Best Schooling Fish?

Stingro

Stingro

Well-Known Member
I want to turn my 75 gallon to a schooling fish only tank. Which breed do you guys think are best? I have a school of clown loaches and danios at the moment.
 
FishBeast

FishBeast

Well-Known Member
Stingro said:
I want to turn my 75 gallon to a schooling fish only tank. Which breed do you guys think are best? I have a school of clown loaches and danios at the moment.
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I am a fan of rainbowfish. And nothing wrong with the classics - 30 neon or glowlight tetras in a 75 will give you that old feeling when you were first getting into the hobby! Might get tight with the clowns in there.
 
sir_keith

sir_keith

Legendary Member
Contributing Member Level III
Stingro said:
Wow never seen those and how big do they get?
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There's a lot of confusion about the Tanganyika killifish online. The first issue is their maximum size, which is generally listed as 5-6" for males, slightly less for females. I maintained a colony of these for several years some time ago, and none of my fishes ever approached that size, more like 3-4", closer to 3, at the most. These fishes occur in huge schools in the lake, and a friend who has dived in Tanganyika extensively told me that most of them in the wild are 3-4".

It is true, however, that these fishes are delicate and do not ship well. The main problem is that they are skittish, and damage themselves by thrashing about when netted and packed. Small individuals are much less inclined to do this, and are easier to ship, so getting juveniles up to 1" is the way to go.

I kept my colony as a species tank in a 75 with shallow rock work. They would spawn every day, laying just 2 or 3 crystal-clear eggs, which they wedged into crevices between the rocks. Well-fed adults ignore newly free-swimming fry (contrary to information online), which can be raised in the same tank. Periodically I would harvest some of the fry and sell then locally (Seattle); LFS's were always keen to have them, and they commanded a good price. Even small fishes are attractive, with beautiful yellow and turquoise highlights on an irridescent silver background.

On the other hand, I also like the suggestion of cardinal tetras; a heavily planted 75 with a school of ~200 cardinals would be awesome.
 
FishBeast

FishBeast

Well-Known Member
sir_keith said:
There's a lot of confusion about the Tanganyika killifish online. The first issue is their maximum size, which is generally listed as 5-6" for males, slightly less for females. I maintained a colony of these for several years some time ago, and none of my fishes ever approached that size, more like 3-4", closer to 3, at the most. These fishes occur in huge schools in the lake, and a friend who has dived in Tanganyika extensively told me that most of them in the wild are 3-4".

It is true, however, that these fishes are delicate and do not ship well. The main problem is that they are skittish, and damage themselves by thrashing about when netted and packed. Small individuals are much less inclined to do this, and are easier to ship, so getting juveniles up to 1" is the way to go.

I kept my colony as a species tank in a 75 with shallow rock work. They would spawn every day, laying just 2 or 3 crystal-clear eggs, which they wedged into crevices between the rocks. Well-fed adults ignore newly free-swimming fry (contrary to information online), which can be raised in the same tank. Periodically I would harvest some of the fry and sell then locally (Seattle); LFS's were always keen to have them, and they commanded a good price. Even small fishes are attractive, with beautiful yellow and turquoise highlights on an irridescent silver background.

On the other hand, I also like the suggestion of cardinal tetras; a heavily planted 75 with a school of ~200 cardinals would be awesome.
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Great info and insight!!
 
Stingro

Stingro

Well-Known Member
sir_keith said:
There's a lot of confusion about the Tanganyika killifish online. The first issue is their maximum size, which is generally listed as 5-6" for males, slightly less for females. I maintained a colony of these for several years some time ago, and none of my fishes ever approached that size, more like 3-4", closer to 3, at the most. These fishes occur in huge schools in the lake, and a friend who has dived in Tanganyika extensively told me that most of them in the wild are 3-4".

It is true, however, that these fishes are delicate and do not ship well. The main problem is that they are skittish, and damage themselves by thrashing about when netted and packed. Small individuals are much less inclined to do this, and are easier to ship, so getting juveniles up to 1" is the way to go.

I kept my colony as a species tank in a 75 with shallow rock work. They would spawn every day, laying just 2 or 3 crystal-clear eggs, which they wedged into crevices between the rocks. Well-fed adults ignore newly free-swimming fry (contrary to information online), which can be raised in the same tank. Periodically I would harvest some of the fry and sell then locally (Seattle); LFS's were always keen to have them, and they commanded a good price. Even small fishes are attractive, with beautiful yellow and turquoise highlights on an irridescent silver background.

On the other hand, I also like the suggestion of cardinal tetras; a heavily planted 75 with a school of ~200 cardinals would be awesome.
Click to expand...
I always appreciate hands on experience from someone who really took care of the breed. Thank you!
 
VickiK

VickiK

Member with a lot to say
Last time I was at Aquarium Co-op, I got 15 Rummy Nose Tetras to add to my 55g. They're schooling maniacs and the lone Cardinal Tetra and the two aged red fin tetras hang with them. It's quite the school!
 
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