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Will different tetras school together?

17K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  kamazza 
#1 ·
I just set up my first aquarium and i have a few neon tetras in it. I was wondering if different neons will school together. I know cardinals will school with neons. but what about the green neon and the black?
I would like to get a bigger, more colorful school.
Thanks
 
#4 ·
You're not going to get real schooling behavior out of any mix of 8 neons, regardless of species. The thing is, these guys school in the hundreds and thousands in the wild, and you don't get real schooling behavior in them until you have at least a couple 3 or 4 dozen in a tank. Frankly, in a 10 gallon, you really don't want a fish that schools well - there's just not enough swimming space.

Incidentally, Black neons aren't really a neon species (genus Paracheirodon) - Neons, Cardinals, and Green Neons are the three commonly available neons (and there's a 4th now. Pretty sure Heiko found it and had a write up in TFH not long ago.) Black Neons are more closely related to Lemon and Serpae and Flame tetras (genus Hyphessobrycon).

I kept 6 Black Neons and 6 glowlights (and 5 cories and a clown pleco) in a heavily planted 10 gallon at one point, but that was really pushing it. It would work with the tetras and a pair of ottos and nothing else. It did work just fine in a 20 high (where I eventually moved them - the cories even successfully spawned and got me about 10 fry).
 
#5 ·
Same species will school in large enough numbers, which they prefer since they are a prey source for big fish in the wild...safety in numbers, thats why they school. Ive seen 'blueberry" and "strawberry" tetras that wont school, even though they are the same fish (dyed white tetras).
 
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