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 LFS; 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
DIY CO2 (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

 

[Guest]

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]

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 LFS and buy whatever fish I fancy that day. Then I'll stock around that choice. Otherwise I'll never make a decision.

 

[Guest]

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.

 

[Guest]

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..

[/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.

 

[swanandmokashi]

how about blood fin tetras?

 

[BrianNY]

That's absolutely correct Gryph. Many cichlids will form shoals (not schools), up to the point of reaching sexual maturity. Once they become sexually mature they become territorial and tend to be more aggressive. What Asheley witnessed with the africans at her lfs was probably a combination of juvenile shoaling and an excitement at the prospect of being fed. Fish do become conditioned and we've all seen our fish (especially cichlids), seem happy to see us enter the room.

There are lots of theories about what causes schooling fish to form schools. Cardinals are thought to excrete a chemical which attracts fish of the same school, but will detract fish from another. That being said, I keep several schooling species that form schools with each other. My rasboras school with my pristellas and I think they look great together.

Ashley is also correct about a larger fish in the tank helping to create a school, and there can be a benefit to both. Angels and discus are a prime example of this. The larger fish have a sense of security with dither fish around and will become less timid. The schooling fish will tend to form closer bonds when those larger fish are in their midst. Good call Asheley

 

[malkore]

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.

That's called "African cichlids are hungry pigs and are following your hand because they anticipate food"

Its Pavlov's Dog, aquatic style.

cichlids don't school...they fight over territory..sometimes by light chasing, sometimes by killing the opposition.

 

[travis simonson]

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.

Gryph is right on with that comment. Only immature Malawians will display anything even resembling schooling activity. They follow each other for security but quickly outgrow the habit. Once mature, most Malawians (mbuna especially) become highly territorial and independent and will never school. Trust me, I've spent endless hours trying to get good group pics of my mbuna and they never group unless feeding, as malkore said. Although they are very good at breaking up schooling fish

 

[zenkatydid]

i was under the impression that 'shoal' was the british word equivalent of 'school', meaning the same thing?

 

[BrianNY]

A shoal and a school are quite different. Think of schooling fish as the speedy darters and shoaling fish as the slower moving territorial seekers.

 

[iceywater101]

its seems that people got off topic here a bit I ll try to answer the original question as best as possible I have heard that keeping 2 schools of schooling fish in a smaller tank some times will not work maybe with that large of tank you dont have to worry or it may be that the people I heard this from where tiring to mix clam fish with active fish and just stressed the slower moving fish but here is a good link for starting good community tanks
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/nav/freshwater/index.html