stocking my 60g planted -schooling fish- suggestions?

[current516]

I'm getting ready to stock my 60 gallon planted tank.
I want to start with a school of around 15 or 20. I would like fish that will move around a bit, stick together, and are "colorful".

Any suggestions?

I was going to go with Cardinal Tetras, but now I don't know. I saw a school of them in a big tank at my [acronym:4df0e35d37="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:4df0e35d37]; they were nice looking and they stuck together, but they didn't seem to move much. Has anyone had a different experience with their Cardinals, are most schools like that? What about Neon Tetras, are they also slow moving?

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60 gallon planted
2x65 watt Compact Fluorescent
[acronym:4df0e35d37="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:4df0e35d37] [acronym:4df0e35d37="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:4df0e35d37] (2-2liters and a reactor)

[muddlehead]

i have heard of alot of people having trouble with neons, apparently it is hard to find a hardy bunch that will live for awhile, rummy nose always seem to be the first suggestion and i enjoy mine, i can think all sorts of colorfull fish that are "schooling" but in such a large tank with no other large fish to keep them in their school i have a feeling that the school will fall apart anyways, i say pick a tetra that you really like and just get them, but thats just me

[lyquidphyre]

I have Serpae tetras in my 75gal planted tank. They school together, but its not always a super tight school. But, they do move a lot because they chase one another. And the red of the tetras looks nice against the green plants

If you want lots of activity you want a few big fish to sort of "intimidate" the schools so they stick together more. African cichlids are VERY colorful.. VERY active... and they school .. if you put your hand up to the tank they will follow it.

[current516]

Originally Posted by muddlehead

i can think all sorts of colorfull fish that are "schooling" but in such a large tank with no other large fish to keep them in their school i have a feeling that the school will fall apart anyways

I was planning on getting some other fish too. I'm not sure what those will be either.

This is tougher decision than I thought it would be. This is my first tank, and there are so many cool fish that I find myself changing my mind whenever I start looking around. I'll probably end up with a Tetra, but I've been thinking about Danios, White Clouds, and even Tiger Barbs (with a few Green Tigers). Maybe I should do a couple of small schools? Hmm… would Tiger Barbs eat my plants?

I think I'm just going to go to my [acronym:2965f4427c="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:2965f4427c] and buy whatever fish I fancy that day. Then I'll stock around that choice. Otherwise I'll never make a decision.

Thats actually a good idea current.. find one fish that you absolutely love.. and then decide what's compatible with that fish. Of course its always good to research before hand so i would go and pick out the fish.. but before you buy it, come home and look it up and find out if your tank conditions are good for it.. THEN go back and get it and start looking at tank mates.

[unknown_7]

African cichlids are VERY colorful.. VERY active... and they school .. if you put your hand up to the tank they will follow it.

Really I have never seen any of my cichlids school, they might huddle when they are resting but they don't seem to school which cichlids are you talking about specifically, I would be interested in that. I asked a similar question, so I am still very curious in this topic. I heard rummies are good schoolers apparently and I heard serpae's can be quiet nippy and aggressive. You can try neons, but they don't always give that schooling effect. Again like AshleyNicole said, you might need a big fish in there. My father has two pearl gouramis and used to have some giant danios and even though they didn't bother the neons they tended to stick together.[/quote]

[talloulou]

I like rainbowfish. I also like my tiger barbs. But before you choose your schooling fish you should have an idea of the other fish you want to keep. That way you can pick a school that will do best with your other inhabitants.

Originally Posted by unknown_7

Really I have never seen any of my cichlids school, they might huddle when they are resting but they don't seem to school which cichlids are you talking about specifically, I would be interested in that..

[/quote]

All of the african cichlids at the pet store if you put your hand up to the tank they will all swarm together and swim back and forth. They don't really stay in a "school" like tetras all the time, but they will school back and forth together.

[Gryph]

Some Africans do school. I don't know much about those from Malawi, but some of the larger Tanganyikans do. I think, though, that Malawi "schooling" is probably a symptom of immaturity, and will grow out once the fish get to be bigger.