Rummy Nose's Too Big for that 'Small Shoal'

[Satsumas]

I am planning my stocking list for my 20gal long and i have been pretty set on the idea of getting 6-8 rummy nose tetra as the small shoaling fish.
However i am aware that they get quite long and as the tank is pretty small itself i think they won't look that small in the tank. The tank is 36" long.

Cardinal tetra's are very striking and eye catching they are also smaller and i'd like your opinions if you think that the cardinals will be more effective. A shoal of smaller fish will make the tank look bigger and better i think, but do cardinal's shoal that well? I have black neons which don't and i've read other posts saying that there supposed shoaler's aren't doing what there supposed to.

The other fish/inverts in the tank will at the moment be: 2 Bolivian rams, 4-6 Panda Cory's and 2 Bamboo shrimp. The tank will also be heavily planted.

TIA

 

[rich311k]

Rummys do not get that big, 6-8 in a 20 long would be just fine. They are pretty fish and they school very well.

 

[Esra]

I have a school of 15 Neons and they don't always school.
Sometimes they seem to split up into smaller schools.


Howvere they do spend a lot of time in a school and it looks awesome, especially in low light as they really seem to shine.

 

[severum mama]

I do agree that many species of tetras don't school very tightly as you might expect, but this has not been my experience with the rummynose. Also, I've had mine for almost 3 years, and they are the size of adult neons (not the tiny ones you see at the LFS, but actual adults), which is still not very big. You would be fine adding 6-8 with the rest of your stock list. If you have a
QT I would highly recommend using it for the rummys. I was lucky enough to find tank-raised stock when I got mine and have since only lost 3 out of 6 to old age. Unfortunately, I haven't run across any healthy-looking stock since to add to my remaining 3. IMO it would be best to not only QT the ones you buy, but to get 10 and expect to lose a few. Sorry if I sound negative, but the last thing you want is to get a bunch of sick tetras and have them take out your other fish with them!

One more thing- do you have the new tank yet? If you have a 36" tank, you may actually have a 30 long, as a standard 20 long is only 30". Here's hoping, right?

 

[JustOneMore20]

I also think 6-8 Rummynose tetras would be fine. They get a maximum of 2 inches and are slender. In a 3 foot tank, I think they will have plenty of room to swim around.

 

[Satsumas]

My Danios don't look too small in my established 20gal, i think i would've been better with a shoal of cardinals in that tank TBH.
2 inches for a small shoaler when i'm planning on having panda cories that also get to about 2 inches and Bolivian rams that get to about 4 wont make the shoal look small. I am keen on rummy's because the pics i have seen of them they are always close to each other and look to be shoaling which is what i'm aiming for, also they are quite striking.

@severum: My tank is 36"x12"x15" I think it's a little over 20gallons, like a 22 or something but i want to understock and heavily plant so i'm calling it a 20 The tank is long but it's not very tall, it defies a rectangle I read that rummy's often are lost when introduced into a new tank. Someone wrote that he belived a 4 hour acclimitisation period is the key. Previously he acclimitised for 2 hours and lost half of them, then when he got his next lot he acclimitised for 4 hours, dripping water into the bag from the tank every 10 minutes or so and lost 1. Personally i think that has nothing to do with it, the fish would be very well acclimitised yes but 1 hour will have the same results as 4, and some people say that it takes a fish days, weeks or even months to fully adjust to water conditions.

If I did QT a batch what exactly would i do? Just observe them in the QT tank?

 

[severum mama]

For 2-4 weeks, yes.