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Is it to mix schools of tetras? i mean, would 4 black neons and 4 glowlights all school together? or would it be better to just get 8 glolight tetra or 8 black neons?

First, the ideal situation. A Tetra species should be provided with as many companions of its own species as possible. in the wild, these fishes shoal in great numbers - it's not unknown for a shoal of Cardinals, for example, to exceed 100,000 individuals! Similar numbers can be applied to many of the other popular Tetras - certainly it's possible for a stretch of Amazonian creek to play host to, say, 10,000 Lemon Tetras in one go!

So, if you're keeping these fishes in the aquarium, the basic maxim to remember is "the more, the merrier". Six individuals should be considered a minimum for any Tetra species: while they will survive the 'pick and mix' approach that some people adopt, I strongly dissuade people from doing so because what matters is what makes the fish happy, and with Tetras, happiness equates to a decent sized shoal. Therefore you should ALWAYS keep your Tetras (and any other shoaling fishes such as Danios, Rasboras etc) in groups with a minimum number of 6, and preferably more. When I restocked my Panda Fun Palace with new Cardinals, I bought 12. The difference, incidentally, with increased numbers is noticeable - 6 Cardinals tend to be somewhat shy, while 12 or more are much more outgoing.

Now, as for different Tetra species being happy to mingle with each other, well, in the main, this poses no problem. And, if you have the space to put two big shoals of something like Cardinals and Rummies together (20+ individuals of each) the resulting display is stunning, and once you see it, you'll NEVER go back to 'pick and mix' setups with odd twos and threes of Tetras ever again! In fact, you'll find quite a few Tetras overlap in the wild, and their shoals will mingle on the basis of 'safety in numbers', particularly if a bunch of predators turns up. Also, disparate Tetras will shoal if their numbers in an aquarium are insufficient, on the basis of 'any port in a storm' so to speak - but to get the BEST out of your Tetras, stick to larger groups of fewer species. For one thing, not only will they be happier (and more likely to spawn into the bargain!) but the resulting shoal LOOKS more natural. If you ever get the chance to see a really BIG shoal of Tetras in an aquarium (say 200 or more Cardinals), then I advise you to go and see what they look like - believe me, with Tetras, a BIG shoal of one species (or if the space allows, BIG shoals of several species) look SO impressive, partly because the fishes are so happy in large numbers.

So, for your own setup, pick one species and get 8 of them as you said. If you have the space to keep more than 8, do so, because [1] the Tetras will be even happier, and [2] the resulting shoal will start to look more impressive.

Post the size of your aquarium (preferably tank dimensions length x width x height) and the status as regards whether or not it's cycled, any other occupants present at the moment, etc. Then I can advise more accurately on the numbers you can have. The reason I prefer tank dimensions stated as above is simple - here in the UK, that's how we classify our aquaria, and we work out how many gallons capacity afterwards. Plus, there's a difference between the meaning of the word 'gallon' between the UK and the US - a US gallon is 231 cubic inches, while a UK gallon is nearer 277 cubic inches. Therefore a 10 gallon tank in the UK is nearer a 15 in the States! Much easier to give tank dimensions then let everyone convert to volume in their own local units without having to mess about with yet more conversion factors!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Thanks very much for that, i found it really useful.

The tank is a juwel 125, 125 litres, 81 x 36 x 73cm

The tank is cycled with the three glowlight tetra fomr my previous small tank, after what you have said there i think i shall simply expand the shoal to 8.

i was looking eventually to stock with 8 tetra, a bristle nose plec and a pair of blue rams but i shall do it slowly.

thanks for your help (im english too btw )

If you run with Otocinclus instead of the Bristlenose Plec (and 6 of those will place less bioload on the aquarium than one adult Bristlenose), then you can expand your Glowlight shoal to 12 in an aquarium that size. And still have room for a couple of Bolivian Rams if you want them.

I'd steer clear of Papiliochromis ramirezi and run with the Bolivian Rams instead because they will place fewer constraints on what is compatible. Venezuelan Rams (ramirezi) are 'sauna loving' fishes that prefer their aquaria warm - 84 degrees Fahrenheit is a maintenance temperature for these fishes! The Bolivian Rams (altispinosia) on the other hand, will be happy at 76, thus making life easier from the point of view of stocking other fishes with them.

As an alternative to the Bolivian Rams, if you can find the species on Jersey, you could go with a favourite of mine - the African Cichlid Anomalochromis thomasi. A fish I keep pushing on people as an ideal 'First Cichlid' because it is about as close as you can get to being a 'pacifist' in the Family - and in breeding dress is also wonderful to behold. They'l grow bigger than the Bolivian Rams, but they won't be anywhere near as feisty.

The Flag Cichlid, Laetacara curviceps, is another 'pacifist' species to look out for if you can find it, that will also provide a beautiful display of parental care when breeding.

Other alternatives include the two Nannacara species, but I suspect you'll have a VERY hard job finding those (sigh).


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002