Bloodfin, Silvertip, Glowlight, or Black Neons. Which tetra would you choose?

[Fishionista]

I've had poor luck with rummynoses. We are considering switching to a different small South American schooling fish, if our luck with rummynoses doesn't turn around.

If you've had any of these 4 fish, what has your experience been like? Mainly interested in hardiness, tight schooling tendencies, and personality/lack of shyness. I also want a fish that won't break the bank or be impossible to find--something like Toucan Tetras or Red Coral Pencilfish would be awesome, but they're rare and expensive.

This is for a 29 gallon tank. Stocking plan is habrosus cory school, hatchetfish school, some kind of dwarf SA cichlid centerpiece, and whichever of these schooling fish I end up choosing.

(Note that I'm talking about Glowlight Tetras, not those GloFish things).

Black Neon Tetra
Silvertip Tetra
Bloodfin Tetra
Glowlight Tetra

 

[FJB]

I have not had bloodfin tetras, but have had the others. By far my favorites are black neons. They are common, colorful, hardy, peaceful, and relatively long lasting. Also fairly inexpensive.
I have had a school of 25 for 3 years now and they are going strong. I am not sure I have all 25 (difficult to count), but the groups appears intact. They school nicely, sometimes splitting in two groups. They eat everything.
I do not like silver tips as much, and found them less tightly schooling. Also sometimes individuals are aggressive and nippy.

I suggest adding Lemmon tetras as a very attractive alternative. They used to be very common but less so now. Don’t know why. In the right tank (heavily planted) they are gorgeous!!! They are peaceful and inexpensive.

 

[RedRaven]

Either the black neons or the glolights from your choices if it were me. Nice choice of cory. Where are you from? In the extremely unlikely chance you are living close enough to travel. One of my Local stores carries both the tucanos and the pencils along with many other nano/softwater species.

 

[duanes]

What are your water parameters?
Rummy nose tetras prefer soft, low pH water (around pH 6 or lower), as do black neons.

If you have harder, higher pH water, maybe you need to consider a tetra that is more evolved to live in your type water parameters.
Buenos Aires tetras may be more forgiving
Another species might be Astyanax that come from harder, high pH water (8.2)
Where I live, pH of my water is 8.2, so I only keep species adapted to my specific water type.



Above are Roeboides genus tetras from the hard , high pH waters or Panama and Costa Rica.
Below Astyanax from Mexico into Panama, very forgiving about water parameters


Above genus Brycon from the hard waters of Central America

 

[FJB]

For a 29g, most Astyanax, Roeboides, Brycon are not applicable (tank too small for groups, or even singles with Brycon). Buenos Aires tetras are borderline possible in a 29g but a nice group needs more space.
Among the species the OP requested opinions, all are from soft, lower pH water, even though most are species that are mass produced (perhaps excepting rummynoses) so should be capable to do ok in most waters (within reason).

 

[Jexnell]

I had a group of Bloodfin Tetras with young JD's. There was 15 of them and they stayed in a group mostly. As with all Tetras the more the merrier.

 

[james99]

I would pick the black neons, or as @FJB mentioned above, take a look at lemon tetra. They are one of my favorites.

 

[celebrist]

I have kept all of them and of the 4 black neon's are the most peaceful, I also have kept lemons and vote for them above all the others