Neon Tetra

[SRC]

I know these little fish are supposed to be a schooling type fish, and the ones I bought were being kept in a tank with other type neons, some guppies, and also white clouds (was a very confusing tank with all sorts of fish darting around all over in there)..but now that they are alone in my 10 gal. they don't school with each other.

Is this due to how they were being kept, and they don't know what to do? And if it is, do you think they will ever elarn?

They just swim around aimlessly right now..all over the tank, in all different directions lol.

TIA

 

[paulioo]

They wont school now because there is no need for them to school anymore. There is noone in the 10gal tank that there are threatened by.

Your neons feel safer now.

Paul.

 

[sylvia]

Most 'schooling' fish - the exception being harlequin rasboras and cories that school anyway - won't school unless they feel threatened or their line of vision is blocked so they can't otherwise see each other.

If you want them to school you need to put something larger and maybe a little more boisterous in with them. They won't like it though - they'd much rather feel safe and alone.

Another way to encourage them to school is to plant the tank heavily and put in some large, tall ornaments that block their sight - whilst they can see each other from any position in the tank, they will not school.

Or maybe you should just get some harlequin rasboras if you realy want something that schools excellently.

 

[SRC]

Well I wanted the rasboras, but when I got there they didn't have any. And said they wouldn't have any for quite some time.

I am fixing to plant my tank up though, my plants shoudl arrive some time next week. So that should work out good.

I'm not so interested in them schooling persay, just thought they were supposed too..and was wondering why they weren't lol.

If them swimming freely means they are happy and content..that's all I'm after.

 

[WILDER]

Yes same as everybody has said only shoal when stressed or under threat, my harlequins shoal it's lovely to watch them.

 

[SRC]

lol it's hard to keep track of them now...since I put my plants in lol. They dip in and out of the pots so fast..it's funny ot watch them try to keep up with each other.

They seem to enjoy staying in doubles...then they'll all meet up ever so often...then split up againand go off again.

THese are cool little fish. Along with the upside down catfish I bought and the cory's and shrimp..they all seem to get along great.

These shrimp are hilarious...they will see me feeding the neons..and swim up to the surface and snatch..yes I said SNATCH..the flake food away from me before I can push it under the surface to float down to the waiting neons lol. I even had one try to ride a neon...it grabbed a piece of food and started sinking..and landed right on top of a neon...the neon was like WTF and the shrimp dropped his food, as he scooted backwards real quick to un-seat himself from the neon's back..and the neon ate his food .

What he gets for theivery. lol

 

[SnowyzMom]

That's hilarious! Glad your fish are having so much fun playing. I find even my sometimes boisterous guppy females, the big dames, are enough to make the neons and glowlights school...mainly they have fun hanging out under the area where there are floating plants. They love the whole "cave" idea. Definitely the glowlights are happier now there's 8 instead of 5 of them. One thought, why does one of the neons persist in showing up as a deep purple stripe instead of a turquoise one on some mornings? He/she is very pretty when they do that. Hmmm, maybe they're getting a rush from just snatching another guppy fry!