# How to school tetras?



## Community90 (Jan 22, 2011)

Now I know how broad the title is but i mean specifically neon and cardinal. Both fish need to be in a large school correct?

So if this is the case if I were to have say 6 tetras in a school. 
Would it be ok to have 3 neon and 3 cardinal? 
Or maybe even 2 cardinal 2 neon 2 black neon? 
Or would I have to strictly pick one species? 

I know this could be a stupid beginner question but they look so similar im really wondering if one is just a color variation of the other and they will be comfortable with each other as much as they would if they were with all the exact same.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Some tetra will school together, others won't. I think the most schooling fish will prefer a mixed school to going it alone. But I usually suggest 12 of one kind. That ups the odds of breeding and you will know what the babies are. Plus fish from 3 different tanks have 3x the change of bringing home a disease as 12 from the same tank/shipment. And when half of them die, you won't have any solitaires.


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## AvocadoPuffDude (Jan 20, 2011)

Yes, they will all school together - when stressed. Even conspecifics (same species) don't school ALL the time, but when someone approaches the tank or startles them, or at feeding time when some other fish might get rambunctious, all the tetras you mentioned may school together, more or less.
That being said, it's best to have at least 6 of one species, although the cardinals and neons are close enough I don't think even they notice. (Cardinals are more hearty fish, however, and neons tend to be more "wimpy.")
Good luck to you!


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## tomwhitely (Feb 5, 2011)

AvocadoPuffDude said:


> Yes, they will all school together - when stressed. Even conspecifics (same species) don't school ALL the time, but when someone approaches the tank or startles them, or at feeding time when some other fish might get rambunctious, all the tetras you mentioned may school together, more or less.
> That being said, it's best to have at least 6 of one species, although the cardinals and neons are close enough I don't think even they notice. (Cardinals are more hearty fish, however, and neons tend to be more "wimpy.")
> Good luck to you!


I agree with you. However, when you first try this out watch them for a little bit and observe their behavior...sometimes they don't get along and sometimes they do. It really depends on the specific situation that you have set up there.


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## danielleborys (Jan 26, 2011)

I have only 2 neon tetras and they seem to beperfectly happy. I have a pristella tetra who hangs around my lyretail guppy.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

If you have six normal neons and six cardinals, they should school; assuming there's a larger fish in the tank. APD is correct in saying that schooling is a defensive behavior, but they don't need to be in actual danger to do so.


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