Dawn tetra

[reg2k2]

Has anyone had any experience with this fish?  
He was actually a fish I had picked out of an atlas 5yr ago as one I might like to try to get one day.  So last week, when I saw him at LFS (wasn't gonna buy any more fish yet), I had to get him (was only one in tank).  Said they were ordering more, so I thought I was gonna get more, depending on how much room I had.  
Well, he has been a little **** ever since he got in there!  And I was worried that he was so small!  At first I was relieved, thinking at least he can hold his own.  I think the second day, I saw him come right up a nip Tiny (adult H & T Light) on the flank.  The adult Ulrey's ducks him (he's an eighth of his size! )  After that, Tiny seemed to pretty much have him in line, chasing him across the tank.

But now, I'm startin' to think he might have had something to do with Tiny's death.  Maybe he wasn't sleeping like he should've been?  

####, I gotta do something...

 

[Alien Anna]

Not personal experience - this is stuff out of a book and from hanging around on fish groups.

Two things you need to know about most tetras:
1. The are schooling fish and without their school, they can become stressed and/or aggressive. If you get another few dawn tetras, they'll probably focus more aggression on each other or even be perfectly peaceful.
2. Tetras are notorious fin-nippers and notoriously aggressive for their size.

I think you may have to re-home this fish in either a little tank until you can find him companions, or take him back to the LFS as a "seemed like a good idea at the time".

Personally, I don't think any shop should be selling schooling fish singularly to people who haven't already got some at home. They wouldn't dream of selling someone a single love-bird!

 

[reg2k2]

Just thought I'd follow up/close this item. (Thanks, Anna, for your response.)
I did return this fish after a week (in quarantine). If I didn't feel bad enough, when I returned him, the guy at the shop takes him out of the container by hand, walks over and throws him in the tank, where everybody proceeded to pick on him. I left with thoughts of returning in a few days to 'rescue' him if he looked bad off. I did return in a week, but couldn't really say the ones there were him. Still feel bad.


Anyway, why I didn't keep him...

As one link I came across described, he would 'prowl' the tank (accurate description, indeed). When he was still say an inch away from the other fish, they would duck toward the gravel violently,even the adult Ulrey's, as mentioned above. It was as though he just gave them a 'look'. (Invisible eye lasers, I dunno )

That night he started harassing the others, esp. the small H&T, so I had to remove him to a temp. tank. He seemed to ignore the Black Phantoms, which made me think of perhaps housing those two species, but I don't know. Also, when I went back after a week (just to see if I could spot him), I noticed that the Dawns had run of the tank. A group of neons stayed in the left bottom rear, while a small group (7 or 8) black neons seemed to all be trying to hide behind the right airlift tube. On another site, a guy mentions the same behaviour, and that his LFS actually offered them to him at a discount if he would take the rest of his stock (because of the havoc he figured they were creating in his tank)!

Also, Baensch II notes that this fish has been known to eat the scales of other fish.

One other thing I thought was strange. When I was trying to net him----(like when he felt cornered) he played dead! Three times around to the same spot, played dead, and third time, I caught him. (Lucky for me. I'd read they are very fast fish, like bloodfins?) Anyway, very shrewd fish, if you ask me.

It is a shame. I really liked him. Very pretty fish, lt-blue-green iridescence, although I thought it even leaned toward lavender at times.
(I think they're also known as spotted tetras, and white-spot tetras.)

Well, that's my two bits, if anyone runs a search.

 

[Great Lakes]

Reg, Darn shame when you can't keep a fish you enjoy. I do try to practice buying tetras and barbs in pairs or more. Most seem to prefer their own kind and are much happier in schools.