Tetras for Pence

[Ash Paws]

Hi guys

I just got some Neon Tetras to live with my betta. The bag is floating in the tank. Pence, the betta is really civil and I thought he would be okay with neons.

We asked the pet store person to get the biggest ones, on accident i think he got the tiniest one in the tank, its like 1.5 cm long. I don't know what to do with it, Pence may eat it, and I can't separate it of course unless I got more tetras.

Please advise,

Ash

 

[Byron]

Before you acquire any fish, you should run your idea past the members here. Advice from staff in fish stores is regrettably often inaccurate and misleading. And the loser is always the poor fish.

Neon tetra should never be placed in the same tank as any male Betta. I did this many years ago, before I knew different, and one night as I sat there the Betta ate a neon, which was not a small one either. The bright colours of neons in particular frequently inflame a male Betta, and its nature is to be aggressive so it will be. This is one problem, but the other is perhaps even more detrimental. Small fish like neons have lots of teeth, and the sedate nature of a Betta with its flowing fins is almost guaranteed to goad the tetras into fin nipping. Even if they do not physically achieve this, their "intention" they make known by releasing allomones in the water which the Betta can read chemically, and this is enough to seriously stress out the Betta.

The best thing would be to return the neons, or remove them from the Betta's tank however you achieve it. Betta are not community fish, and a male should be on his own in his own space. He will be much happier, and that means healthier.

Another issue just occurred to me, when I remembered your other thread that this Betta Pence is in a 5.5 gallon tank. This is not sufficient space for neons alone, regardless of the Betta. The single Betta is all the fish you should have in this small a tank.

 

[Ash Paws]

Thanks for your reply

The fish seem to be doing well right now actually, Pence isnt being nippy and the tetras are minding there own business.

If problems arise i will be ready to seperate htem.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for your reply

The fish seem to be doing well right now actually, Pence isnt being nippy and the tetras are minding there own business.

If problems arise i will be ready to seperate htem.

Remember that fish may seem OK at first, because they are new together and this in itself is stressful. But as the fish settle in, things can suddenly change. And placing the fish in these situations is not fair to the fish, it is actually cruel.

But I will make one point again...a 5.5 gallon tank is not sufficient space for neon tetras, just the Betta. I'm not going to argue, but as you asked the question for advice, I feel it only fair to offer it.

 

[FroFro]

Thanks for your reply

The fish seem to be doing well right now actually, Pence isnt being nippy and the tetras are minding there own business.

If problems arise i will be ready to seperate htem.

You shouldn't have a "wait and see" policy when it comes to aggressive species like betta. As Byron stated, the bright colors of the neon tetras trigger the betta's instinct to fight and be territorial. By putting stress on your betta by placing brightly colored fish and making the tank overstocked, you are ASKING for him to become ill, or start fin biting, or lethargic and depressed. Stress is the number one cause of illness in fish (but usually caused by controllable, external problems). A stressed fish has a comprimised immune system and body. If you care about your pets you will seperate/return/get rid of the neons ASAP and allow him to live alone.

 

[NickAu]

This will end in disaster.

 

[Byron]

I received an email notification of a post in this thread which now seems to have disappeared. But the question is important, so I will answer it anyway. The question was/is:

Would the tetras be good in a 10 gallon maybe with some other kind of fish like mollies?​

The answer is, no. First, these fish have very different water parameter needs. Mollies require harder water, tetras softer, generally speaking. We need to know the hardness (GH, which is general or total hardness) of your tap water, and the pH. You should be able to get this data from your water authority, look for their website.

Second, mollies need a much larger tank than 10 gallons; this fish grows to 4-5 inches, and it produces a fair amount of waste because it is primarily vegetarian. Tetras also need more space, which requires another explanation.

Tetras are shoaling fish, and such species live in large groups. In an aquarium they need a group, smaller than what they would have in their habitat but still several of the species. Six is the minimum most recommend for species like neons, but more will always be better. The fish have an inherent need for this, programmed into their DNA in a sense. They have interactions, and will be less stressed (feel more safe), the more there are. I would suggest no less than a 24-inch length aquarium for a group of neon tetras, so a 15 gallon long or a basic 20 gallon minimum. Obviously, the larger the tank the more the option for including other fish beside the neons. But a group of say 8-12 neons in a 156g long or 20g tank would be nice.