The Cookie Crew

I have Cherry Barbs in my tank. They pretty much keep to themselves and the males really colour up once settled in their environment.

I have recently spoken about how we don't truly know if we are make our fish happy but that we should obviously be trying to do so. I don't know that platy show any health effects of being kept alone but would they be happy? In nature I believe they are found in groups but they are not like traditional schoaling fish. I has a lone endler for a while when its mates had long passed it seemed go break all rules and live for twice as long and never "seemed unhappy".  Of course with platy you need to be careful that you get males else you will likely be inundated with fry! They are quite active fish compared to your current stocking so be aware of this as it might change the dynamic of the tank.

Going back to rams...bloom up specifically Bolivian rams as opposed to German Blue rams which you are right need soft water.  Bolivians are slightky larger, much more adaptable, though slightly less colourful.

@TopCookie The Cherry’s spend most of the time in the bottom third of the tank.

Neon Dwarfs stay mainly in the top third of the tank.

That particular Platy in the picture is a beauty, eh...  All the colours you might find in a Cichlid but without the shrimp worries...  I'd love to find one for sale that looked at least a little like that... 

Just off to investigate YouTube now...  May have my first upload shortly...   

  looking great.

Interesting that tour cardinals stay so low down. Im sure i remember them being more mid water fish in my tank.

By the way I'm loving the soundtrack to the video! 

You guys that have now or have had Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish, how are they for bickering & squabbling amongst themselves...?

Following somebody else's thread on another forum where one of the guy's NDRs has physical damage, suspected as being from fighting, and talk is of how the males in particular can be aggressive - especially if that crucial balance of males to females is off etc... 

After my ongoing frustration with constantly bickering Red Phantoms, about the last thing I want to embark on is introducing more quarrelsome little blighters... 

I can't help wondering if a shoal of 4F and 1M might be a good way forward with a view to keeping that bickering/chasing down...?

I can't help wondering if a shoal of 4F and 1M might be a good way forward with a view to keeping that bickering/chasing down...?

Having more females than males ought to help for the very reasons you say, without doubt. Take a read of the 'Hierarchies' 4th paragraph in this article http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/why-fish-shoal-or-group-in-a-fish-tank and also take a look at this article http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/article/conflicts-when-mixing-community-aquarium-fish.

Loved your video, by the way - in fact, showed it to Mr FCMF who commented not only on the fish but on how healthy the plants looked (and told me that I had a long way to go if I was to get mine looking that good  ).

Thanks you guys... 

After the Red Phantom Tetras, I'm super sensitive about potentially adding more fish that just might spend their days "facing off" and bickering etc... 

With that said, I just haven't come across any other alternatives...  There is one fish that I fell in love with right at the start though, but dismissed in favour of slightly more esoteric choices, and that is the magnificent looking (imho) Leopard Danios...  Not colourful & pretty like the NDRs, but definitely love that "micro-trout" look that they have...  They'd actually be a serious contender, although I do think the NDRs are far prettier...