The plan for my new 29 gallon

[severum mama]

I think I figured out how to keep the peace between the guppies and the black skirts! Tell me what you think.

In the ten gallon I currently own with my 1 lonely little black skirt, I'm going to add 2 more black skirts and 2 guppies. This way they'll be just a bit confused with all the change, and in the confusion won't mind each other. I then let them settle for a month or so and see what happens. A month or so later, I'll add 3 more black skirts, and since the guppies will be already established (hopefully!) and they'll get along with each other. After that, I'm not really adding any more nippy fish after that, so hopefully I'll be in the clear.

That's not really how it works. Eventually they will settle in and get used to the tank, and will resume their normal behavior- active and nippy.

Ok, to my ten gallon I added the two guppies and two black skirts. Everything went fine, but now the tetras are nipping each other! How do I stop this?

That's what they do. The QT tank is very small for them and they aren't being kept in adequate numbers... which you can't do because the tank is too small. This is what they do in a larger group too, but the aggression is spread out.

 

[Homedog98]

So what should I do? Add more or see if the aggression wares off after the first few days? It does seem to have gotten better today though, so I think it was a dominance thing.

 

[severum mama]

This is just normal behavior for that species is what I mean. I wouldn't expect it to wear off.

 

[Homedog98]

Ok.

 

[Homedog98]

Things have improved over the past few days. No more nipping, (except around dinner time) and they've started to get along just fine. Stuff really took a turn for the better after one of the guppies, that was probably messed up when I bought it, spazzed out and died. Now they wander around the tank and shoal together, and the little guppy goes off and does his own thing. Finally, peace in my kingdom!