Fish behavior questions

[TheFragile]

I'm having trouble finding answers with internet searches, there seems to be a lot of conflicting information. I have a few questions regarding normal behaviors since I have only owned my guys for a little while.

Colored skirt tetras: if they are chasing each other around are they playing? I have 5 of them and there seems to be no pattern with the chasing. They all chase each other.

I also recently lost 2 of my neon tetras. They are the newest addition to my fish family. I started with 8 but now they are down to 6, no bodies found. Not sure if they died from the stress of being added to the tank and then were a snack or if they were eaten just because they are small. So with this question I guess I am just looking for hope that they can live in peace with the others: the remaining 6 do not seem to be sticking to the school all the time. Does that mean that they are feeling safe in there?


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[absolutangel04]

It is possible for small fish to decompose very quickly, especially if a bigger fish takes even a few bites out of the corpse. Neons can be quite delicate, and many people ahve very poor luck keeping them alive, even in good water conditions. A lot of that is more about their breeding and treatment before your care though. Fewer fish often won't really school up. I wouldn't be concerned about it though.
As for the skirt tetra behavior, I cannot say for sure without actually watching them. But, I will say this. They can be rowdy chasers. It is what they do. So, they are not likely "playing" so much as you are just seeing their dominance structure in action. I have actually found that they seem to be a lot more chill in a larger tank and tend to chase more and be a bit more aggressive about it in smaller tanks. That said, as long as no one fish is showing signs of stress or being picked on too much, I wouldn't worry about it. I do suggest you continue to work on getting more decor in your tank. I saw your thread where you have been adding to it. Those are some great improvements.

 

[Gillie]

Skirt tetras fall into the same group as black, red phantoms, serpae and the like(it's a long list lol) , but the really should be kept in larger numbers than most other tetras because they can get quite aggressive and nippy with each other and other fish.

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[TheFragile]

Honestly, they seemed better when there were only 4 of them. I kept reading everywhere that they are happiest 5 or more so I got another and now they seem more chasey. I don't see any actual nipping. They just chase each other.


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[Coyne]

They're just establishing a pecking order... It's pretty normal for them. Just keep an eye open for damaged fins or other injuries. It'll probably calm down after a bit, but it never goes away completely... At least it hasn't for my Serpae Tetras and it's been over two years.


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[J.Mcpeak]

Tetras are playing tag, don't worry. Keep an eye on the fins, if they stay on the fish you've no problems! I only had 5, YEARS AGO! All tetra do this!
Falling out of shoal, this is normally for two reasons, tank not big enough to warrant this behaviour or they are not feeling threatened and do not need the security. Stick your finger in the tank, they'll group up in no time!

 

[Fishy Fever]

Tetras are playing tag, don't worry. Keep an eye on the fins, if they stay on the fish you've no problems! I only had 5, YEARS AGO! All tetra do this!
Falling out of shoal, this is normally for two reasons, tank not big enough to warrant this behaviour or they are not feeling threatened and do not need the security. Stick your finger in the tank, they'll group up in no time!

Exactly. Once they establish a pecking order, it will get better.


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[TheFragile]

Thanks you guys. That makes me feel better. Everyone seems happy and playful.


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