Confused

[Judge92]

So just in general I'm confused. I always hear different sides to everything. I hear that bloodfins are nippy here but everywhere else I hear they are fine. Some places I hear angels grow too big for a 29g and others I hear they are fine. I hear that a certain size of school is ideal but I hear otherwise from another place.

Other places being, stores and other online forums and info sites.

How on EARTH am I supposed to know the truth? Every time I go to get info on a new fish I find two conflicting thoughts and ideas on them. Seriously, why isn't there just a "yes or no you can't have that fish in the tank"?

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Because all fish and tanks are different and people will normally only have a very limited experience themselves with the type of fish and individuals they happen to own. So it's not surprising that you'll get a variety of viewpoints.

The best you can do is get as many views as possible and put them together to form your own conclusions.

 

[Bigzmey]

I would not put them with guppies or other long fined fish. They should be fine with other tetras as long as there are 5-6 of them.

 

[taylorodw]

Unfortunately (by some perspectives), fish tank issues are never really cut and dried. That's why in my signature, it says fish keeping has as many questions as answers. Always more to learn.

Really, the issue arises from these facts:
Fish of the same species can act dramatically different from one another
When you mix species these differences can mix and have negative consequences
There is a lot of "he said she said," misinformation, and difference of opinions

So, that said, bloodfins (and most tetras) are generally peaceful. However, bloodfins and some other tetras (such as serpaes, red eyes, etc) are nippier than others (like cardinals, rummynose, etc). They still may co-exist peacefully with any inhabitant, but each fish in the school is a big question mark that may display extreme aggression.

For what it's worth, I had a single tetra pester 4 other tetras and some hatchetfish to death. This is unusual, and some might call it a "freak accident". But every time you add a fish, you take this risk, however small.

Also, Angelfish are normally said to be okay in a 30gal tank, minimum for a single fish. I would say a tank with a 12" depth front to back, 15" height, and 3 foot length would be minimum. They get 6 inches, so this allows the fish to turn around easily (double the fish size from front to back) and also swim fairly freely (six times the fish size from end to end). Since angelfish are tall (they can be 6" or more tip to tip of their beautiful fins) they also appreciate the height of the tank.

Hope this helps!

I trust info I find online after I see it in quite a few places, AND see the fish healthy in a well-documented tank, like a build thread, etc.

 

[Judge92]

Can you check out my other threads titled "suggestions?" or "rainbows, gouramis..." and give me your opinion? Im looking for additions

 

[BigJim]

taylorodw pretty much nailed it. Everyone has different experiences. I've seen many posts that say you can't keep male and female bettas together or keep either in a community tank. I happen to have four bettas, a male and three females, in my 29g community and they don't bother anything. Maybe I've just had good luck, maybe I've got a better mix in my community. There are huge numbers of contributing factors that aren't very obvious.

Bloodfins are one of the more boisterous tetras. I don't know if they'll be nippy, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were. I don't believe there is such a thing as an ideal number for a school. It's more of a general guideline. Tetras are schooling fish, so I wouldn't go with less than five or six.

There's a wide variety of angels out there. Some are easy to keep, others are more delicate. Some stay small, others get huge. If you get one of the smaller variety, you could keep a single angel in a 29g.