I have kept mixed schools of bows together in the same tank. The one thing
to remember is that not all rainbows get the same size or are equal in
levels of aggression. For that matter, there are some species that have
different water chemistry requirements than others, so you would need to
make sure you know about all the species you plan to keep.
Large male boeseman and incisus rainbows, for example, can get quite
aggressive as they mature and can kill off their rainbow tank mates. I have
a 10 yr old boeseman that is no longer allowed to live with ANY bows
anymore. He has just killed too many, even equal sized aggressive species,
and even in large tanks (100 gallons). This is an extreme example, but proof
it does happen.
Also, praecox, sexlineata and others stay smaller, and may not be able to
hold their own in a mixed school of larger bows when all are mature. As with
all fish, it is best to be prepared for some fish not working, even tho they
should be able to, and have a place where they be put. Females can be
targeted by hyper-aggressive males, so it always good to have at least even
numbers, or better still, more males. Females can stimulate males'
territorial behavior, too, so maybe an all-male tank would be best. Again,
all situations need to watched to make sure they continue to work as all the
fish mature, and any bulies (or bullied) need to be removed.
Lots of hardscape and plants, plus room to swim, are also helpful in keeping
things peaceful, but that almost goes without saying, doesn't it? :-)
I see no problem with mixed-schools of rainbows in one tank as long as they
are all compatible. Many people do just that when they stock their community
tanks. They get several kinds of rainbows and other compatible fish to make
a stunning display. :-)
Julie <><
>From: "Liz Wilhite" <liz_wilhite at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
>To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [RML] frozen food recipe; schooling question
>Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:44:54 -0800
>
>Hi,
>
>Does anyone have a recipe for homemade frozen food they would like to
>share?
>
>Also, a question came up for discussion at a local club meeting around
>schooling and keeping different species of rainbows. About half the group
>was of the opinion that keeping a variety of rainbows of approximately the
>same size was perfectly okay, and that there is no reason to keep
>individual
>species in groups of 6 or more. For example, some people claimed that
>keeping a pair of axelrodis with a pair of g. incisus and a pair of
>boesemani's satisfied the need for the individual species to school and
>interact. Breeding was a separate issue -- no one was advocating
>hybridization. I'd like to know what you guys think since the group didn't
>have anyone who knows as much about rainbows as this group does.
>
>Thanks,
>Liz
>
>