# Rummynose Tetra or Espe Rasbora



## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

What schooling fish would be better for this setup??? Rummynose Tetras or Espe Rasboras??? or any other recommendations???


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## jabbott (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd go with rummy-nose for a 30-inch or wider tank to give them room to swim, and the little espei rasboras for smaller widths.


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## smoq (Feb 19, 2008)

I never kept espei, but what I can tell you is that rummy-nose tetras will form the tightest school and they always swim together, not like other tetras who form loose schools.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

espei schools pretty nice too. Either one is a good choice. Obviously, one is Asian and the other South American.


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## pandapr (Nov 10, 2008)

I have both, a small group (9-10) rummy nose and 20 espei in 2 tanks.
Both school nice but espei swim closer together and its like they are on caffeine. You can get tired of them swimming one side to the other but they will keep going, and going, and going....LOL


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

pandapr said:


> I have both, a small group (9-10) rummy nose and 20 espei in 2 tanks.
> Both school nice but espei swim closer together and its like they are on caffeine. You can get tired of them swimming one side to the other but they will keep going, and going, and going....LOL



haha I have both as well. 15-20 Rummy nose in my 54g that school very tight and 60 espei in a 100g long. I have to say both school nice...but i'd give the edge to the Rummy's. But the espei are more colorful IMO


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

This is an interesting thread because I have been considering both as well.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I'm having soooo much trouble deciding on what fish I want...I'm trying to replicate the tank above in a 40 breeder...what is a good amount of either species for the tank??? which would be best:


20-25 rummynose
30 espe rasbora
or 20 rummynose *AND* 30 espe rasbora
...tank will also be home to 4-7 otos, 10-15 amano shrimp, 3-5 kuhli loaches


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## DrinkTheYeastMix (Oct 14, 2009)

I like your potential combos. I will probably end up using Rummies for my 40b, and have always liked kuhli loaches. I really want shrimp in this tank but I am set on a GBR. What is your time frame for setup? I'm interested to see another 40b journal around, I'll be joining that club next week.

CL when is that tank getting flooded? We'll have to start a 40breeder pimp club for when that finally happens.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

Hey Drink! I was thinking about a pair of GBR as well...I will have some cherry and tiger shrimp in there but there will only be a couple from my shrimp tank...my original idea was GBR with a school of neons since my gf loves neons/cardinals...but once I get my iwagumi set up I'm removing the neons that will first inhabit the tank and put them there and replace them with either rummys or espe...do you think I should stick with only one species??? i'll be starting a thread soon for my two tanks i'm setting up (40 breeder & shrimp haven)...too bad my gf has the camera in San Diego :frown:



DrinkTheYeastMix said:


> I like your potential combos. I will probably end up using Rummies for my 40b, and have always liked kuhli loaches. I really want shrimp in this tank but I am set on a GBR. What is your time frame for setup? I'm interested to see another 40b journal around, I'll be joining that club next week.
> 
> CL when is that tank getting flooded? We'll have to start a 40breeder pimp club for when that finally happens.


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## jabbott (Feb 7, 2009)

tinytim_inches said:


> I'm having soooo much trouble deciding on what fish I want...I'm trying to replicate the tank above in a 40 breeder...


I wouldn't mix the espeis and rummies - it would bug me personally since one is Asian and one is South American as mentioned above. Also the colors don't mesh well in my opinion (red rummies and copper espeis in the same area of the tank). 

The fish in my 75 aren't all from the same region, but I needed the loaches for snail control unfortunately. We do our best!


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I keep Hengel's Rasboras, very similar to Espeis and Cardinals in the same tank. Cardinals shoal more than school and tend to stay near the bottom while the Hengel's tend to school very tightly in the upper middle. They are in a 46 gallon Bow Front.

If the Espei's stay in upper middle also, and the Rummy's stay near the bottom, they might still work very well together. I used to try and stick with South American themes but, most of my plants come from Asia and North America so, I gave up on the SA theme. Someday, when I have a tank big enough for Swordplants, I might try the SA theme again.


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

Hey hbosman! Do you think you can provide a picture of your Hengel's schooling???



hbosman said:


> I keep Hengel's Rasboras, very similar to Espeis and Cardinals in the same tank. Cardinals shoal more than school and tend to stay near the bottom while the Hengel's tend to school very tightly in the upper middle. They are in a 46 gallon Bow Front.
> 
> If the Espei's stay in upper middle also, and the Rummy's stay near the bottom, they might still work very well together. I used to try and stick with South American themes but, most of my plants come from Asia and North America so, I gave up on the SA theme. Someday, when I have a tank big enough for Swordplants, I might try the SA theme again.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

tinytim_inches said:


> Hey hbosman! Do you think you can provide a picture of your Hengel's schooling???


