Cardinal Tetras vs(?) Zebra Danios

[doug z]

I'm getting some conflicting information..

One book says get as many cardinals together as you can (25 to 30 depending on tank), one says don't get more than 10 (regardless of tank size)..

One says put the Cardinals and Zebra Danios together, one says have either or (as the Cardinals especially exhibit better schooling behavior if they have the upper tank to themselves)..

One says the Cardinal is a hardy fish (the Neon being hardier).. One says they require lots of water changes, floating plants (for shade), etc, etc, and to just get the Neon..

One says the Zebra is peaceful, another says they tend to nip fins of fish like swordtails..

Argh!!!!

Can I get a consensus, here? Preferably from those who have these fish, seperately, or in the same tank?

I am leaning towards getting one or the other, rather than 2 smaller schools of the same species for the upper-mid tank area..

And I like the Cardinal tetras alot, but if they aren't as hardy as the Danios..

BUT, the Danios might harrass the swordtails I want to get BUT might not, if they are in a big enough scho.... !!!!! I've gone cross-eyed..

Please help!!

Note my tank will be a min 55g, max 70..

Would 4 swordtails disrupt a school of Cardinals?

[Incredulous_Ed]

Okay, The more the cardinals, the better. cardinals and zebras probably would be okay together, bbut i wouldnt keep them in the same tank because they are too different. I would probablt get hatchetfish.Cardinals are usually wild caught which maes them very sensitive. In my experience zebras are incredib;ley peaceful fish, they just move alot. They never nipped the fins of my gouramis. I dont think swordtails would bother a school of cradinals.

[KcEE]

Hey doug z, tetras need to be in group of at least 6. They tend to shoal together better in a bigger school. Cardinal's and neons are not that hardy but with good water conditions, they do pretty well. Weekly water changes are a must with any fish anyway. As for the Danios, they are peaceful but very playful. They like buzzing around the tank and chasing each other. I haven't noticed mine nipping any of my tetras though. Not sure about the swordtails. If the swordtails usually swim at the top, I don't think they would disrupt the school of cardinals.

[SunshineTK]

We have zebra danios (12 total) with *neon* tetras (14 total) in a 55g, but we intend to set up a separate tetra tank fairly soon - not because they don't get along, more for water and light condition considerations. The danios don't bother the tetras at all. FWIW, the danios are absolutely my favorite fish. Watching them chase each other around playing tag is worth hours of entertainment!!

[doug z]

Huh..

Now I'm leaning toward the Danios.. LOL

They're more resilient, they don't look as nice, but are entertaining..

*sigh*

Like I say, I'd rather get a big school than 2 small ones, wouldn't you say?

[KcEE]

Well, it's either cardinals with swordtails or Danios with swordtails right?

[doug z]

You are correct, sir.. :)

Then I have to figure out what my bottom dwellers will be..

Zebra loaches, bristle nose catfish (pleco? 5" tops), otos (Otocinclus Affinus)?

That's a real headache, too.. :(

[KcEE]

Loaches are nice but are not hardy as well. Oto's are good for cleaning up algae problems. It should be 1 fish per 10Gal I think. The problem is, when there is no algae around, you'll have to feed them some vege or algae pellets/wafers if not they'll starve to death. Not too sure about bristlenose though. Hmm...what about corydora's for bottem dwellers? They are so cute and fun to look at. They are pretty good cleaners as well. They look for leftover food at the bottem. There is quite a variaty to choose from. Albino, panda, peppered and so on. Go check them out!

Btw, the cory's are super peaceful! No problems from them.

[doug z]

corydoras...

What kind is best/nicest?

Are they algae eaters, or just bottom feeders?

[KcEE]

Hmm..no, they are not algae eaters. Just bottom feeders. They will go through your gravel looking for food and cleaning it up. Well, peppered corys are nice. Albino's too.

[mitcore]

i would go with both
you can never have enough cleaning fish

[Tigerbarb]

I have cardinals and danios and the danios do tend to nip fins, but other than that they are peaceful. cardinals are easy to keep from what I've experienced and heard, but they are small and more fragile than neons.

[spudbuds]

I prefer the tetras over the danios only because I love the schooling of the tetras. Danios don't school as much, but they are fun to watch chase. It's your call there.

You could do otos and cories. The otos aren't really bottom fish. They are all over the tank wherever they can find algea. They won't be competing with the bottom feeders for space. My favorite corys are corydoras trilineatus (commonly labeled as corydoras julii in stores), but there are a ton of good looking corys. You can't go wrong, IMO. Here ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])'s some info on the trilineatus.

- Bill

[hpt84]

Zebras are fun to watch, but if you want schooling behavior, then go with the tetras. You should definitely get some cory. I think all the cory behave the same, the only real difference I could think of is size. Some grow to 2 inches, some 4 inches.

[doug z]

Hmm..

Ok, thanks guys..

I'll look into corys..

Thanks for the link!

And getting at least one bristlenose, and 4-5 otos..

I think I might go with the Cardinals, if I end up getting swordtails, with their delicate fins..

But I'll talk to some pet shops, see if they're wild, or domesticated..

[Lady Hobbs]

I would get many more of the cardinals and forget the danio's.

[doug z]

Yup..

That might be the best oprtion, like I said, if I get swordtails as well..

And the Cardinals are decent ditherers as well, no?

[Lady Hobbs]

I would not consider cardinals as dither fish. Dithers would be a school of very fast movers such as the danio's. I had (do) have danio's as well as the giant danio's and they can be a bit aggression at times. The regular danios I had nipped all the fins from my long-finned danio's. I am not a danio lover!

[doug z]

Any ditherers that don't nip?

Or does dithering come pretty much hand in hand with nipping?