Starter tank with 2 tetras and 1 gourami behaving oddly

[Manzor]

Hi there,

I've just introduced 2 tetras and 1 gourami (red) to a tank which is 3 weeks old. I tested the water and all is ok there.

After only 3 days one tetra has started bullying the other, forcing it into corners and not letting it out.

The gourami, meanwhile, oblivious to the tetras, just swims hi-speed back and forth along the glass of the tank as if searching for an escape.

As these are my first fish and are only in the tank a few days (5 days) am I being an over-anxious fish parent or are there things I can do to make them happier (eg adding hiding places)?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:b8e8bb9b97] Welcome to AA, Manzor! [/center:b8e8bb9b97]
What kind of tetras do you have? It sounds like one is dominant and that is normal. How large is the tank? What kind of decor is in the tank now?

 

[Manzor]

Hi Menagerie,

Thanks for the welcome!

I have a Juwel Record70 (70 litre) tank. I'm not sure what type tetras they are but I've included a photo.
The only decor in the tank is coarse gravel as also seen in the photo.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Menagerie]

Your tank is about 20 gals, which is a decent sized tank to start. You definitely need some decor and hiding places. Most fish feel more secure with somewhere to hide. I cannot ID the tetras, but they have a body type that indicates they may be fin nippers and all tetras are schooling fish. You want to keep them in at least groups of 3, 5 or more is better. What are your long range plans for this tank as far as what kind of fish you want to keep?

 

[Manzor]

I've no long term plans so I'm open to suggestions! I'd just like to have a tank with a few (10?) fish, plants and treasure chests to have something nice to look at when taking it easy.

I was advised in the Pet store not to introduce live plants for a while until the gravel builds up nutrients.

How many tetra sized fish (1-2") would I comfortably keep in a 20G tank?

Thanks for the advice by the way. I've read so many websites over the past month that I'm boggled and had some bad advice from pet store owners also so it's great to find this forum and people like yourself.

 

[cflux]

those are black skirt tetras, they can be agressive. I had 3 about 6 years ago. There was one dominate one who quickly became the boss of the tank, at least until my pleco got to about 4" then he became much milder. It may have been due to age. At anyrate, black skirts are nice, my "Bully" is now at least 6 years old, and has mellowed quite a bit, he even will swim with my gold goromi. But ya you definitly need to get somethign in there for them to hide in. And if you do want to do live plants you can you just need to pick the right plants. Do a search for cycleing with plants, there was a thread or article ( i can't remeber which) which talked about how to use plants to lessen a cycle. Pick some of the same types of plants and you should probably be fine, though more fish will probably be needed.

 

[tamtam]

yup thats a black skirt tetra alright, i have 2 and one is a mean S.O.B. he terriorized my male betta so much i had to move my betta to another tank. He tried it to my female but she put him in his place.
as for plants a java Fern is a great plant for beginners, I read on a post on this site that all that is needed is an elastic band and tie it to a rock or anything you want the plant to grow on to, and drop it in the tank, no planting required, and eventualy the band will get brittle and break off just clean up the band and your plant is done, they are great for beginners because you can attach them to a rock and if you ever have to move tyour tank around just pick up the rock and there ya go... no digging
but ya... Id keep an eye on the tetra and the gourami, if you dont notice anything thru the day shut the lights out at night and watch a bit. As fer the other one... like Menagerie said a few more is a good idea. When I get my bigger tank Im getting more, the extra company may hault the bullying... Just a thought. My biggest picked on the little one till I got a few other fish in the tank. Now he's good. *knock on wood*

 

[SwerveDriver]

Hey Manzor,

I have two red honey gouramis and one of them zooms along the tank glass. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and it occassionally does this. It looks like it is competing in an Olympic event when it zooms along the glass from the top of the tank to the bottom then under a plant leaf and back around, over and over. My other red honey gourami is less active, but it does tend to chase my Olypmic gourami away which is always searching for food.

 

[Manzor]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll try one of those java ferns and see if that calms them down.

 

[Menagerie]

How many tetra sized fish (1-2") would I comfortably keep in a 20G tank?

I would keep a total of 10 2" fish in there to start. What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? If the tank is cycled, go ahead and add a few more tetras. I recommend a minimum of three, but five or more is best! That should clam everyone down and once you put in some decor, things will be much better!