My Fish Dont Like Each Other

[freyathemermaid]

Hi

Well you lot say there is no such thing as a daft question

but i'm not sure with this one

just got my first fish (hoooray) 6 glowlight tetras

i read they like being in groups so i expected to see them swimming up and down together,

but they seem to has picked a little territory and chase the others off and head butt them

OK so bye now most of you are laughing, is this normal?

i just dont know, i've not had fish before

Well you said dont be affraid to ask


FTM

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ha ha, dead right, don't be afraid to ask, we honestly don't mind (or we wouldn't be here!)

how long have they been in the tank? I know you just finished cycling the other day so I'm guessing not long. Always best to give them a week or so to settle, any fish put into a new place will naturally be scared and cautious, this can make them behave in a way they normally wouldn't (such as overly aggressive) so give them time and see if they settle down.

glowlights as a whole are not agressive fish, however in even the most peceful species you get the odd rogue fish who hasn't read the books about how he should be behaving and does his own thing! So there is a chance you've just got a vicious git for no real reason.

Give them tme to settle, (obviously monitor the situation to make sure no serious damage is done) if the behaviour is still going on then try re-arranging your decor (this effectivley removes the existing territories and puts the fish back on a level playing field) if they then carry on doing the same thing then take the aggressive fish back to the shop and swap them for some more.

 

[Larissa]

Generally speaking, if a schooling fish feels comfortable in its environment it will not stay in close knit groups, so don't wory about this. When I first introduced my head and tail light tetras they acted very similarly to yours - one in particular seemed to dominate the tank (it is also the biggest). Now however, they have all claimed their own spaces and will "face off" if one intrudes - it's all show and no harm. But, if you need to you can always trade the agressive one for another as Miss Wiggle stated.

 

[backtotropical]

Agreed. I bet they've all settled down by this time tomorrow.

You could try leaving the lights off today to minimise aggression.

Cheers.

BTT

 

[Colin_T]

You have a little male glowlight that has set up his territory. Some tetras actually have territories in an aquarium and the males can often be seen guarding them and sparring with other males that dare enter it.
Don't worry too much about it.

 

[Colin_T]

some one please delete this post for me. thanks