetras. I have never seen one nip another fish. They are scared of their shadows. Put in enough plants and the fish won't really experience much a cycle. Even better if you can "borrow" some mulm and a mature filter sponge from another fish head.

 

[gointomexico]

I started cycling with one x-ray tetra named lucky. He survived an amonia spike up to 1.0 and nitrate up to 5.0 before I added some other fish to speed things allong. This was my 100 gallon tank, and I cheated by adding filter media to this tank from my 29 gallon.

 

[GDominy]

If the tank is well planted with high growth plants I've found cycling can be achieved even with more sensitive tetra's. The first fish I introuced to my most recent tank were cardinal tetra's and I only lost a couple out of a school of 20 (which is pretty good considering what they have to go through to get to this island).

Keep in mind that this is a high growth aquarium, so the plants were probably consuming more nutrients then would have killed fish normally. I had planted the aquarium and started fertilizing for a couple of weeks before I introduced fish.

 

[kevbshields]

Despite what you may read or someone may tell you, the "Black Neons" are a pretty decent sized fish at adulthood and extremely hardy. I've never seen or heard of them nipping fins or anything of the sort. Regardless of what you might find on websites, the captive-bred guys are indestructable.

To illustrate my point, a story:
I had a job a couple years back that suddenly required I spend several months in So Cal (I live in KY, btw). Anyhow, asked a friend who's a hobbyist to tend to my tank. When I got home a few months later, my java moss had invaded EVERYTHING and the tank was basically an ecological disaster. I was furious with my "friend," who's theory on caring for it involved a few shrimp pellets once a week. Thought everything was dead--couldn't really see, because java moss was everywhere . . . like zero visability in the tank. Point being, my school of black neons had--somehow--managed through the massacre. They were the smallest inhabitants and by far the hardiest. They, in fact, reside with a true, hobbyist friend of mine at this time and are in stellar health.

You could at least give them a look. Most are reasonably priced, so you won't regret any potential, future deaths. Contrastly, if they make it, you won't feel like you've got this school of ugly ducklings hanging out in your tank for the rest of eternity.

 

[rich]

Surely you know some other people with tanks. Just find a friend who can lend you a bag of gravel or a used filter bag from a healthy established tank. It's the easiest way and you can lightly stock immediately.

-Rich

 

[AmoAquafish]

I had a tank that was hopelessly neglected a few years ago. The only fish that survived were my school of glowlight tetras, my lone black neon tetra, and my harlequin rasboras. I can recommend all these fish and I think all of them would be all right with angels.