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Are there any small (under 2" tetras that don't need to be in a school? Thanks

Emperor Tetras?

72 gallon bowfront:Tanganyikan Lake set up
75 gallon: A. Baenschi trio,Cyanotilapia Afra Cobwe(4), copadichromis trewavase, protomelas sp. tangerine tiger(breeding pair)

Cochu's blue tetras come to mind, emperors will work too. Could you give us some specifics? Tank size, other fish, etc.? That would allow folks to help you out more.

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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."

no more fish for your 10g betta fantasy

but i you really want to know...
-black phantoms and rosies dont necessarily school, but they do enjoy the presence of their own kind.
-cochus blue tetras- the profile on this website says its non-schooling, but ive heard different on other websites
-black skirts-the profile says theyre schooling, but IME theyre nasty and stay away from each other
-like tanya said, emperors are also a choice

to tell you the truth, there arent many non-schooling tetras, so id just stick with cherry barbs

Black phantom and rosy tetras aren't technically schoolers in my book, but I'd still consider them to be shoaling fish. They don't do well when forced to live singly or in small groups. These fish should be kept in large enough numbers so that they can decide whether they want to school or not.

Cochu's can be some mean little devils. From what I've seen, they tend to pester conspecifics and other tetras but get along swell with non-tetra fish. A large group of them looks pretty nice in a big tank, because they don't keep bumping into each other and cause so much damage (read: they don't keep biting each other). But in a smaller setup, two or three blue tetras are actually a viable option. They can thrive even when deprived of a school. If this is a ten gallon tank we're talking about though, then blue tetras should not be added. They are very active fish.

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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."

If you're looking for a Characoid that will happily live on its own, then the good news is that several species exist. The bad news is that most of them grow WAY too big for a 10 gallon (several won't physically FIT in a 10 gallon regardless of whether there's any water in it or not!), and almost all of them are predatory.

Hoplias malabaricus and Hoplias lacerdae of the Family Erythrinidae will live on their own quite happily, principally because anything else sharing an aquarium with either of these species will end up as lunch. A big lacerdae will reach 30 inches in length, and has jaws like a car crusher. An adult is capable of amputating a man's arm at the elbow. You would be looking at around 500 gallons for one of those.

Another 'loner' among the Characoids is Phago maculatus, aptly named the Pike Characin. The generic name Phago derives from the Greek for "I eat", which sums this fish up quite nicely. It is an obligate predator, will ONLY eat live fishes, and because of its feeding habits, I described it in a past article in the forums as "the nastiest fish in the aquarium". Basically, it bites the fins off its victims, then de-scales them before taking bites of flesh. It effectively subjects its victims to an underwater flaying alive before eating them, and has an expression on its face that suggests its enjoys its sadistic modus operandi enormously. You would probably feel ill after watching it in action. To the relief of just about every other aquarium fish, it is very seldom imported anyway, and no-one has bred it in captivity yet, so if you were deranged enough to want one of these, you would need to order it specially, wait a few weeks while one was captured and flown in from Africa, then pay a seriously high premium price. Always assuming of course that Customs would let it in - I gather US Customs aren't happy about letting in fishes on their black list, and this one will probably be on the black list because of the havoc it would wreak if some fool let the species loose in Florida, for example. Even if you got your hands on one, the species reaches 8 inches and again, is too big for a 10 gallon.

'Loner' Characoids are out there, but they're oddballs, most of them are just FAR too big for a 10 gallon, and several of them are potentially dangerous to your limbs to boot.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

to Calilasseia:
that was real helpful -_-

I do have a ten gallon tank, and listing species that grow to 8 inches in length is NOT helpful, so don't even bother posting

That's not nice of you. You didn't provide us with your tank size initially and still haven't posted your stocking list, so the only way anyone could know about your tank is by reading through your other posts. It sure doesn't help posters if they have to guess what you're getting at. Zachf92 indicated that you have a ten gallon tank, but for all I or Cali know, you could have been asking about a one hundred ten gallon.

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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."

You asked if there were any 'loner' Characoids. I answered in the affirmative, but cautioned you (and anyone else for that matter) against taking them on because they're specialised.

As for 'loner' Characoids that WILL live in a 10G, I think you would be very lucky to find any. Even though Cochu's Blue Tetras have a reputation for being different from the 'conventional' small Tetra species in many respects, many people would still prefer to keep them in a shoal, and I'd be wary of doing otherwise until more information is in.

The smallest fish I can think of that could conceivably by classified as a 'loner' Characoid (it happens to be bositerously territorial with conspecifics) is the Darter Characin. And even that hits 3 inches, possibly more.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

In my experience, Emperor Tetras are quite happy to be alone, without actually being aggressive toward other fish (as Cochu's Blues very often are, at least to the extent of chasing them madly around the tank without ever actually biting).

"to Calilasseia:
that was real helpful -_-

I do have a ten gallon tank, and listing species that grow to 8 inches in length is NOT helpful, so don't even bother posting"

Wow, that was extremely rude.

The only truly solitary tetras I know of are Emperors and Blue Emperors. However, if your tank is overstocked they most certainly will not work out. Their territories alone will probably be the size of the 10 gallon tank, and they won't appreciate other fish in the area. Additionally, they are one of the more fragile tetras, and unless your tank is very well planted and has a low pH/hardness, they will probably not thrive.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.