schooling tetras

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

sadness child

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
136
Reaction score
128
I would like a list of plausible tetras that would look good and can go with angelfish in a 46G aquarium
 
what are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?
what is the pH and GH (general hardness) of the water?
 
tetras with a tall body are your best bet. Black or Red Phantom tetras, diamond tetras, rosy or bleeding heart tetras should all be fine and are not renown for fin nipping.
 
All tetras should be kept in groups of 10 or more of their own kind.
 
I’ve always been told they should be kept in groups of 6 or more. As mine have died off, I find that my neons, glo lights, and green neons wil schoal together happily in a group.
 
Tetras naturally occur in groups consisting of thousands of individuals so even 10 in an aquarium is an unnatural number and stresses the fish to some degree. 6 use to be the recommended number but they do better in larger groups. 20 or 30 fish will act naturally in an aquarium and not suffer as badly from stress.
 
The larger the group, the better for the fish is indeed true.

The only scientific study I know of on the question of group size and how it affects fish was done a couple years ago. In controlled tests it was determined that when kept fewer than five, fish of a shoaling species were severely stressed to the point that they displayed increased aggression. Angelfish was one species studied, and with less than five in the group they became considerably more aggressive to each other and other fish species in the tank. Black neon tetras were also studied, and while this is normally considered a very peaceful species, with less than five they began to display aggressive behaviours within the group and again to other tankmates.

This really is not surprising, and I have seen similar results with species that I may have had for many years and most die off in time, leaving one or two or three. Many then become aggressive. Sometimes the advanced age seems to lessen this, sometimes it doesn't seem to matter.

So it is still advisable to have as large a group of a shoaling species as you can safely manage. More fish in the species will always be preferable to more species with fewer fish in each.
 
i was also wondering for a top level schooling fish
please be specific
 
First, on the mentioned tetras...Lemon Tetra are a bit too active for angelfish. You want fairly sedate tankmates so as not to annoy or harass the angelfish. Some species that can work are Rosy Tetra, the Red and Black Phantom, etc., all of which tend to remain in the lower half to lower third of the water column so that is good as the angelfish tend to be upper half.

The Penguin Tetra, which is usually the species Thayeria boehlkei though there are two similar species, is a good choice as it remains near or at the surface among floating plants. This is a requirement, floating plants, like Water Sprite, Frogbit, or stem plants left floating of which Pennywort is best. The angelfish and the lower tetras will appreciate these too as they will shade the aquarium.

Hatchetfish can work, but with the Penguins this might be crowding the surface space.
 
is there another tetra that would go down with the other tetras
 
i would like if they have color to contrast with the phantoms
 
I previously mentioned the Rosy Tetra, and the Red Phantom Tetra. Both are colourful, the Rosy is a reddish purple colour, the Red Phantom is quite red. A group of 9-11 of either should be OK.

Just to keep all of us on the same page, this tallies up to a group of either the Rosy or Red Phantom, and a group of Penguin Tetra or Hatchetfish, and you could consider also a group of cories for the substrate level.
 

Most reactions

trending

Members online

Back
Top