Cowardly Fish

[ScottVinVA]

I have 4 Neon tetras and 2 Sarpe tetras in a 10 gallon tank with some large rocks and plenty of cover. Is it normal for these guys to always be hiding under cover and sitting in the same spots?

I have 2 covered areas and only 1 small plant in my tank. They don't swim around much like fish in the stores do or like salt water fish do.

Whats going on?

PS: here is my tank.
http://www.veirs.net/tank.html

 

[Frank_the_Tank]

how long have the fish been in the tank? It can take a while for them to adjust to a new environment and be active. Where is the tank located? Is there a lot of traffic or noise around the tank that could scare the fish? Do the fish look healthy?

 

[ScottVinVA]

they look very healthy, they are in a tank on my desk, and not near anybody but me. They have been in the tank for months... I have moved the rocks around when cleaning however they should get used to that. They are always bulked up. Not in one area but 2 or 3 places they all stay together.

 

[Sonia]

I know they like shady areas... IMO, if you got some floating plants like java moss, hornwort or other, they might feel more comfortable swimming around. Also, your tank could probaly handle a few more fish, would you consider getting a few more neons? They usually feel more secure in larger schools. Finally, they may feel less stressed if you get a darker substrate, I believe they would prefer something black or brown. HTH!

 

[QTOFFER]

I have a couple of suggestions:

Tetras feel safer in groups of five or more. If you added 3 more serpaes, and 2 more neons, you'd have two decent sized groups. The tank would be slightly overstocked with 11 fish, but if you do 25% water changes weekly, it should be perfectly fine.

Fish are easily spooked by reflections from the back and side glass panels. I would at least cover the back of your tank with a tank background from the lfs, some opaque plastic wrapping paper, or even a plain old black plastic bag.

You need some more plants to shade the tetras from the bright light. See how all your fish are cowering under that leaf? Sonia's suggestion of java moss or hornwort is great because live plants will provide cover AND help filter the water. Fake plants work fine too for cover - some of the silk ones are very dense and bushy - plus you have a large variety to choose from.

The funny thing is that the more cover you provide, the less the fish will actually use it. They become much more confident if they know that there is some thick vegetation nearby to dive into.

 

[whitetiger_CJ]

another way to darken the aquarium is to get a dark subtrate or rock on the bottom. it reflects less light, and it will often help the tetras feel more at home.

 

[lyquidphyre]

I was thinking what QTOFFER was thinking *nod*