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Black Neon Tetra Bully?

12K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  Byron 
#1 ·
I have the following in my 10 gallon tank:

1 Male Betta
1 Rummynose Tetra
2 Neon Tetra
1 Black Neon Tetra
and two algae eating shrimp

The Black Neon Tetra has been chasing my
rummynose and neon tetra's he doesn't chase my Betta or the shrimp.

i have not seen any bite marks or anything, they are not injured in any way but he/she just likes to chase them is this normal?

what if anything can I do to reduce stress on the fish he chases?
 
#2 ·
I am worried the smaller tetras being picked on are not getting enough food due to being bullied. Should i remove the black neon tetra? get more smaller tetras? :hmm:
 
#3 ·
Tetras are schooling fish that really do best in groups of six or more of their own kind. Instead of stocking a couple of each of a few different types of tetra, I would suggest getting a bunch of the same kind. The rummynoses are a little too active for a 10g if you ask me, so a group of six neons or black neons would probably be best.
 
#4 ·
I would agree that your tetras need some company of their own kind. I have got black neon, blue neon, cardinal, black tetras, and rummy nose tetras, plus silver tip, and beacon fish in groups of 7-14 and they are all friendly and calm. Rummy noses are fast indeed, so are the silver tips, but the black neons and cardinals are slower, they keep to their own kind, however. The only problem we had was with the silver tips - their males were aggressive at first, but we got a bit more females and they settled down.

But you would need a bigger tank, of course.
 
#6 ·
i find black neons to be very peaceful but then i have 10 of them pehaps its the same situation as happens with the barbs were they only become a pest to other fish when kept in to small a group to contain there behavior
 
#8 ·
the odd number thing is a myth..............any number over 5 is good for tetras..........the larger the shoal, the better... you will see there true characteristics........Unfortunately your tank is small, so adding more fish is gonna be tough to keep everyone happy...........Try feeding your fish at both ends of the tank, give your smaller, bullied fish a chance to feed better
 
#9 ·
The odd numbered thing assumes that the fish can count. Personally I seriously doubt that. It's a myth, flat out.

The problem isn't an even number of fish, its too few. In the wild these fish live in schools of hundreds or even thousands of fish. In such a large school you can't establish any kind of pecking order, you can't even be sure the fish you're looking at is the one you saw three seconds ago. When moved into a home aquarium these little guys find themselves in a tank with only a handful or other fish. Well now they can tell each other apart and they can establish a pecking order, which they immediately do. Unfortunately the low fish on the totem pole often suffers.

The solution is simple, more fish. While 6 is usually quoted as being the minimum number to have more is better with fish like this. If you're seeing bullying then add in a few more fish of the same type. If the black neons are getting out of line, add more blacks, or more neons if the neons are the problem. Eventually they'll settle down as their school gets to be too large to keep track of. It's the same tactic you use in a cichlid tank.

Besides, these little fish have a small bioload and the more you have of them the better they look. I've got a dozen neons in my main tank and I'm thinking I'll be getting even more.
 
#10 ·
All of the former posts advising more tetras are correct. I would forget the rummy nose, as someone mentioned they prefer more room and are particularly sensitive to water so not the best choice for a small tank (under 30g). More black neons and regular neons would work (despite the similar names, they are not closely related species). If you are regular in your partial water changes (25-35% of the water every week without fail) and have good filtration and live plants, and don't overfeed, you could easily have shoals of 6 neons and 6 black neons with what you've got. But, this assumes you do the required maintenance or you will have stressed and sick fish.

Which brings me to the black neon. He is probably more stressed that the others; characins are shoaling fish and will only thrive when kept in groups.
 
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