Red-Eyed Tetras Raggedy Fins

[JPlow]

Hello, I am hoping someone might have some good advice.

I am starting a fish tank and am using Red-Eyed Tetra's to cycle the tank. I started with just 2 for a week. They were perfect! Super healthy and active. So I decided to get more.

I added 10 more to the tank and within hours I noticed fraying fins and one had just a stub... they are super aggressive and it seems like two large females are attacking the small ones. Is it possible
for fin rot to act so quickly? Why didn't the first two fish have issues.

Ammonia < 0.25ppm
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
pH = 8ish

Any advice would be great! P.S. new fresh tank just started cycling.

Cheers,
Jared

 

[Gawang]

For one, a fish in cycle you only want to add fish 3-4 at a time, not in the double digits! Also, it's not fin rot, simple fact is they are assaulting eachother. I would recommend taking some of the fish back to the store and trying to amend the male to female ratio.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Are they fighting/nipping at all?
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html

 

[JPlow]

Unfortunately the LFS won't refund fish. They are nipping, but I never see them fighting. Looks more like dominance establishment. I have heard tetras need a big school. That is why I got 10.

What makes you think its not fin rot? Too fast?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

If they are nipping they are damaging each other. Feed them, provide some cover and turn the lights off for a few days. It may settle down, it may not. If not you might new to rehome victims or offenders IMO.

 

[Gawang]

Also, what is the size of the aquarium they are in?

 

[JPlow]

40 gallon. Could it simply be that I am under feeding them? They go crazy when I feed them. They attacked a tuperware container I am using to isolate stumpy!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Also, what is the size of the aquarium they are in?

Ah! Yes. A tank that's too small will crowd them and cause stress and aggression.

 

[Gawang]

40 gallon. Could it simply be that I am under feeding them? They go crazy when I feed them. They attacked a tuperware container I am using to isolate stumpy!

It is entirely possible they are in breeding mode. I would recommend removing the offenders of you can.

 

[JPlow]

Wrapped the entire tank in a towel, left my overhead light on, now they are calm.... I am wondering if I have enough foliage....

a month ago I thought you could just put fish in a tank with a filter. I never knew it could be so difficult!!

 

[Gawang]

Wrapped the entire tank in a towel, left my overhead light on, now they are calm.... I am wondering if I have enough foliage....

a month ago I thought you could just put fish in a tank with a filter. I never knew it could be so difficult!!

That's how we all start! I forgot about dimming the lights. Leaving the lights off can help tame aggression because if they can't see eachother easily, it's harder for them to fight.

 

[JPlow]

So I added a really dark protected area to the tank. My tank is cycled now, so water quality is really good.

I need some more advice. There is a lot of food on the bottom of the tank, should I get shrimp or a pleco to clean that?

Cheers,
Jared

 

[JPlow]

Oh I should have mentioned the towel and dark place helped them not kill each other. There is one guy who looks like hell, but I think that was from "steping-out" so-to-speak.

 

[Jess1ca]

a month ago I thought you could just put fish in a tank with a filter. I never knew it could be so difficult!!

Ha! I hear ya! I was in the same boat a month ago! Hang in there!

 

[LyndaB]

Red eyes were one of my first fish. I found them to be really aggressive amongst themselves. They would gang together and kill off the weakest member, then the next weakest member and so on. Eventually, you're left with one or two fish remaining. Now, you put them into a toxic environment (uncycled tank) and you're bound to have problems.

 

[JPlow]

Actually Lynda my tank is cycled. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10ppm nitrates. Also RET's come highly recommended for cycling tanks. Sorry to hear about your fish :-(

 

[LyndaB]

Sorry, in your first post you indicated you used the red eyes to cycle the tank.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

So I added a really dark protected area to the tank. My tank is cycled now, so water quality is really good.

I need some more advice. There is a lot of food on the bottom of the tank, should I get shrimp or a pleco to clean that?

Cheers,
Jared

A good gravel vac and cutting back feeding will fix that!