how to get tetras to come out more

[nacho1cheese]

I have 5 rummy nose tetras that i put in a week ago that are still to scared to go to the front. At first i thought it was because i had 3 giant danios so i got rid of them and still no luck.i actually think they were a little more active with them. Im gonna go thiss week to see if i can get more at the (not so local) fish store. In the mean time do you think putting other type of braver tetra would make them more comfortable or no.

 

[Fishandmusic81]

I have 5 rummy nose tetras that i put in a week ago that are still to scared to go to the front. At first i thought it was because i had 3 giant danios so i got rid of them and still no luck.i actually think they were a little more active with them. Im gonna go thiss week to see if i can get more at the (not so local) fish store. In the mean time do you think putting other type of braver tetra would make them more comfortable or no.

Rummy nose tetras are very sensitive so I'd let them adjust make sure theirs alot of hiding places and water parameters need to be good
The red part of the head will let you know
Bright red is good the red fading is bad

 

[nacho1cheese]

Yes i know. Im very good at water changes so that's not a big deal but u think they'll school with other (braver) tetras? Our will it at least help i kinda wanna get another school or just make this one big but not if they're timid like this

 

[absolutangel04]

It can take rummies a bit to settle in. Don't worry about it too much yet. If the tank is big enough, you could try adding a few more.

 

[nacho1cheese]

Ok cool. I guess i got a little impatient. Yeah i have a 55 with those five, 1 gourami, 2 angels and 7 corys so the top is pretty empty

 

[absolutangel04]

Most rummies in the aquarium trade are wild caught and it seems that the wild caught ones tend to take a bit longer to adjust sometimes. Give it some more time and see what happens. I will say that my rummies got bolder and schooled better when I had 6 instead of 5, though mine were tank bred and not overly shy with only 5 either, but adding another 1 or 2 could possibly help IMO.

 

[Bettaluv]

give them time! You cannot expect brand new fish to be active and swimming all around the tank for a while. If they were active, happy, and healthy at the LFS then they probably just need time to adjust. But if they stay that way for a long time, then I would inspect them carefully for disease or bloating

 

[nacho1cheese]

Ok thanks guys!

 

[LyndaB]

I have over a dozen rummies in my community tank. They're one of my favorite species. They feel safety in numbers, so the more the merrier and you can fit more into your tank. They will not necessarily school with other tetras and don't need a "braver" one. They do need a proper school size. I would do no less than 8.

Mine do school with my white cloud mountain minnows and ember tetras. Don't know why, but since the first day I put the minnows and embers in there, the rummies have schooled with them. The more fish of that size that you keep, the more secure the rummies will feel. They are very shy and extremely peaceful and stress easily when kept with high energy or semi-aggressive species.

They will also need hiding places. They like to duck down amongst driftwood and plants. It makes them feel hidden, I think. They also really love tannins in the tank.

 

[nacho1cheese]

I think I'm gonna get some more this week! One more question. do big water changes stress them out more because i also want to add gbr but they need good water quality so i was thinking 50% and 30% water change weekly

 

[LyndaB]

I do 50% weekly.

If this is a new tank, you should add more fish slowly so your bacteria can adjust. Just sayin'.

 

[nacho1cheese]

ok. Its 3 months old. I heard adding fish weekly is okay?.?.

 

[LyndaB]

Depends on the bioload of the fish and what your readings are.