I'll give it a try tonight. Now watch them make a liar out of me. :icon_mrgr


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I have a few pics of schooling hengels, from a 5g bow I had a few years back. They're schooling tightly in every pic:


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

Hey Church!

Do they shoal from side to side of the tank??? ...because that would look really awesome in my 40b...or are they like cardinals and just school together in a little corner???



Church said:


> I have a few pics of schooling hengels, from a 5g bow I had a few years back. They're schooling tightly in every pic:


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

also what would be a good number of espe's to put in the 40b...i'll post pictures of my driftwood setup tonight


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

Hey hbosmon! yes can you please post pictures of your hengel's tonight???



hbosman said:


> I'll give it a try tonight. Now watch them make a liar out of me. :icon_mrgr


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

tinytim_inches said:


> Hey hbosmon! yes can you please post pictures of your hengel's tonight???


I will. They do move around abit not quite the back and forth that Rummy's do. But, they school tighter together and move more than Cardinals.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I'd say they school as tight as if not tighter than the rummynose, but I agree they don't move around as fast as or as much as them either. But they are definitely on the go all the time, it seems. They don't just hover, like cardinals do. I once had them in a 10g community tank too. They are very active, and they do cover the entire tank. They don't even just stay in one level of the water column, either. They went from mid-column to the ground to the surface.

Actually my favorite schooling fish so far, followed by rummynose. They each have their place, though, that the other doesn't.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

*Pictures of Hengel's schooling*

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h_bosman/4115336660

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h_bosman/4114565733

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h_bosman/4115332824

http://www.flickr.com/photos/h_bosman/4115331390


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Nice pics, and beautiful tank you got there!


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

From a previous thread:

Agree with ther Rummynose. I have both in my 84g. The Rummynoses have personality. Cardinals are nice. They swim around a bit, but more in a loose shoal. 

The Rummies however are great. They school almost all the time. Sometimes the 6 split into smaller groups and school around. Occasionally they join other fish, like the Chain Loaches.

They tend to swim fast and stay close to the bottom. That is, close to whatever is below them - substrate, plants, driftwood. Fly swim around the tank like a squadron of stealth fighters skimming over ground, trees, mountains. They are constantly active. Not necessarily swimming at a frantic pace like danios, but almost always moving. 

I've grown to like their coloring a lot too. It is more ubtle than cardinals and others at first, but it grows on you. Their color and the way they swim remind me of a squadron of red-nosed P-51s with D-Day stripes, flying low over the coutryside.

Hate to overdue the metaphor, but its true. You'll see.

So big thumbs up to Rummynoses over Cardinals. More entertainment for sure.

AB


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## rmc (Dec 6, 2005)

For color, the Espei are tough to beat and they'll spawn easier. You might take a look at Microrasbora Kubotai too. They're awesome in a well-lit planted tank and tend to stay in the upper column of water most of the time.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

I just got these guys. They're pretty cool.








Brilliant rasbora - Rasbora borapetensis


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## davocean (Oct 11, 2009)

I just added 8 rummy's to my tank, and couldn't be happier w/ their schooling pattern, and how active they are.
Very tight formation, and great color.


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## itrack4u (Nov 16, 2009)

chris.rivera3 said:


> What schooling fish would be better for this setup??? Rummynose Tetras or Espe Rasboras??? or any other recommendations???


 My goodness that is an awesome looking tank:hihi:


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## chris.rivera3 (Apr 15, 2008)

I'm trying to replicate that right now...I'm supergluing my driftwood together...and I finally decided on Espe rasboras...I went to Nature Aquarium in Santa Monica and Toru even agreed that Espe and Hengels generally school the same but Espe are more colorful and are generally the same size +/- 1 cm.



itrack4u said:


> My goodness that is an awesome looking tank:hihi:


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## Spachi (Oct 27, 2008)

of the rummynose and espeis, which would be kinder to shrimplets?


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## ycbs (Jan 30, 2008)

For baby shrimp, I would say neither. For more adult size shrimp, I would say either. So, if you already have adult shrimp and are not worried about breeding them successfully, either would be fine. Baby shrimp would be devoured by just about anything that are not other shrimp.


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## Coltonorr (Mar 12, 2008)

Spachi said:


> of the rummynose and espeis, which would be kinder to shrimplets?


No problems with either, never seen mine go after any shrimplets.


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## dantra (May 25, 2007)

This happened last week but forgot to post it. My first casualty :frown: They like playing in the current and I guess this little guy must have swam a little too hard and jumped out. My espei all dried up.










I was told that they are jumpers but this is my first experience with it. I'm down to 7 now.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Hmmm. I always kept mine in an open-top tank and never lost any from jumping. Hengeli, anyway.


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