First time with neons

[Briggan]

Hi!
So for a 20 gal tall, I’ve got a dwarf gourami and seven neon tetras.
For the tetras, I have a small school of 7. My questions are: how many can fit in a 20 gal, considering the gourami. Also, one of the tetras seems to be a bit of an outcast, is this normal? There is another one that will occasionally chase the others and poke them.
Thanks!

 

[Byron]

Behaviour is not problematic. A few more neons might decrease this a bit, but it is not a problem unless the chasing fish becomes physically aggressive such as nipping or biting. "Playing tag" is normal, one reason why shoaling fish need groups. They likely have something of an hierarchy within the group, but with this species it is not normally a strong one.

I would add a few more neons. The more the better with all shoaling fish, and you have the space; 9 up to 12 in total. Floating plants are advisable, and necessary for the gourami anyway. But these will settle tetras a lot, and they will exhibit more intense colouration. And be healthier.

 

[Briggan]

Thank you!
As for the number of fish, would I have room for any other peaceful types? Livebearers, more tetras, algae eaters, snails? If not, I will add more tetras. I don’t want to overstock, but I love having lots of fish.
Thanks again!

 

[Byron]

Thank you!
As for the number of fish, would I have room for any other peaceful types? Livebearers, more tetras, algae eaters, snails? If not, I will add more tetras. I don’t want to overstock, but I love having lots of fish.
Thanks again!

What is the GH and pH of your source water (tap)? I didn't mention this earlier because the question was about shoal size, but going forward we need to know.

 

[Briggan]

Hi!
So, I just went down to feed them as usual to discover one tetra with its “throat” ripped out and it’s head near eaten. The bite was too small for the gourami so I assume it was another tetra...

At the moment I’m using test strips and I cannot find any measurements on our water supplier’s website, so these parameters are as accurate as I can get. I currently have no immediate access to a pet store and I’m not %100 trusting in the results them might give me.

Gh: 60
Ph: 6.0

I’ve kept many livebearers before with the same water supplier, so far with no problems, however I was told my water may not be suitable for them.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Byron]

Hi!
So, I just went down to feed them as usual to discover one tetra with its “throat” ripped out and it’s head near eaten. The bite was too small for the gourami so I assume it was another tetra...

At the moment I’m using test strips and I cannot find any measurements on our water supplier’s website, so these parameters are as accurate as I can get. I currently have no immediate access to a pet store and I’m not %100 trusting in the results them might give me.

Gh: 60
Ph: 6.0

I’ve kept many livebearers before with the same water supplier, so far with no problems, however I was told my water may not be suitable for them.
Thanks for your help!

I would not count out the gourami, and there is also possible disease and a dead fish will normally be bitten into by many other fish.

I would try to get GH and pH from your water authority as it will be reliable and once you know, that settles that question. But from the GH 60 I would assume this is mg/l or ppm (they are the same in effect) and that is soft-very soft water; the pH of 6 supports this. So no livebearers, there is not sufficient mineral for them to be healthy regardless that some might have lived for a time previously. I can promise you that livebearers in water this soft and acidic will not reach the normal lifespan; the internal problems are severe.

More neons are OK as previously mentioned. Not knowing the disposition of the gourami, I don't really like to suggest some fish that would otherwise be very suitable, especially those normally occupying the upper water column. Substrate fish should be OK though on this score, maybe a group of 7-8 cories (sand substrate preferable)?

 

[Briggan]

Hi!
I originally had two Gouramis, sadly this one beat the other to death...
I do not have sand as substrate, I prefer river stones or large gravel. I’ve also never had cories but I do like them and the lfs sells quite a few. That one particular store has a lot of different types of fish.
I also looked at loaches and I really like them, too.

 

[Byron]

Hi!
I originally had two Gouramis, sadly this one beat the other to death...
I do not have sand as substrate, I prefer river stones or large gravel. I’ve also never had cories but I do like them and the lfs sells quite a few. That one particular store has a lot of different types of fish.
I also looked at loaches and I really like them, too.

That (the gourami issue) suggests two males, or possibly a male and female that the male did not accept. Male gourami are territorial, the aggressiveness of which varies depending upon species but sometimes individual males within the species.

I would not consider cories or loaches with large gravel. Fine gravel can work for loaches generally. Cories really need sand.

 

[Colin_T]

post a picture of the fish so we can check them for disease and to make sure you have the same species of fish. one of your fish might not be a neon tetra.

 

[Briggan]

Of the dead one or the school? I’ve already disposed of the dead one, sorry (if that’s what you meant).
They all look identical to me, however I could have missed something. Is it possible the store confused some cardinals with neons and I didn’t notice? Do the species get along or could that have been the cause of the death?
I’ve read on many sites that you can mix tetra species, but I don’t completely trust anything I read from info sites like that. From my experience with other species, every fish is different.
Thanks for helping!

 

[FishGuest5123]

I have several species of tetras in my 20L and none have ever been seriously aggressive to another. They are nippy at times but nothing harmful. I would watch the gourami.

 

[Byron]

Agree. The gourami may be the culprit, if it was a fish attack. It still may have been something else like disease or genetic issue that weakened the fish; the issue of the one fish being an outcast you mentioned in post 1 would be an indication of something like this. Once dead, at night perhaps, the other fish would start chewing it.

 

[Briggan]

I see, thank you. The gourami (eclipse) has been pretty chill since he killed the other..(no guilt)