Needs good schooling fish

[unknown_7]

Hey all, its me again, I want to get some schooling fish, for my 20 gallon that currently has, 4 guppies, an oto and some ghost shrimp. I don't want to be too picky I just wanted a calm, friendly, very active, color fish that actually school. I have had neons but they hardly schooled. Anyother ideas out there?

 

[megladonsharky]

white cloud minnows.. they are nt real bright but they school really nice

 

[Devilishturtles]

Harlequin rasboras.

 

[unknown_7]

Arn't harlequins really sensitive to water quality and are not that forgiving?

 

[Tiffi]

IMO a 20gal is just too small for a school to really stick together. I have a 70gal high and fishes that I've been told to be good schooling fishes didn't school together at all. A 20gal is so small, if the first fishes in the school arrive at one end of the tank and have to turn around, the other ones are still at the other end etc.

I would get some more otos, since they love company and are not that scared then. Further, maybe consider a pair of nice, colorful centerpiece fish that don't make your tank look too busy with all the guppies etc.

 

[Big C]

I Have rummy nose tetras in my 30 g and they school quite nicelly. I'm not sure what would happen in a 20 g.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hengali rasboras

 

[unknown_7]

I have not recalled seeing a hengali rasbora in my lfs. However, I have heard that rummies are good schoolers but from pictures I see online, they seem sort of dull colored, but I am not sure if they look different under certain lighting or in person. I was also wondering if there are any schooling fish for cichlids. I have giant danios with my convicts, but I want to get something else with them, are there any school fish that will hold their own. I heard that tiger barbs and congos are able to mix with certain cichlids. Is this true? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi again....

I see tons of hengalis in the lfs's here. They have a bright orange glow to their sides. This pic doesn't show the glowing orange, but it's a stripe that is above the black, and glows brightly under the light.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi again....

Here's a little better pic...

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Trigonostigma_hengeli.php

 

[Big C]

Tons of them! But here in Ontario they call the Harlequin rasboras. They're beautiful!

The rummy nose tetras are gorgeous as well, with their red noses and stiped tails. They put up a very nice display because they swim all over the tank in a single school. I haven't found any good pix in the web this is the best I could find

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/RummyNoseTetra.php

I recommend you go see them at the lfs. Also when I got mine they had some wild and some captivity fish. I got the captivity because they told me they were "safer". They were also more colorful than the wild caught.

This species is very resilient to "newbies". Believe me!

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I thought Harlaquins were not the same. Pics of Harlaquins don't have the bright orange glow that the hengelis have. I always thought they were different, but very similar.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Rummys are cool too. Thinking of them for my 55G as well.

 

[Big C]

Ooooh! You may be rigth Lonewolfblue. I didn't know.

 

[unknown_7]

I am not really gravitating to the rasboras much, well, I can never remember gravitating to them anyways. I rummies seem like a possibility I am just curious about how they would look and act in my tank. I was initially thinking of the typical neon and/or cardinal tetras or zebra danios, the only problem with them are that the neons and cardinal tetras do not always school and you would need a whole lot to get the schooling effect and sometimes even then, they do not school together like how I might want. However, zebra danios are very active, from what I heard they always school and stick to each other or other schools and have bundles of personality. At first, when I saw pictures of zebra danios I did not like them, but last week I saw them at the pet store and they were soo cool, they were just so energetic and had soo much personality. The only drawback that I want is that they are not at all colorful, so that is why I do not think I want them. So are there any other ones out there. How about head and tail light tetras, or those see through tetras I forgot what they are called.

 

[zenkatydid]

if there's no need, ie. no threat to them, then often small fish simply won't school. it's a survival mechanism to keep safe from predators. i'm not saying you should get a predator but you may find that with a completely safe environment, plus a small tank, they just won't do it as much.

 

[aoplayo]

What if you had a powerhead so the schooling fish could swim against it. Then they wouldn't have to turn around. Good idea?

 

[LAGlocker]

Im not sure if that would work. I personally would think that any powerhead with a high enough output to keep the fish from swimming forward against it would be too much, as the fish really wouldnt be able to get away from it and would stress the fish out way to much. Now im not saying it wont work, but I wouldnt try it myself.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

My rasboras loved the powerhead I had in my small tank. When they got tired, they just swam out of the current. But when they wanted to be in the current, it was fun watching then go into it. The Bala shark liked the current too. But my powerhead now is temporarily in my big tank til the Rio 600's come in. Just don't get a powerhead that's too strong. Mine is 150GPH. And I would say that's about max or you'd blow the fish away unless they were big enough to handle stronger currents.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi again...

It's the AquaClear 50, up to 270GPH, but I put the arm over to the lowest setting, which I believe is 150GPH. I also have the quick filter attachment on it for water polishing.