Badis badis and cardinal tetras compatible?

[BettaMan2000]

Hi there,

Are badis badis and neon tetras compatible?

I need ideas for a peaceful but brightly coloured companion to my tetras other than a pleco?!

 

[Byron]

Is it neon tetras or cardinal tetras? From the aspect of their temperament, either should be compatible with Badis badis. The neons need cooler temperatures than some tropical, around 75-76F (24 C) and that suits the Badis. Cardinals do prefer it a tad warmer.

Badis are not always easy to feed; initially they may require live foods, and learn to accept frozen foods like daphnia and bloodworms. Sometimes they may not accept prepared dried foods. Badis can be temperamental and territorial. A pair should be OK with the neons. Badis are low level fish.

 

[BettaMan2000]

I’ve got cardinal tetras and was thinking perhaps a pair of honey gouramis, but would be very worried about putting these in with them, seeing carnage in a friends tank!

 

[Essjay]

Do you mean Badis badis which grows to 6 cm and needs an 80 cm long tank, or Dario dario, the scarlet badis which is a much smaller fish and suitable for a tank your size?
Dario dario, scarlet badis
Badis badis

Some shops sell only male scarlet badis. Read up how to tell the difference between males and females so you can see if the shop tank has both. Regardless of how good you think a shop is, always do your own research first.

 

[BettaMan2000]

The small one

 

[Byron]

Essjay has alerted me to my confusion earlier, forget all that.

As for Dario Dario, "the small one" and a real beauty, this fish is even trickier to get eating non-live food. I've had it twice, and it sort of ate frozen foods, but not all that well.

On the gourami, remember these fish are territorial and the smaller the tank the more this can come out, part of the fish's reaction to the space. This ties in with what I wrote in the other thread.

 

[Essjay]

It's feeding them that has put me off scarlet badis.

The reason your friend had problems with their gourami is because they put it in a tank that was too small, then added another gourami of a different species. Stress, including being in a tank that's too small, makes a lot of fish more aggressive than usual.
You shouldn't have any problems if you got a pair of honey gouramis. These are at the less aggressive end of the gourami spectrum. The yellow colour is bright and easier to tell males from females than the red colour.