New Black Phantoms Acting Strange?

[Alz1992]

I've just bought 3 black phantom tetras, and they're all staying in the bottom left corner of the tank and sometimes they fall onto their side before righting themselves. they're in a tank with a very friendly betta, corys, and a pleco.
is this just with them being new?

 

[Duz]

How big is your tank, and have they just been introduced or have they been there for a few weeks?

 

[Tizer]

I was going to bash on about minimum school sizes, but if my memory is correct the black phantoms actually do well in small numbers such as a trio. I suspect that if they are new then they are probably just scared of their new surroundings. Check the water and leave the lights off for a few nights. My bleeding hearts used to swim at odd angles and at night time they were nearly on their sides. I wuodl say give it a few days, assuming water is good and revisit.

 

[Alz1992]

Thank you and yeah personally i'd have loved to get more but the LFS only had 3 in a community tank (along with a lonesome albino cory) so i just took those away from their 10 gallon common pleco infested hell

 

[Duz]

If they are new to the tank then they will just be getting use to their new home, they should perk up within a few days. If you are looking at them swimming during the night thats proberly just because they are getting tired and starting to sleep. If you turn the light on half way through the night you will see the fish hardly moving and all their colour will have gone. Then when then light comes on in the morning they will be prefectly fine again. I reckon its just them being a bit scared, they will be ok soon

 

[Alz1992]

oh good just needed some reassurance on it, my other fish when first introduced were out exploring in seconds, then again if i was a betta i don't think i'd let anything scare me in the tank either...

 

[Alz1992]

update: the fish seem to be chasing each other around fine now! this is only what... 8 hours after they were released into the tank

 

[Duz]

Thats good to hear

 

[Kwiddows]

Good to hear they are OK now. I have 4 and when I first got those they hid a lot and were very timid for a few days. They are fine now, but they do the same thing where they sometimes seem to be hovering in the water at funny angles. One of them in particular sometimes stays in the same place for long periods on a slant but then swims off again absolutely fine.
As for having only 3 of them, I have only 4 and they seem fine, but I have read somewhere that they are best kept in pairs if in a small group, do you know how many of yours are male or female? It might help if you balance out the numbers if you do get anymore. But I have to admit I don't have much experience with them, this is just what I have read elsewhere.