# What are your fav schooling fish for a very brightly lit tan



## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

so let's have it..

with members posting ad infinitum re lighting for tanks which is exceeding 2.5 wpg... what fish do you have that seem to display their best coloration under such bright light?

i've always had a thing for harlequins... but have never seen them in a brightly lit tank.

how about congos? maybe emperors? dwarf gouramis? what are your 'brite lite' faves?

regards
jart


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## SNPiccolo5 (Oct 6, 2002)

Gouramis really aren't schooling fish, but harlequin rasboras are such a sight to behold.... That's my answer.

-Tim


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## jonah (Nov 29, 2002)

Tiger barbs.


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## lanstar (Nov 29, 2002)

I love the appearance... and hate the fragility... of Cardinal Tetras.

Neon blue dwarf Rainbows are rather dull when young but (the males) color up nicely as adults.











Australian Rainbows are pretty, but I can't find them any longer.










Turquoise Rainbows are also a nicely colored schooling fish.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I'll throw in another vote for Harlequins. Look at this picture in my 4 watt per gallon tank. The Harlequin to the left is directly underneath my 5500K Power Compact bulb. Look at how intense the orange is around the edges. It's the orange that makes them stand out against the green plants (orange being green's complimentary color).


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## Jim Miller (Dec 24, 2002)

What size do Harlequins get to?

tnx
jtm


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

You'll usually buy Harlequins around 5/8" to 3/4" in the store and see them grow to 1" to 1 1/8" at the very most.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

There is nothing like watching the gold and red flashes of these schooling fish in my tank...
Feeding time is a frenzy ! :hehe:


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I love WCMM! Those are some of the most resilient fish I've ever seen! Here's a funny story:
I left for work one morning and got a phone call when I came in (after an hour commute) from my wife that the bottom of my 55 gallon tank had just totally fell out and that 55 gallons of water was all over the floor and she scooped most of the fish up and put them in my 20 gallon tank. I took off from work and headed home (another hour) and took a look at the damage. She got most of the fish but most of the WCMM's had been crushed by gravel or broken glass. I started scooping up the gravel and I saw a WCMM in the gravel. His gills weren't moving or anything, and I figured him dead but I threw him in the 20 gallon anyway. He fell to the bottom. I watched him for a few minutes and thought I saw his gills start to move but couldn't be sure. I continued cleaning up and came back an hour later. I couldn't find the guy on the floor. I figured one of the Angels had scooped him up. I look around, and there he is, swimming around at the top, as good as new. My kid brother still has that fish today and that was four years ago!


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## SNPiccolo5 (Oct 6, 2002)

What a story!! That makes me want to re-inforce the bottom of my 55 gallon...





> It's the orange that makes them stand out against the green plants (orange being green's complimentary color).


I'll agree, orange stands out quite well against the green, but red is green's complimentary color, and blue is orange's complimentary color.


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## Jim Miller (Dec 24, 2002)

I think the reason I've never been drawn to WCMM's or harlequins is that I've only seen them in the LFS where they are never in planted tanks for contrast and probably don't have much coloring due to stress. The harlequin pic posted to this thread changes my mind on them for sure. Any impressive WCMM pics on the net?

tnx
jtm


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Harlequin Rasboras and Dwarf Blue Neon Rainbows are what are in my 55 gallon. And Gold Tetras. The GT are beautiful fish against the green plants and black background.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Give me 20 minutes and I will post a shot... got muh trusty digi sittin right here...

brb...


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Here is a shot I just took...a little blurry cuz them suckers dont stand still at this time of the day... plus they all thought they were getting fed I think ! I even circled them ! * everyone claps * :hehe:
Check out the colors though...









At the bottom right of screen is some Didiplis diandra that I saved from certain death at my LFS on the way home from work ! $ 1.59 and she thanked me for taking it... along with a 5 beautiful stems of Cabomba caroliniana for $ 2.59 !!!!!! You can see it in the background a little...I think I will like the diandra better though... I have plans for this stuff... :bounce:


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

I forgot to point out that if you look closely you can see the white tips on the fins... they continually fan these fins out when excited ( which is often ) much like a Betta will... 
Dont hesitate to try these out... best in schools of 6 or more...


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## Jim Miller (Dec 24, 2002)

Much nicer than LFS.

I'm sold!

Thanks for the quick pix!

jtm


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

alright then... nobody's settled anything for me here... sheesh (insert end-of work-week-inspired smiley face here). too bad you can't just buy 2 of everything, like we all did when we were teenagers. but, thanks for the pics. i only have about 8 zillion weeks to go till i get the tank up and running. wcmms or gold tetras (had one of these guys for about 6 yrs) or harlequins or rainbows (nah, heard they eat plants) it is.

i'm surprised no votes yet for emperors... had a few in a rather dimly lit tank a few yrs ago (lfs store didn't have congos that day)...

off to plan/scheme/design hood,

jart


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

gulf coast,

is that bacopa carol in your pic?


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## PhishNeslo (Dec 20, 2002)

rummy nosed tetras. nuf said.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

how many rummy noses do you have? can't recalll ever seeing any at lfs.


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## Buck (Oct 13, 2002)

Ludwigia (green broadleaf) , nice stuff


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## PhishNeslo (Dec 20, 2002)

i have a group of ten. i have heard that they have a reputation of being pretty fragile, but i have never had any problems. at the fish store, they dont look too impressive; when they are young or unhappy, their heads are hardly red at all. i have had mine for about 2 years, and almost their whole head is red, and the cadual fins are a nice black and yellow stripe. they look really neat because they all point the same way when they swim around.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

> _Originally posted by jart_
> gulf coast, is that bacopa carol in your pic?


I'm pretty sure you are right, but PetsMart sold it as Moneywort. Here's a better pic of it...


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