I'm a bit concerned about a tetra

[jaylach]

I inherited a black skirt tetra along with a pleco and albino cory... I got then all in a flower vase that just may have held a quart of water with no filtration. Initially I was supposed to keep for 9 weeks while the owner was in a PTSD program. I knew that there was no way that I could keep the critters alive that long without a LOT of hassle so I bought a little 2.5 gallon tank just due to not being willing to let them die. That little tank brought back the itch and they are now in a 20 gallon cube as the original owner no longer wants them. I have also added another black skirt tetra to keep the original company. All seem to be doing just fine.

My question is that the original tetra that was in the flower vase seems very introverted staying mostly in one corner of the tank. The tetra I added for company is all over the tank chasing bubbles. The original tetra seems to be totally healthy and does come out of its corner to feed without issue and is quite active while feeding though once fed it goes right back to its corner of the tank.

Since in a bigger space the poor thing has also been subjected to stress since I'm trying to cycle a tank with live fish, not my preferred choice as to cycling but I didn't have much of a choice.

Should I be really concerned or just figure that the tetra will get over it and adjust?

 

[Naughts]

It could be that it is showing subordinate behaviour and the new tetra is dominant. Shoaling fish need to be in a group of 6+. Without this they will experience high levels of stress, to the point that it may shorten their life.
Skirt tetras are nippy and individuals that have been exposed to stress can become aggressive. Hopefully this is not the case here.

 

[jaylach]

As of this morning I now have 6 black skirts. Not a fish I would normally get but, since I accepted the original one, I feel that I must treat them properly.

 

[Lynnzer]

The black skirt is a shy fish.
I have a group of them in a 120ltr tank along with 5 Dwarf Neon Rainbowfish, half a dozen Silver tip tetras and a pair of Appisto's.
The Black Skirts were nearly always sheltering in the large plants and rarely showed any frontal community activity.
So, only 2 days ago, i took them out of that tank and replaced them with Emporer Tetras from anoherf tank that were also showing little activity and also sought plants to hide in.
That swap over has been successful. For the 1st time ever, I have watched the Blackskirts showing mating behaviour and have been a lot more active.
Also the Emporer Tetras are more visible.
6 Blackskitrs is a good move. You now need to get some tall growing bushy plants a the back of the tank so they have somewhere to rest and also to hopefully lay eggs in.
It's also essential you try to get te water conditions right for them.

 

[jaylach]

There are quite a few fake plants and I have a large (in relation to the tank) tree trunk that is hollow with several openings of different sizes. I can't see any issue as to places to rest/hide. The trunk's highest point is between 2/3 and 3/4 the height of the tank and it almost reaches totally the tank's width. Since the thing is totally hollow it will also not interfere with my under gravel filtration.

 

[jaylach]

Just to add on to my last post...

As I said before I've never been much of a tetra person but these black skirts kind of grow on you. I like angel fish but am not going get any as I'd want veil tails and I plan on getting a couple of dwarf cichlids if I can ever find any. I figure the veils would be like hanging bait in the water for the cichlids and the veils would end up torn up. But even though a totally different body type the black skirts have coloring that is very much like an angel. They are also fun to watch as they REALLY seem to enjoy chasing air bubbles.

The black skirt I am worried about WILL come out and join if the others are on its side of the tank but won't follow to the other side. I have no idea as to the age of this fish or how long it was solo or how much damage it has suffered. When I took it in it was in a flower vase that held about a quart of water with no filtration or air flow that also held a pleco and an albino cory cat. The person should be shot! Still I have hopes as it does join the rest if they are in the area and shows no sign of illness. If it were a person I'd say that it is depressed.

The pleco also seems happy to have its tree trunk back. It 'mouth walks' on the trunk much more than the glass. I had the trunk out of the tank for awhile. I'm sure that you know what I mean by a pleco mouth walking but I'm also sure that is probably not the proper term. Is there an actual term for how they move around on stuff using their mouths?

<edit>
Sorry but another add-on.. Looks like the 'depressed' tetra may end up OK. 8-9 hours after adding the others the critter is out of its corner and moving around with the rest all over the tank. 11 hours after adding the others its skirt is obviously darker. Previously the skirt was almost transparent.