Congo tetras or dwarf neon rainbows

[Millerman]

I really like both of these fish and want a small school of one of them but I'm not sure which. What one would you guys recommend?

 

[Coursair]

What size tank ?


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[mrgazza]

Congos get big and need to be in a decent size group to be happy ? beautiful fish though


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[fishliker]

What size tank?? I have 8 congo tetras in a 55 and they don't bother anyone but they dominate the tank with their size and boisterous swimming. So I personally think they need at least a 75 gallon tank, it only takes them about 3 seconds to swim from one side of the tank to the other. That's just my preference.


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[Millerman]

It's a 55 gallon. I feel they might overstock my tank though if I only had 3 of the rainbows would they be happy?

 

[Pseudomugil]

Dwarf neon rainbows are awesome!!! I have a small school and they're bright, active, and extremely easy to feed. Mine eat every kind of food I've put in the tank. Flakes, frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, freeze dried bloodworms, shrimp pellets, and even betta pellets.

 

[Angela1108]

They would be happier in a bigger group. Most rainbows are actually pretty aggressive eaters. If you have a lot of bottom feeders especially slower ones I would suggest skipping rainbows. They are food hogs and I have to over feed them to make sure anyone at the bottom of my tank gets food


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[Millerman]

I'll be getting zebra loaches at the bottom so they should hopefully be able to compete.

 

[Angela1108]

My clown loaches can barely get food- it's them and my bolivian ram that have issues. The rainbows are actual going to be re-homed soon


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[Coursair]

With food hogs, I target feed the slower fish. I'll add frozen food to a bowl of tank water and suck it up with a turkey baster. I can then aim it right at the fish to feed them


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[Millerman]

It seems people either love rainbows or hate them.

 

[Pseudomugil]

I've never had trouble feeding the other fish with my rainbows. I have 15 rainbows, a kribensis, 2 gardnerie killifish, and an electric blue ram and the non-rainbowfish always get enough food. A turkey baster would help though.

 

[NigelK8485]

I've got 11 rainbows and they are pretty aggressive eaters but luckily, I guess, they are pretty picky eaters. Starting out they only accepted frozen blood worms or brine shrimp but I've got them accepting flakes now. I'll feed my other fish pellets and the rainbows will completely ignore and dodge the pellets to get at the flakes. When I first ordered rainbows I got sent fish with parasites and ich and unfortunately lost majority of them leaving me with three alive. They were extremely nippy towards one another and didn't exhibit any schooling behavior. It was just constant fights. Once I started upping the numbers though things calmed down and now even different species are all schooling together at night and coexisting. I would definitely aim for a larger group or just skipping rainbows if you can't house a large group.


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[Millerman]

Ok maybe I'll just expand my other school of bloodfin tetras

 

[Millerman]

Would this be overstocked in your opinion it's a 55 gallon
1-rainbow shark
3-swordtails
5-zebra loaches
6-bloodfin tetra
6-black phantom tetra
1-pearl gourami
3-6 dwarf neon rainbows or congo tetra