Penguin fish/tetras -- help!

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zipo

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Hi all,

I'm starting to hate my fish...and I just got them a couple days ago!

I have an 30 gallon aquarium of 9 penguins of which 2-4 are BULLIES! When I first introduced them into the aquarium, they schooled together, exploring their new environment. Now, however, most of the penguins seem to spend 99% of their day running away from the bullies. Each bully has it's own space (1 of them has about 1/3 of the aquarium!), but aren't even content with that and seem to LOOK for other penguins to chase around (which they'll do until they make another bully angry for having entered their space). I know this isn't all fun and games between the fish because 2 of them already have torn dorsal fins.

So, last night I isolated two of bullies from the others (in order to give them a break) by placing them in a guppy breeding tank.

Is this normal behaviour for Penguin tetras? Can I do anything to calm the scene down?

I also have in the aquarium 4 young bleeding hearts which school together and 1 pleco, all of which the penguins completely ignore.
 
Like other schooling fish, they have a habit of chasing each other around. It is natural behaviour. Unless there is obvious damage, I'd say they are doing what they always do, same thing with Tiger Barbs, Zebra Danios, lots of Cyprinids and Characins in fact.

If it was territorialism, they'd be chasing off the other species as well.
 
I agree, they are most likely just sorting out their pecking order to see which will be the more dominant fish, if you leave them be they should sort their problems out in no time.
 
Thanks you two! I will free the two bulllies right away. :D
 
I have kept penguins for a couple of years now, and you are right, there are always a few who chase away others from their own 'terittory' Mine even try to chase platys and clown loaches away but they pretty much ignore them! :lol:

I originally had 10, and of those about 4 were more aggressive. I have always thought of these as the males, and the rest who seem quite happy schooling together as the females. Every feeding time and after lights out they all school together again, and then in the morning the pecking order is sorted out once again! Always sees like just chasing and a bit of displaying, no actual contact.

There is one spot at the top left of the tank that the most dominant one always seems to be in control of, but I find that every few weeks the most dominant position can change depending on which one wins these 'displays'!!

I do find they seem to like picking on neons also :angry:

Lots of tall plants to split line of sight seemed to work for me :thumbs:
 

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