I want to move my red cherry shrimp and snails into a 5-gallon tank (probably the 5.5 from Petsmart). My question is, is a 5 gallon tank large enough to also accommodate celestial pearl danios or endler guppies along with my RCS? Also, if it is, do either CPDs or endlers need a heater? The shrimp/snail tank currently does not have a heater and it stays in the mid to high 70s. Thank you for any help!
I wouldn't do CPDs, but endlers would work. I'd only do males so as to avoid overstocking the tank. If it stays in the mid to high 70s than it's fine for endlers.
Anders247 Any reason you recommend against CPDs? Id think theyd be safer in the sense that theyre a bit smaller, and would be less likely to eat as many of the baby shrimplets.
I wouldn't do them in a 5g, imo it's too small as they are schooling fish. Endlers are about the same size... I think.
CPD is not a schooling fish, and is not normally an active swimmer. There was a huge tank at the Shedd aquarium in Chicago with hundreds of them; they did not school or shoal. They didn't move around a lot, either. I had a video somewhere, if I can find it. I would not hesitate to put them in a 5 gallon tank. Not so sure that they wouldn't go after shrimplets. Guarantee that Endler's would.
Celestial pearl danios? Danios are schooling fish..... is that what you mean or mixing them up with something else? http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/celestichthys-margaritatus/ SF says it's gregarious by nature.
It was always my understanding with Celestial Pearl Danios that while yes, they do need to be in groups, they are more of a shoaling fish, they hang out and such but dont really school. More of a social group.
With my personal experience with CPD's, yes they need to be in groups, but are more of a shoaling fish. they will come together and hide if threatened, but otherwise they really don't school. I would say a group of 4-6, and RCS (mine are fine with them) would be perfectly fine.
Well, actually it went back to Celestichthys, and then back to Danio again. It was originally placed close to Microrasbora, which are also now in Danio. However, being called a Danio has to do with the scientific classification, not the way they behave. The species D. erythromicron is also not an active swimmer. It was originally described as Microrasbora. I have not read the big revision paper that threw all these fish into Danio, despite the fact that there are major differences in appearance and behavior. However, it was written by Sven Kullander's late wife, Fang, and he will probably force it to stand until he passes away as well. OTOH, Kottelat is generally considered sloppy, as some of his revisions have been knocked down before. Ichthyological taxonomy has more politics than the US Congress. And they often play just as dirty!
I stopped keeping track of what they actually were calling them. I knew they went back and forth and back and so on and so on...... So I thought I would ask. Thanks!
I recently got some of these, and would agree with the above, about the shoaling and coming together if startled. I started out with 5 and got 4 more and there is definitely a group behavior. I have mine in a 29 gallon and they are so small, that I have a problem seeing them all together, lol. Sent from my iPad using Fish Lore Aquarium Fish Forum
