Help- Think i have been misinformed re. tetras

[newbiefish106]

Hi,
This is my first post so hopefully its in the correct place.

I am completely new to keeping fish however I have obtained advice from a friend and carried out research.
I have waited until the ammonia level in my tank peaked then went to 0 again and I then added 3 Silver fin tetras to my tank.
Two weeks later and they look good however the larger of the 3 tetra seems to constantly chase one of the others.
I went to a local shop and asked about putting more tetras in the tank (read that I should have group of 6 ideally so they could school) the man in the shop said that all types of tetra would school together and recommended three more tetra of any kind. I picked three neon tetras which are significantly smaller than my silver fins at the moment.

I've now read that I should have stuck to the same species of tetra and these two types will not school together? I only have a 12 gallon tank so I dont think i can add three more of each species without over stocking the tank?

Will my fish be stressed in groups of three and why is the larger silver fin chasing the other all the time??

Thanks in advance.

 

[mistersprinkles]

You need to keep tetras in groups of 7 or more, ideally. The one tetra is chasing the others because it is the dominant fish and it has no other fish to spread its aggression out on. If you had 7 of them it would chase them all equally and the stress would be spread out. Pick the species you like the least, and return them. Get 4 more of the species you still have.

Also, you should have waited longer to get fish. You don't just wait for the ammonia to spike and go down, you must wait for the nitrite to spike and go down as well.

The guy at the fish store in question is either lying to you or is a dummy. Either way, find another, more reputable store. Privately owned, high quality fish/pet stores are usually going to supply you with higher quality fish and advice than chains.

 

[newbiefish106]

Will the shop return these fish ? I thought it would be risk to them accepting back fish which have now been in a different tank.

I feel awful now putting the poor fish through moving then going back. I should have researched more before going for the second lot of fish.

Just to add the guy in the shop told me for this tank he would recommend four different types of tetra (three fish in each group) making twelve fish in total!

 

[absolutangel04]

Well, 2 things. First of all. Don't beat yourself up too much. Most aquarists have made some mistakes.
Secondly, for your stock, I assume you are referring to the silver tip tetra? I would not suggest any of these in a 12g tank. I have kept them in the past, and they are very active. Ime, they much better suited to moire like a 20g long tank. I have a 20g high, and I would not even put this species in that. I would return them, and replace them with a few more neons. To be honest, you will not likley get your money back. Very few stores will allow you to actually return fish for a full refund. But, I don't think your current set up is going to last all that long before the silver tips overly harass the neons and out-compete them for food.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. But, you can fix the situation easily enough.

 

[newbiefish106]

Sorry yes I mean silver tip lol.

The large silver fin is constantly chasing another silver fin it doesnt seem at all interested in the neons. I dont mind about the money I just want a happy environment for the fish.

 

[mistersprinkles]

Just to add the guy in the shop told me for this tank he would recommend four different types of tetra (three fish in each group) making twelve fish in total!

The guy at your local pet shop is spectacularly ignorant.

 

[absolutangel04]

Sorry yes I mean silver tip lol.

The large silver fin is constantly chasing another silver fin it doesnt seem at all interested in the neons. I dont mind about the money I just want a happy environment for the fish.

I am glad he isn't harassing the neons. In my experience with silver tips, they are very rambunctious and just don't play well with others. I had them in various sized groups, and always had a lot of chasing. To be honest, it is not a species I ever plan to own again, though they were fun to watch in a larger tank.

If you can re-home the silvertips and get a few more neons, you will be in better shape. Then, you can look at a couple of options for a small, centerpiece fish to go with the neons. I suggest looking into a dwarf gourami or a honey gourami.

 

[mistersprinkles]

I am glad he isn't harassing the neons. In my experience with silver tips, they are very rambunctious and just don't play well with others. I had them in various sized groups, and always had a lot of chasing. To be honest, it is not a species I ever plan to own again, though they were fun to watch in a larger tank.

If you can re-home the silvertips and get a few more neons, you will be in better shape. Then, you can look at a couple of options for a small, centerpiece fish to go with the neons. I suggest looking into a dwarf gourami or a honey gourami.

Honey gouramies for the win! Cute, fun to watch, easy to feed, relatively mellow. Great fish. They're available in solid yellow, solid red, and normal. If you prefer dwarf gouramis, they're available in blue, mostly red with blue dorsal, and normal.