Why Do My Fish Stay In The Same Corner Of The Tank All The Time?

[APrescott]

Can you help please.

I have a 30L tank with 2 catfish and 8 neon tetra. For some reason the neons seem to spend almost all of their time in the bottom righthand corner under the filter - why??

The catfish are perfrectly happy and are all over the place....just not the neons!

Thanks
Adam

 

[doresy]

30 ltr tank? What type of filter do you have?

Maybe the current is a bit strong for a small tank and they have found a calm spot.

BTW you are a bit overstocked but should be ok if you do reg water changes

 

[APrescott]

Thanks for your advice.

I have turned the filter down to its slowest setting, will see if that helps.

I will also NOT add any more fish to the tank and have got a test kit already on the way.

Thanks again.

 

[kewskills]

to the forum

how long have they been in the tank, they might just be scared and thats the safest place they have to be

 

[FoamLess]

Grats on your new setup.

If you just introduced them, new fishies hide for a while. When I introduce the new fishies, they just find a nice quiet place to hide till they are familiar with their new home, after that, they'll come out happily.

And yeah, your tank is a bit overstocked, 8 neon tetra is probably the maximum in a 30L tank. But its okay, you just have to do more frequent water changes. Smaller tank is just a bit more work (water changes, stablilty, water parameters), gotta keep an eye on those more frequently.
What species are the catfishies? Cory would be fine, but if you have something like pictus catfish, they'll grow to a decent few inches. And might eat your neons as well when they are older.

I wouldnt worry too much about the neons staying in a corner.


Regards

-Foameh


(kewskills beat me to it)

 

[squarefish]

I too have a similar size tank to you, mine is an AquaOne 320. I find that the fish have their individual favourite spots, but all rush out at feeding time! I have put a few tall plants (plastic) with plenty of room for the fish to weave in and out of. I also have a large rock which has created a small cave behind. The layout of the tank should offer them some cover. Depending on their mood they will sometime come right to the front or stay quietly at the back!

 

[SouthernCross]

Do youy have plants/rocks/ornaments? If the tank is too bare they may feel very unsafe.

Add some stuff in there for them (plants are excellent) to make them feel more secure.

 

[APrescott]

Have turned down filter and they seam to be all over the place now!

I have 2 plastic and one real plants, along with a holey rock.

Cheers!

PS is there a ratio for fish/tank size?

 

[Christine1014]

1 inch of (fully grown) fish per gallon is a good rule of thumb.
It means you have to do a little research to see how big your fish is going to get before you buy it, and of course, it doesn't mean you can keep 1 10-inch fish in a 10-gallon tank, but it's a good guide if you're just looking for a nice community.

 

[dutto73]

Bit of an old thread, but I've been having the same problem, someone (on another forum) mentioned reflections, when I turned my light off, they sprung back to life.

 

[the_lock_man]

Yes, this is an old thread, over 8 years in fact. Not sure if you're asking for help, or offering assistance. If the former, please start a new thread.