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hey there, newbie here!
ive been a fish keeper for quite a while, but have decided to try a tetra tank with a spare 25gallon tank i have.

right, my plan is to get 6 or so corys to occupy the substrate area, but my question is how many tetras can i go for in this size tank? i will be buying 6 of each type of tetra but am not sure as to how many to go for.

for example would 4 schools be ok for my 25 gallon? ie. 6 cardinals, 6 lemons, 6 rummy noses and 6 red eyes?

any help would be great, thankyou!

ian

I think that you'll be a bit overstocked, as you'll be having 24 Tetras & 6 Corydoras.
I would go with 3 schools of Tetras & the 6 Corydoras.


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For tetras, I usually go with the one inch of fish per gallon rule. It really depends on the adult size of the fish as to how many of each you might add. Cardinals stay pretty small, so you could have more. Red Eyes get a bit larger - but still need to be in a school of six or more. Three schools would be OK, but by going with just two, you would have better sized schools of what you select. A tank of a single species can look pretty spectacular - just carninals for example, and the cories - of course.
Good luck with your fish.

I say 6 Cardinals and 6 Lemons

They have different body shapes and would show a sorta difference between the 2 schools, while rummynose are the same shape as Cardinals

IME Red Eyes pick on other Tetras. I had a school of about 6 and they wanted to kill my glowlights. They would chase them and bite them (not nip but bite them on the sides...they would grab at them with force) My poor glowlights couldnt get to the food and were hiding all day. So if you do decide to go with Red Eyes, just be wary about them being agressive.

In a 25, I'd go for 8 each of two different Tetra species, as a shoal of 6 is considered the bare minimum, and more of a particular species is ALWAYS better.

8 Cardinals and 8 Lemons would make a nice display similar to my very own Panda Fun Palace™ whose inmates are now so infamous on this Board ... alternatively, you could go with 8 Cardinals and 8 Rosies, or 8 Rummies and 8 Black Phantoms. I'd steer clear of Red Eye and Serpae Tetras as both have a reputation for being somewhat nasty (Serpaes in particular), while most of the other small Tetra species regularly offered in the marketplace are a good deal more sociable. However, having said that, avoid getting anything too exotic for your first aquarium (i.e., steer well clear of Cochu's Blues and some of the more delicate Pencil Fishes), and stick to more 'mainstream' species. Not that you'll be that restricted with such a policy, as among the 'mainstream' species you have something like 30 species of Tetra to choose from!

Good ones to look out for would be:

Black Neons
Glowlights
Head And Tail Lights
Garnet/Pretty Tetras
Flame Tetras
Pristellas (but watch out for weak inbred ones)
Cardinals
Neons (but watch out for weak inbred ones)
Rummies (note they tend to like warmer water - around 26°C)
Black Phantoms
Red Phantoms
Rosy Tetras
Black Widows (usually recommended as 'bomb proof')
Colombian Blue Red Tetras
Kitty Tetras (if you can find them!)
Emperor Tetras
Gold Emperor Tetras (Nematobrycon amphiloxus)
Diamond Tetras (with some degree of caution)

Pick any two species from the above list, and put 8 each in your aquarium. In 25 gallons, you shouldn't experience too many problems provided you don't do anything silly, such as adding a Gibbiceps Plec in there

Remember that there are LOTS of different Tetra species out there that are suitable for you, and quite a few others you should steer clear of until you've acquired some experience with less demanding fishes. Among the ones I'd AVOID until you're experienced are:

Cochu's Blues
Congo Tetras (too big)
Bleeding Hearts (slightly on the large side again but otherwise hardy)
Ornate Tetras (can be fussy about water conditions)
Red Eyes (nippy and bad tempered)
Serpaes (nippy and bad tempered)
Dwarf Pencilfish
Red Arc Pencilfish (gorgeous but not for a beginner!)
Penguin Fish (hardy but can be nippy)
Arnold's Tetra (fast swimming and needs LOTS of room)
African Longfins (too big, about the same size as Congos)

Hope this quick guide proves useful!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

i cant thankyou enough for your replies, you have really helped me out in my choices!

i think i will go ahead with the 6 corys, and then 2 schools of tetra, possible lemons and cardinals


thanks again

ian

Some of the earliest fish I got for my first tank (10 gal.) were Lemons, and the original two are still with me (and I'm a rote beginner fishkeeper). I recently set up at 55-gal. tank and among the new additions were 2 more Lemons. They get really yellow in their "home" tank, and they're beautiful! I love mine!

Lemons are great and I love my black neons I have both... love the way the colors contrast each other- good luck