[Ashnic05]

Tank specs: 30g freshwater, heavily planted with driftwood. HOB filter.

Inhabitants:
Betta
German Blue Ram
Zebra Loach
2 Cory Cats

Thinking about getting one of these schools:

Congo Tetras (5)
Cardinal Tetras (10)
Dwarf Neon Rainbows (7)

What school would be better for the size of my tank and other fish? I know all are peaceful but I'm wondering about enough room (36" long tank). Also if I were to do Cardinals, would 15 do ok or too many? Thanks!

 

[Imi Statue]

I would shoot for anything that likes the upper half of the tank more since you have plenty of bottom half dwellers already.

I voted Congo.

 

[NoUniqueSnowflake]

Congos can be semi-aggressive, at least the males. Mine pick fights with other fish with impressive finnage, such as male mollies and swordtails and angelfish. Your betta could be at risk for bullying.

 

[zoragen]

I picked the dwarf neon rainbows because I have them & they are fun to watch:icon_mrgr

I've never had the other 2.

 

[Ashnic05]

I should add that I don't have the Betta yet, he's just on my list. I was waiting to see if I was going to do Cardinals or not as I probably won't mix a Betta with them, they just aren't too nice (generally) with small, slow fish. I've heard Congos can be a bit testy, and I can always get a Gourami of some sort instead of a Betta and do Congos. I'm mostly not wanting to do Cardinals because they might hide quite a bit even though my tank is heavily planted. Dwarf Neons were my first choice so I'm tempted to just stick with them. Thanks for the input!

 

[Ashnic05]

Anyone know if Dwarf Neons are more top-dwellers vs. mid dwellers?

 

[jkan0228]

Cardinals would be your best bet IMO. Congos can get a bit larger and aggressive like stated before. Do you only have 1 zebra loach and 1 GBR? If so, if you have a good amount of plant mass, you can add 20 cardinals IMO.

Personally I have a school of ~80 cardinals in my 95G in my signature and they school lovely, given that 35 of them are only half an inch and were just added yesterday, they're already schooling with the larger cardinals already. I've also noticed that they school better when they're the only fish in the tank. Originally I had 3 cherry barbs, 2 SAE's and 8 Roselines and they didn't school nearly as well as they do now.

 

[Ashnic05]

Cardinals would be your best bet IMO. Congos can get a bit larger and aggressive like stated before. Do you only have 1 zebra loach and 1 GBR? If so, if you have a good amount of plant mass, you can add 20 cardinals IMO.

Personally I have a school of ~80 cardinals in my 95G in my signature and they school lovely, given that 35 of them are only half an inch and were just added yesterday, they're already schooling with the larger cardinals already. I've also noticed that they school better when they're the only fish in the tank. Originally I had 3 cherry barbs, 2 SAE's and 8 Roselines and they didn't school nearly as well as they do now.

I've heard the larger the shool, the better they look (especially with Cardinals). Yes, only one of each GBR and loach, was planning on getting another loach (LFS only had one left :icon_conf) Wasn't expecting to get the cory cats but hubby brought some home as a surprise...*cough cough* which is why I have so many bottom dwellers. Not planning on another GBR though. Think I'll nix the Congos as they probably should have a minimum of a 4' long tank and so I don't have aggression issues. Thanks!

 

[jkan0228]

By LFS I assume you mean The Wet Spot since you're local. If I recall correctly, they get their shipments in on Wednesdays. You can always call in and see if you can get that zebra loach another companion since they are a schooling fish and they stay somewhat small...

You can probably get away with the following with adequate filtration and plant mass to help reduce ammonia/nitrites/nitrates:
20-25 Cardinals
1 GBR
2 Cory Cats
2-3 Zebra Loaches

 

[uberape]

anything other than the dwarf neons and your betta will get horribly murdered. cardinals nip when they get going and dont stop. the congos will kill him in a couple days. unless its a female then its fine but cardinals have killed a female of mine as well

 

[kwheeler91]

dwarf neons hands down. have you cosidered threadfin rainbows? Stunning fish, although probably not the tight schooling your looking for.

 

[houseofcards]

I would go with the cards in a 30G. Congos are great fish, BTW I've kept with small tetras, shrimp and even fancy guppies without a problem, although during feeding time they 'accidentlly' ate my rasbora espei due to their over exuberance on two occasions over probably two years.

 

[Tenor1]

IMO, your tank is too small for the Congos or Rainbows. Cardinals are the right size, but I want to recommend looking at Diamond Neon Tetras, if they are available in your area. They are stunning. The red is brighter than the Cardinal, it's more like the Blood Fin Tetra. The portion that has no color, like a regular Neon, is the diamond part and sparkles and reflects just like little diamonds, thus the name. You can see the sparkle from the ambient room light available, where Cardinals would be dark and hard to see.

It's a harder to find fish, just remember...it's a Diamond Neon Tetra, not a Diamond Tetra, that one is completely different. It's well worth the look for your size tank.

 

[houseofcards]

If you want a 'true' schooler long-term I would go with either Rummynose Tetras or some of the rasboras like harlequins or espei, I think bloodfins are good too, cardinals every time I've had them eventually they're just dots of color all around the tank.

 

[jkan0228]

With schoolers I think rummynoses are indeed at the top. But with harlequins i think they loosen up over time.

With cardinals I've found that they school better when they're the only fish in the tank (apart from the few clean up crew members). They school a lot better now after I took the SAE's and roselines out of the tank.

Espei's are good. Especially since they're smaller. They're several choices out there. You just need to choose which you prefer and contrast in color and such.

 

[Tenor1]

I totally agree with Houseofcards, 100%. Most tetras shoal while the ones he mentions tend to school much better. Bloodfins are also good schoolers. The harlequin rasbora is one of my favorites.

 

[Ashnic05]

Yes, it was The Wet Spot that I got the zebra loach (it's actually a golden zebra loach, they had no regulars except in their gorgeous display tank which is, of course, not for sale) and they told me to check back in a few days. I actually work at another LFS but I'm not comfortable with the cardinals they keep so I shop elsewhere haha

As for the other suggestions, I'm looking for more color and did think about Rummy Nose Tetras, but worry that they will fade into all the green in my tank...not your experience? I'm not a fan of harlequins (just personal taste really) or blood fins, although they would probably do well. As for Diamond tetras I've heard they can be a bit aggressive. Diamond Head Neons are definitely pretty but pale in comparison to Cardinals IMO.

Decided not to go with Congos or a Betta. I've been planning this tank out for a while and have been suggested mostly to either go with Rummy's or Cardinals for the most part. Thanks everyone for your opinion!

 

[ramen lover]

congos are aggressive.. and cardinals (similar to neons i believe) don't really school that well. my neons are bottom dwellers. they stick together, but don't school that well.

i've heard rummy nose school the best. i have a school of about 20 or so harlequin rasboras. they school extremely well and are in the upper water column. works great for my tank because my neons are bottom dwellers and my harlequins are upper water column dwellers. it's rare to see the two schools cross.

 

[Ashnic05]

Do dwarf neons tend to be towards the top? Would it be too overstocked if I did a school of both? Say 10 Cardinals and 5 dwarf neons? In my experience Cardinals tend to say towards the bottom and I need to have mid-dwellers.

 

[Aquaticz]

Golden barbs. New find for me

https://www.google.com/search?q=gol...v&sa=X&ei=myL6UNGzCO_NigL854GACg&ved=0CD0QsAQ


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