# Orange Flame Tetra vs. Cardinal Tetra?



## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

I'm planning a heavily planted 40 gallon tank with both green and red-tone plants.

What would be nicer looking? A school of orange Von Rio Flame tetras or cardinal tetras?

Here are the Von Rio Flame tetras. (First photo courtesy of Ed/paradise. Second photo courtesy of tha_beeg. Both pictures can be found on this thread.



















I'm sure everyone knows what cardinals look like. =)

I plan to have a small school of otos and maybe a small school of dwarf cories or small panda cories. In addition, I'll have amano shrimp at the bottom. =)


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

what about the fairly new green fire tetras?


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

I prefer the red to extend the entire length of the body...that's why cardinals over neon tetras.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

I prefer cardinals if you ask me.
Von Rio and flame are the same. _Hyphessobrycon flammeus_

Epic, that tetra(first pic) is closer to ember tetra(_Hyphessobrycon amandae_) than flame. The one in the middle(second pic) is indeed a flame tetra.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Bluebell: Same tank, same fish. Just different exposures I believe.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

epicfish said:


> Bluebell: Same tank, same fish. Just different exposures I believe.


Were you referring to the 2nd pic? First pic still looks like Ember tetra to me.


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## tha_beeg (May 16, 2006)

second pic is my tank!!(wow lots of algae:icon_sad: ) the top and bottom tetras are orange von rio flame tetras and the middle one is just a von rio flame tetra:smile: The orange von rios are very fun fish that are always active during the day poking around at each other and usually stay schooled up pretty nicely. btw i have 10 total right now, 3 regulars and 7 oranges, but they all school together


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Oh, sorry! I gave credit for both pictures to paradise. Please forgive me. =)

Would you prefer a von rio flame tetra over a cardinal? 

I'll have both green and red tone plants.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

Where's your poll?:hihi: I really would wish to see how many people fell in love between the two species.:hihi:


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## tha_beeg (May 16, 2006)

it was a bad picture anyways:flick: would i? yes! i love these little guys always full of action and i love the way the orange and red stand out against a well planted tank! they are very peaceful and tend to keep theyre playful quarrels amongst themselves. theyre something different than the usual cardinal or neon:smile:


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

Now this is funny.:hihi: Epic must have pmed one of the mods to set up a poll.:hihi:

Cardinals get my vote.:icon_mrgr

Edit: Now I just hope cardinals will win the poll.:angel:


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Set it up myself. Thread Tools > Add a Poll.


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## Lupin (Nov 21, 2006)

epicfish said:


> Set it up myself. Thread Tools > Add a Poll.


Whoops..Sorry for that.:icon_redf :icon_mrgr I thought only the mods can set up one right after it was posted(missing the poll).:icon_roll 

Good luck with the tetras you choose. But in the end you might just choose both.roud: :icon_mrgr


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

One Problem: 

Flame Tetras don't shool. Each one stakes out, and hovers over, a territory and charges, like a bull, at any other fish that enters it (except for cories, otos and aggressive Bettas, in my expereince.)


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Gonna bump this for just a few more votes!


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

EricSilver said:


> One Problem:
> 
> Flame Tetras don't shool. Each one stakes out, and hovers over, a territory and charges, like a bull, at any other fish that enters it (except for cories, otos and aggressive Bettas, in my expereince.)


Not in the my lfs, they school like rasboras.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

In all fish stores, where the fish have lots of tank mates and little protective cover, schooling behavior will be very pronounced. But once you get a few of them home, you wonder what happened.  

This is very true of neons, for example. In the store, they look like a nice big irridescent school. But once you get them home, into a planted tank, they go their own separate ways.


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## dufus (Nov 13, 2006)

yea, but these guys are like a big, broken fish, instead of a big fish, then a few little fish. then a big and then little.
i don't know, maybe they are really good at disqusing themselves at schooling.


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## EricSilver (Feb 23, 2004)

dufus said:


> yea, but these guys are like a big, broken fish, instead of a big fish, then a few little fish. then a big and then little.
> i don't know, maybe they are really good at disqusing themselves at schooling.


The only way to be sure is to buy some and see. 

The all-orange ones do look really nice, and the ones I saw this weekend seemed a bit more passive than usual.


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