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How many Emperor Tetras can I put in my tank?

8K views 7 replies 2 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
I have a 33 gallons long that currently houses one male Honey Gourami, 8 corydoras and I added 3 emperor tetras this morning. I don't wish to add any more species in the tank so I'd like to have them in a big school. How many more of them do you think I could add without overstocking?
 
#2 ·
Emperor tetra, Nematobrycon palmeri, is a shoaling fish and should be kept in groups of minimum 6 fish. Males are sometimes said to be territorial, but not to the extent of causing damage to each other, and a larger group as opposed to 2 or 3 fish would help in this respect. There is another characin commonly called emperor, the so-called blue emperor, Inpaichthys kerri, a slightly smaller tetra, which should also be kept in a group of 6 or more.

In your 33g, which I'll assume is 36 inches long (like mine), you will be OK with 7-9 emperors (of either species mentioned) in addition to your corys and gourami, provided you do not neglect regular maintenance (weekly partial water changes of 35-50%). A well-planted aquarium will benefit the emperors, both for water quality and their colouration that will intensify; floating plants will also help in this regard, as emperors like dim light and are more colourful than in brighter tanks. They also settled in better and are more secure (and colourful) in thickly-planted aquaria. In sparse tanks they tend to be a bit unsure and skittish. An average temp of around 77-79 will suit the fish.

Both fish mentioned will readily spawn in a suitable environment.
 
#4 ·
Here are photos of both species, f.y.i. First is true emperor, Nematobrycon palmeri; second is blue emperor, Inpaichthys kerri. Remember though that water conditions can affect the colouration of many fish and these are very much influenced by that.
[Interestingly, just now I did a Google image search for these, and noted many photos mis-identified--only shows how much confusion exists in some poeple's minds and how one has to be careful with photos on the web, very often inaccurate as Heiko Bleher told me.]

Byron.
 

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#5 ·
Thank you, 100% sure they're Blue Emperors now, they have a tiny fin over the caudal that true Emperor don't have, I'm a bit disappointed (I love those true Emperor's finnage) but that's a learning experience I guess8). I can tell that energy-wise the Blues are already packed so having 9 of them is gonna be something to watch!
 
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