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In my 55 gallon tank that is coming soon...which of the following should I get?

20 Cardinal Tetras
15 Diamond Tetras
20 Glowlight Tetras
20 Flame Tetras

I'm having difficulty decidding, I have kept cardinals and loved them, but I also want to try out some of the other tetras.

What else is going in the tank, by the way is...

2-3 Red Turquoise Discus
4 Bolivian Rams
10 Corydoras Panda or Schwartzi
1 Gold nugget pleco (L-18)
1 Whiptail catfish (Rineloricaria fallax)

So based on my stock list which tetra would you add?

Last edited by Tetra Fan at 10-Aug-2005 16:10

I'd try some different tetras, just for the sake of having something you've never kept before. Maybe go for some that aren't so common, such as garnet tetras (a personal favorite) or green fire tetras.

Just so that it's out there, I don't think you have enough discus. I'm learning through experience (at work) and listening to other folks that discus do better in groups of at least four or five fish. If there are only two discus in a tank, usually one becomes the boss and oppresses the other discus which makes it miserable. After all, they are cichlids and do show aggression towards conspecifics.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Personally I don't like the green fire tetra very much. A friend of mine back in Maryland had a school of them, and personally I jsut don't like the color combination. I was also thinking when I posted this...I am already going to have Cardinal Tetras in my 29 gallon so why not try for a rare/uncommon tetra that you have never kept before. One of these of which I am interested in getting is the Splashing Tetra. Also, another tetra that caught my eye in one of my books is the Black-jacket tetra (Moenkhausia takasei) which must be rare, as there are no pictures on the internet of them...the only picture I have of them is in my book. Best I can describe them is they have black on the top half of their body, silver in their stomach, and black again towards the back (where the green fire tetra has its red) and it is divided by a white line...very interesting fish.

I could also stick to the Emporor Tetra I suppose...

Last edited by Tetra Fan at 10-Aug-2005 16:52

I haven't heard of the other tetra you mentioned, but splash tetras are awesome. Their breeding habits alone make them worth keeping, and they do look pretty decent as well. People don't buy them as often as they should, partly because your average "aquarist" has never heard of them.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

I would go with a school of Rummynose Tetra's, but from your list, i would choose Glowlight Tetra.


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Alright, here are the tetras I ahve kept before...

Glowlight Tetras
Cardinal Tetras
Black Phantom Tetras
Rummynose Tetras
Green Fire Tetras (well not myself, but I helped a friend with them)

Ok, now excluding those tetras what would you put in?

I'm leaning towards splash tetras, but anyone got anything better?

go with the rummynose there the coolest.

Splash tetras do not school very well, and though not reputedly difficult to spawn, I never even obtained a single batch of eggs. I would look into something bizarre yet striking, such as a red banded pencil, green neon, false rummies, boehlkea, or any of new African tetras that have started coming into style recently.

are u looking for more colorful tetra or more similar to the splash tetras which to me are kinda bland... just a thought

Rosy tetras? Hyphessobrycon metae? They're both worth keeping, if you like them. Exactly what are you looking for, tetra-wise? There are lots of them out there, and they're pretty diverse. If you want the rarer and more unusual ones, you may not be able to find them in your area.

As an aside, how are the false rummynose species "bizarre yet striking"? They look pretty similar to ordinary rummies if you ask me.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

personally i would go for rummynose tetras, but we have a school of 8 flame tetra and they are quite nice to watch

Glowlights would probably be the easiest to keep, and I've had good lick with the green flame tetras (and I happen to like the coloring a lot*shrug*). I also love diamond tetras, and if you are keeping discus (and I have to second the recomendation that you get 4 or more, because one bully will make one or two other discus miserable) they may eat small tetras like cardinals and glowlights, and diamond tetras are larger. I also think that diamond tetras will look best with the other fish because of their color.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Bizarre in terms of availability. We do not get them in often.

I'm still not sure what I want...I'm leaning towards Diamonds...and I'm not sure where I could get any rare tetras...I think Flames or Diamonds now...which of those 2 would you pick and why?

A few of you suggested rummynose tetras, but like I said earlier I would have liked recommendations other than fish I have kept before...which I listed.

But if I can get them, as I have found myself researching () them a lot recently and even submitted their profile, I would chose Green Neon Tetras.

But of the Diamond or Flame Tetra, which would you pick?


Last edited by Tetra Fan at 11-Aug-2005 11:02

Hmmm... that is a tough decision. I would go with Diamonds myself, just because they are bigger and I think they would stand out better in the tank, especially if it was a blackwater amazon tank (which would also make the discus quite happy).
If you're looking for smaller fish that school a bit more tightly, then go with the flames.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...