New Neon Tetras - Normal Behavior?

[fish4phil]

I bought 6 Neon Tetras 7 days ago and put into my fully cycled 10G Quarantine tank. No previous medicine used in the tank, tested every day Ammonia always = 0, Nitrite aways = 0, Nitrate +1 each day (it is now 0, 0, 10). I have 1 female guppy and 1 lemon drop bristlenose pleco, both acting normal and eating. The neon tetras are pooping a lot, so they must be eating, I've seen a couple of them eating. I feed crushed up flakes and small sinking pellets (and zucchini and wafers for the pleco), but I think the guppy eats most of that. The neons are always hiding behind the plants, usually school. One of them "jerks" up and down, not a lot, not sideways or upside down, but just a small jerking up and down. Is this normal behavior? I've taken a video, you should be able to see the 1 neon with the "jerking movement" up and down.

Neon Tetras - sick? - YouTube

 

[illuzion7]

It seems like the guppy is intimidating them. My neons were babies when I got them and pretty shy...I had 2 females danios that bullied them so I brought them back..they have been doing great since. That's just my opinion..I don't think they are sick..

 

[abw0004]

Neons jerk a lot. They never are still. I wouldn't worry. If they are schooling the are scared. Give it time

 

[wildroseofky]

Neons do that jerking thing when they are stressed or excited. Mine do it at feeding time. They get very excited when it comes to food. Hiding is a sign of them being scared. They are in a new tank, with new fish and it will take time for them to get settled.

 

[venymae]

Mine have always jerked a lot, not sure why as they were the only occupants (group of 6) in my ten gallon for a long time, and there is plenty of coverage. Might just be a thing they do.

 

[fish4phil]

To update everyone, the one neon that was jerking, it was also breathing very fast, had discoloration, bumpy skin, wasn't schooling. Wasn't doing very good. I've since euthanized (that was very sad & hard to do). Poor little guy.

 

[mrvincent]

Don't feed too much in the QT tank, to keep water quality optimal for giving fishs a chance to cure "possible new diseases"