5 X Columbian Tetra (red Fin)

[mbsqw1d]

I've had these 5 for about 4 months now and they have grown quite a bit and only since 2 or3 days ago they have started to chase and nip each other. Is this a sign that they are outgrowing the tank?? needing a bigger shoal??

Because their behaviour has changed all of a sudden I am a bit worried they may cause damage

Should I try to create a strong current for them to keep them active? they seem like they would naturally be very strong swimmers..

thanks guys and gals

 

[Mr Bliss]

Haven't kept that particular species, but if their temperament is anything like Emperor tetras, you need a school of 10+, preferably more, once they reach adulthood. Otherwise the dominant one(s) will become increasingly aggressive until the weakest tetras become visibly stressed and mostly hide. With a bigger school, there will still be some chasing and nipping, but the aggression will be spread among a greater number, avoiding excessive stress on any one fish.

 

[stryper]

I've had these 5 for about 4 months now and they have grown quite a bit and only since 2 or3 days ago they have started to chase and nip each other. Is this a sign that they are outgrowing the tank?? needing a bigger shoal??

Because their behaviour has changed all of a sudden I am a bit worried they may cause damage

Should I try to create a strong current for them to keep them active? they seem like they would naturally be very strong swimmers..

thanks guys and gals

Hi there. I have six of these Columbian Tetras and they do chase one another from time to time with no real harm done. A very hardy fish i may add as well. They can reach 3inches mine are two and a half and still growing fast. They are a very greedy fish indeed only been out done by my rainbows lol. You could get more it won't hurt any.

 

[drobbyb]

Not to hijack this thread, but what kind of rainbows do you have?

 

[stryper]

Not to hijack this thread, but what kind of rainbows do you have?

Hi mate. Only two at the moment but have really fell in love with them so will be setting up more tanks me thinks lol. the two kinds i have to answer your question are...Bowsmani rainbow fish and Red rainbow fish six of each in a 220ltre tank and doing great.


I kept and bred malawis and tanganikans for years. But i've had a break from keeping fish for around five years. And RAINBOWS ARE THE BOMB lol.

 

[drobbyb]

Yup! Currently I have M. praecox, M. lacustris, M. duboulayi, and M. australis. I'm actually trying to downsize to 1 tank since my daughter takes up so much of my time now. At the peak I had 9 tanks running in my house.

Yep, they are awesome!

One more thing, check out this website Click me! Loads of information and identifying pictures there. Makes me drool lol!

 

[stryper]

Hi Robby mate. Yeah i had 40 tanks when i bred fish but with work and all i went down to two then none for awhile. I'm gonna put another Rainbow species in my tank but not sure what yet. And kids DO take up so much time don't they : @ }


Am i right in thinking you are from the USA? I'm from the UK. Are there loads of tropical fish shop around you? Loads of the great shops i used to go too are now no more. Very sad indeed.

Cheers.

Andy

 

[drobbyb]

I'm from the US. There are 2 in my town, but I only trust one of them. It is true that LFS are a dying breed. It sems that the big chain stores are slowly taking over.

 

[stryper]

Yeah the LFS are indeed a dying bread which is very sad indeed. I've found a good little fishshop near me. The guy who runs it lives eats and sleeps tropical fish. So i will support him as much as i can.


I'm going to get some C.Pandas today 6 of them. Also gonna look around for a new tank for more rainbows. four and a half foot long 18 high and 20 wide. Also going to use real plants in this one. The other tank i've got is 26 inches deep. So the light doesn't get to the bottom strong enough for plant growth imho.

Cheers.

Andy