Silver-Tipped Tetras

[Socrates]

Is it normal for Silver-Tipped Tetras to hassle the heck out of each other.

Once in a while these 6 guys will all school together. They don't fight over food. Sometimes they even will all 6 join the Rummy-Nose school and swim with them.

But they do seem to break up the herd pretty often and then go to their separate corners kind of like boxers. Then one will launch from his corner across the tank and really give a good solid chase to another one. Now sometimes the chase will turn around suddenly and the chaser becomes the chasee and then it ends.

Then a few moment later another two will violate each others space and chase around a bit.

This would all be fine if they wer all even at this. One is looking decidedly worn out over the whole thing and is swimming with a lot more hyperactive motion to his tail than the other 6.

These guys have been in the tank for a day and a half. I'd like to assume they are just settling in, but the one that is stressing badly has me worried.

I had thought these little guys were supposed to be peaceful schooling tetras (and they look that way in their tank at the LFS, btw).

 

[iloveyou]

i dont know... ive had silver tips for long time i love em... theyre very hardy..... mine have never done this but my red eyes have been doing it lately.. someone said it might be because they are ''in the mood''

sorry i dont know anything else...... maybe they jus playin a game

 

[Lateral Line]

I would guess they are probably establishing a pecking order if they have only just been introduced. Unless you see damage, I'd just let them get on with it.

 

[rain-]

It is their normal behaviour when they feel comfortable (thats why they are so passive in the store, too much stress and no time to think about mating ;-). Males are really active and love to play and chase each other.

 

[Socrates]

Thanks! This helps.

I'm just worried about the one that's not very good at this game.

I suppose either their nature will keep them from pushing him too far, or natural selection will cacth up with him. As long as it's a normal part of life, there's not much point in trying to swim upstream against it, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Socrates]

In the last few hours, these guys have really turned it up a notch.

They haven't schooled at ALL in a couple of days.

Now they are just having running horrific battles with two to three individuals circling around each other pecking and chasing accross the tank. Some are even charging full force at their own reflections.

It's really out of control. A couple of the smaller ones are certainly not going to survive this if it keeps up.

Do fish get Rabies?

All my other fish are doing their best to stay the heck out of the way, but this is clearly disruptive to them. My Neons are all hiding since they seem to be too slow to move out of the way of the berserkers when they come tearing through the tank.

 

[Lateral Line]

Sounds like you have a real wild bunch there. I've had squabbles in groups of them, but they have always settled down after a period. Never had one die as a result.

 

[Socrates]

I fed them every "snack" treat I had and they went absolutely wild over that.

I have one silver-tip here that grabbed onto the end of a bloodworm that was as long as he was and jammed it down his throat. Got it half way down and then started spassing out and sank to the floor so he could stop swimming and devote all his energy to shoving that thing down!!! He layed there a while to the point I almost figured he was choking himself to death.

What a freaking nut!

Anyway after a seriously long feeding frenzy they all seemed kind of tired out so I turned off all the lights close to the tank and with just the little light left, it LOOKS calm in there finally.

Whew.

Maybe these are just very, very hungry fish? Maybe they are all from a mentally unbalanced breeding pair? Maybe just 6 isn't enough to keep them behaved?

I don't know. If they keep freaking out the Neons, I guess I'm going to have to set up a second little tank for one species or the other. Actually their berserker battles would be wildly exciting.... like a wild west movie... if it wasn't for worrying about them stressing tank mates.

Thanks for the info, btw.

 

[rain-]

It does help to add more fish, so the aggression is split to more directions. If there is enough room for them all. The ones that seem like theyre not going to make it might be the more docile females. Or is there ones that will just watch (or hide) others to harass each other?