Neon Tetras Mean To Each Other

[altinure]

hey everyone,

so my tank finally cycled, and i purchased five neon tetras and a male betta for my community tank. i've been watching my betta, and he seems to be doing ok with them, but i'll take him out if he starts to get aggressive. however, one of the neon tetras is really mean to the other tetras. anytime they form a school around him, he chases them all away. this causes them all to freak out and they swim into the betta, which gets him upset, and he puffs up.

i thought tetras were supposed to be good together? why is this one mean to the others?

thanks.

 

[nino]

he puffs up? weird...

are they different sizes? i had a shoal of 6 neons and we added more but got nipped because they were younger and much smaller. we seperated them until they were larger and now there is no nipping.
if it continues, you could always try to trade him in at the LFS?

 

[altinure]

he puffs up? weird...

are they different sizes? i had a shoal of 6 neons and we added more but got nipped because they were younger and much smaller. we seperated them until they were larger and now there is no nipping.
if it continues, you could always try to trade him in at the LFS?

well, he doesn't puff up, but fans out. whatever it's called, where he is threatening them.

the aggressive tetra is actually the smallest of the five.

 

[nino]

well, he doesn't puff up, but fans out. whatever it's called, where he is threatening them.

the aggressive tetra is actually the smallest of the five.
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hmm i guess i would return him if continues. maybe because he is so small he's trying to stick up for himself

 

[yvez9]

it is normal for the betta to flare at fish that bother him, it's a defense mechanism.

As for the neon being agressive towards the others, I guess you just have a bad case of neon here. If possible, return him and get another one...

 

[IMCL85]

playing probably my cardinal always chasing each other when I was observing them. The biggest one always chase other away for no reason probably just excercising musle