Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

Keep vacuuming the gravel to remove food for the snails and to hoover up the really tiny ones. 

Since neons and cardinals are in the same genus, they are closely related enough to shoal together. Ideally you would get a few more cardinals, but since they are such similar fish you probably don't want to do that. I'd be inclined to keep them as they are.

Of the three Paracheirodons available to us, I prefer green neons aka false neons, Paracheirodon simulans. But they are smaller and more delicate - I think they are all wild caught unlike neons which are farmed.

Hmmm - why do I find that LFSs in the countryside round here have a tendency to be very lazy in terms of tank maintenance, labelling of fish, keeping (non-livestock) stock clean and dust-free? Unlikely to attract prospective fishkeepers into the hobby and hardly setting an example of how fish should be cared for.
 

Laziness...

You'd imagine the Aquarium vendor business is quite specialist so it's tough to turn a healthy profit... So you would make every effort to make a good impression?? At least that's the way I would absolutely treat it. At the very least for the health of the fish...

It must be incredibly difficult to make it work, as if not there would be more fish shops... It's a shame my only local vendor is a P@H... I'm a 20 minute drive to my independent LFS.

Sidenote, I actually have 3 cardinal tetras. i have to agree their colouring seems more vivid and bright tan the neons. @apache6467 I think it was you who commented on preferring cardinals?

I reckon after I boost the Harlequins shoal I will go for cardinals after that. The cherry barbs are nice but I'm not feeling the need to boost their numbers. Perhaps the next time I see a shoal of them at my LFS I'll change my mind 

I'm lucky enough to have two independent LFS within 20 min drive, as well as MA & P@H even closer.
Both independent LFS also deal with reptiles and some amphibians, which are far more expensive than the sort of fish routinely found in stores. Perhaps that helps. Perhaps my shopping/spending there helps too    but compared to the cost of marine and reptile set ups and stock, I don't think I'm their biggest spending customer.
I always go to the one independent store or MA whenever I need anything. The staff at the independent store, well, the ones who work downstairs are obsessed with fish, the ones that work upstairs are obsessed with reptiles. They would much rather spend time looking after the livestock than the store, and would rather talk fish/reptiles with customers than pretty much anything else. That store isn't as fancy as perhaps an MA, it is on an industrial estate rather than in a garden centre, inside it looks more like a warehouse than a shop, but they do manage to keep things quite well presented.
I do get the feeling that with most LFS the staff are there to be with the fish rather than run a business or pursue a career in retail.

There is a p@h at a big shopping centre(merry hill) and a shop called two by two. both are a bit pricy. the other 3 in my area are cheap-ish but one nearest and on my round is the best. very knowledgeable. getting 2 julii corys tonight total 4!

So chuffed at how the tank is now ie fish back to their old selves and seem quite happy with the new layout of the tank, although it has caused tetras to gather at one end and harlies at the other.  No-one flinches at all when the light is switched on.

@Paddyc if I feel the population of MTS in the shrimpery is getting too large I chuck an assassin in there for a couple of weeks. I can always send you one if you get overwhelmed.

@Paddyc if I feel the population of MTS in the shrimpery is getting too large I chuck an assassin in there for a couple of weeks. I can always send you one if you get overwhelmed.

I'm good for the moment, Fiona, very kind of you as always, thank you for the offer.

Incidentally, the adult ones (the original ones) are bloody enormous now! I flicked on the living room light two nights ago after the tank had been dark for about an hour, there they were up on the glass! About half the length of my thumb!!!

They are a great addition to my tank, I will never be without them now. But eventually I reckon I'll need some population control