Lemon an rummy nose tetra?

[bluedimond123]

HI all, could I keep a group of lemon tetra an rummy nose tetra in a 55? There is also 6 discus in their as well. Any help would be great!
Jeff

[neon]

Yes you can but just choose one or the other.

[Heiko Bleher]

Hi,

just a fast suggestion: use Rummy nose tetra you and your discus will enjoy them much more than the Lemon tetras.

And have a look at my video Hemigrammus bleheri loves Bleher, which Natasha made in the Rummynose habitat last December with me:
on my home page. or go on the home page to VIDEOS.

Best regards and good luck,

always
Heiko Bleher

[nc0gnet0]

I have six of each along with 6 discus and they both do just fine. However, I also have a 90 gallon tank.

[mlw]

I just added my lemon tetras that were in QT to my tank. Love the look of the golden yellow with the bright red eye in contrast to the blue of my discus.

They school nicely and I just love the look of the tank.

[srusso]

How many is a group, I have the same setup a 55 gal with 6 discus... nothing else... can I get 10, 20....?

[Apistomaster]

You have to realize that 6 adult Discus is already pushing it's fish carrying capacity so adding more fish is not a great idea.
You should only go with 6 of either species but not both.
If you keep your Discus in soft water then the Rummy Nose will really look good. Soft water helps their noses shine.
If your Discus are acclimated to harder tap water then lemon tetras will be more adaptable.
This few Tetras can be helpful in cleaning up smaller bits of food the Discus always miss but your options would be greater if you used a 75 gal tank.

The popular USA 55 gallon tank is not a very good Discus tank. It has a terrible surface area to volume ratio. I can keep 6 adult Discus happier in a 40 gal breeder tank than I can the same group of Discus in a 55 gal. The amount of surface area is what determines how fast oxygen can become dissolved and how much CO2 can leave. It matters more than the volume a tank holds. The 55 gal is almost the standard Discus torture chamber in my opinion. Only 576 sq inches of surface area compared to a 40 breeder's 648 sq. in. That is how bad the 55 stacks up as a discus tank. It is often stated that each Discus should have 10 gal of water. A better rule would be each Discus gets at least 144 sq inches of surface area, 1 sq ft per fish. If that rule was used there would be a lot more happier Discus in captivity.
It is too bad they are so popular and therefore cheap. The old 50 gallon tank of 36 X 18 X 18 inches was a much better tank for 6 Discus but those have disappeared from the scene.

[3dees]

I agree on one or the other. I am setting up a 120 gal. and have 20 lemons. They are much nicer looking than at the lfs. just trying something different than the classical discus and cardinals or rummy nose.