Help Choosing A Second Schooling Fish!

[Kareem Monzer]

Hello everyone!

So I have a 33 gal planted tank and my current stocking is:

- 3 Pearl Gourami
- 13 Neon Tetra
- 6 Amano Shrimp
- 3 Otocinclus

I'd like to get a second set of schooling fish that would contrast nicely with the neons. They'd obviously have to be compatible with the rest of my fish and school reasonably tight. I'd prefer contrasting colors such as orange or yellow, however, I'm open to suggestions. So far my most likely candidate are Lambchop/Espei Rasboras, but the ones I've seen in my LFS have very little coloring.

Looking forward to hearing back from you all, thanks in advance!

[Barliman]

The coloring might just be from stress at the store. I've seen schools of Espeis that have looked gorgeous.

That said, have a look also at the (a little bit) larger harlequin rasboras: perfectly peaceful and a nice contrast to your neons.

Pretty tank, too!

[SaraB]

Rasboras would look nice. Have you considered another tetra species like rummynose or blood fin?

[King Fisher]

I love Harlequins. Mixing them with Cardinals isn't bad. The Harlequins will school better than Cardinals or neons.

[Kareem Monzer]

Thanks a lot for all the feedback! Harlequins are great, but for whatever reason, I always preferred the bold orange color of the lambchop/espei rasboras as opposed to the pink/bronze color of the harlequins. I like the shape and size of the harlequins more though.

Regarding the coloring of lambchop rasboras, the ones I've seen in stores tend to be mostly transparent, apart from the lambchop black shape, there's quite a small surface area of orange. Will this increase with time in my tank?

Thanks for all the support!