# Looking for Adult Fish less than 1 inch



## i'm a ninja (Aug 2, 2009)

There are a lot of microrasboras that stay less than an inch, my favorite are boraras maculatus. Ember tetras stay just under an inch also. Another good one would be heterandria fromosa, they're tiny and their less flashy coloration would highlight the cardinals in the tank.

Why not just get more cardinals though? They'll have better color and behave more naturally in a larger group.


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## Ladayen (Feb 19, 2012)

The inch per gallon is complete and utter garbage. Dont listen to it. Assuming you have a 15g tank, you could maybe do like 8-9 cardinals. Still not really ideal though. Do you have any live plants in the tank?


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## digitallinh (Jun 22, 2011)

celestial pearl danio!


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## thechibi (Jan 20, 2012)

Celestial pearl danios are kickin' rad (Who DOESN'T love those cute lil spots and faces? )

Green neon tetras, emerald eye rasboras...


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## MangyMoose77 (Feb 19, 2012)

My 10 gallon tank is in the beginning stages of being planted. I have a good bit of Cabomba, two large sword plants, 1 medium sword, two small swords, and about 3 square inches of micro sword. Don't make fun, I know I need some diversity in there! 

Thank you for the suggestions thus far. I do like celestial pearl danios. Here is a question then....if I were to get more cardinal tetras instead of a different species, do shrimp really count as 'fish' in a tank? i.e. can you overstock your 10 gallon tank with let's say 8 cardinals and 10 shrimp? I would love to have a cardinal tetra/shrimp tank!!


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## Fdsh5 (Jan 3, 2012)

I don't count shrimp. I have a 20 gallon with 10 pearl danios and somewhere around 100-150 yellow shrimp. I can't even count them.


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## LB79 (Nov 18, 2011)

Boraras spp.


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## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

10 gallons seems kinda small for cardinals. I would advise getting the smaller fish like you are looking into (celestial pearl danios, chili rasboras, other microrasboras, etc.) rather than going for more cardinals.


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## reignOfFred (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with Veese about the cardinals.

aside from that, try to balance the tank some. You already have a midwelling fish, how about a different type altogether. a scavenger like pygmy corydora or kuhli loaches, or some Algae shrimp (amano shrimp).

This is a very small tank and I really would advise to be careful how many fish can fit in there.

A school of cardinals and a bunch of shrimp might be your best bet, as long as you realize in such a small tank the growth and lifespan of the cardinals will be limited.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Full grown cardinals wont be able to school properly in a 10 gallon tank, I'd return them to the store and get a bunch of CPD or chili rasboras.


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

I have 6 cardinals, 10 CPDs, 15 ember tetras, 10 dwarf cories, 50+ shrimp in my 18gallon tank.

The only school/shoaling fish in that tank are the ember tetras, the adults stay under 1 inch, and they have a beautiful dark orange color. They are out in the open all the time, while most other fish hide.

Chili rasboras also school/shoal in my smaller tank, but they are a bit small for my liking.

My cardinals stay hidden in the dense plants at all times, only a couple of my CPDs come out, the others also hide.

Like mordalphus says, adult cardinals get quite large, my biggest one is a little under two inches. I wish I can take them out of my tank and give them to a friend or fish store, but I don't want to have to take down my tank in order to catch them.


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## eklikewhoa (Aug 29, 2006)

I sure hope that rule isn't true, if it is please don't tell my 200 boraras brigittae in my 30g.


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## MangyMoose77 (Feb 19, 2012)

Sounds like the general census is that I need to restart my stock in this 10 gal tank. That's a little unfortunate. I love my fishes! Unfortunately I do not have a bigger tank at this time......will have to wait. 

If I wanted to stay with the cardinal tetra and shrimp combination tank. What would be the minimum number of fish per school be in an ideal tank? How large of a tank would I need for this?


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## daworldisblack (Jan 12, 2012)

I've always like Scarlet Badis and Bumblebee gobies!


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## Bunfoo (Jan 14, 2012)

I have nine Neon Tetras and some ghost shrimp in my 10 gallon. But now down the road I wish I had a few less tetras. 

Mine would school with 6 tetras. They looked nice then. Now with nine I feel I have too many, so I am going to slowly decrease the number over time soon. 

I think if I had the option, a 20 gallon with 9-11 cardinals and x number of shrimp would be enough space for schooling and still look nice. for a 10 gallon I feel I should have never gone over 6, although I don't have water problems in the tank I feel the tetras are cramped.


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

MangyMoose77 said:


> Sounds like the general census is that I need to restart my stock in this 10 gal tank. That's a little unfortunate. I love my fishes! Unfortunately I do not have a bigger tank at this time......will have to wait.
> 
> If I wanted to stay with the cardinal tetra and shrimp combination tank. What would be the minimum number of fish per school be in an ideal tank? How large of a tank would I need for this?


A twenty gallon would comfortably house 10~ cardinals with shrimp. Tetras will be fine with a school of 6+ fishes. 

Just make sure you have a good filter that can turn the water over well (gallons per hour). And of course plants!


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