Red eye tetras look bored?

[Alice B]

Initially I think 2 jumped. I never found a trace of a body. Old one got bad and died after the power outage in the cold last week. Remaining 3 look bored. I tested water, and KH looks a bit low so I put in a piece of limestone. I moved a lot of the guppies out of that tank to reduce crowding, maybe I took too many. temp about 78, pH 7.5, KH 40, GH 120, nitrite and nitrate between 0 and 20 - (yes the dreaded strips)
To be honest I am sure nitrite is zero, and nitrate probably below 10, out of my good nitrate test, last time I did it, nitrates were 6 before the water change

 

[DoubleDutch]

What is the tanksize.

 

[Byron]

This is a shoaling species, assuming it is Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae--and you should know what I am going to say next. Yes, it needs a group of ten or more. Agree with DD on the tank size, but assuming the tank is suited to this species then a group of ten is minimum. This species significantly displays the negative aspect of insufficient shoals by nipping fins, but this is almost always avoided with a decent-sized group.

There are other aspects of too few, common to all such species, involving a latency to feed, which tells us how serious the number is to the fish. What you see as "boredom" is not at all surprising, the fish are telling you what's what.

 

[GaryE]

You've got a fish that loves plants, floating and rooted, likes a 36 inch tank, like a low KH, and as @Byron noted, is really sociable. With only 3, they're like us on a fish forum that gets 3 posts a week. You may or may not have room for 10, but as many as you can add will be welcome. They can live fairly long, so the age thing shouldn't matter.

Guppies won't amuse them.. As long as they have their own species, they couldn't care less about the gups.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Add a significantly larger amount of them. You will see immediate or near immediate improvement

 

[Alice B]

It's a 55 gallon tank. I guess maybe I go to the fish store tomorrow. I'm out of quarantine space though, unless I move my little trilineatus catfish down to the 40 long. After past year events I absolutely don't just buy fish and put in tank. All the fish I buy at once go into a quarantine tank together.

 

[connorlindeman]

Definitely add more. You can add at least 10 more depending on how many other inhabitants the tank has.

 

[Alice B]

the 55 has a female albino bristlenose, 6 or 7 year old clown pleco about the same size, maybe 4 inches long, a shrimp, and half a dozen guppies. I am going to have to put more guppies back in if I clear my 10 gallon quarantine for the red eyes. I'll have to put the trilineatus down in the 40 long, which was prepared for them but they were so little I had left them in the 10 so I could see them. Question is how many red eyes can I put in the 10 gallon for quarantine. 80 gal sponge filter well cultured in it

 

[GaryE]

I would build in increments. In a 10, I would not pass 4.

 

[Alice B]

I've got 7 trilineatus and 3 adult guppies in there now

 

[Byron]

Question is how many red eyes can I put in the 10 gallon for quarantine.

Two significant things to answer this. First, always acquire all the intended number of a species at the same time if at all possible. Always. Some fish develop an hierarchy fairly rapidly in a new environment, certainly by the tank the quarantine is ended--if this is crucial to the species. Here you are dealing with a tetra that is fin nippy by comparison to many other tetra species, so this is important. Aside from this, all shoaling fish will settle in faster the more there are. This means far less chance of ich caused by stress if there are ten rather than five. Numbers make a huge difference to the fish.

Second, the fish are not going to be in QT long enough to grow to maturity, so space is not an issue. If this were me, with this tetra species, I would have no hesitation putting 15 or 20 of them in a 10g if that was the QT. These fish are shipped from the hatchery (or the wild, but this species is likely to be tank raised) when very small, scarcely past "fry" stage, because it is cheaper. If we were dealing with full grown fish, at 2+ inches for this tetra species, that would make a difference, maybe.

Another thing, I would not go moving the cories around. They do not like changing environments, you are seriously risking trouble. Leave them where they are, or move them to their intended permanent home. Netting them into yet another environment is asking for trouble. Stress from something like this--and to the fish this is comparable to the predator response which is the most severe level of stress--should always be avoided.

 

[connorlindeman]

I would build in increments. In a 10, I would not pass 4.

Not good advice imo.

These fish are territorial so its best to add all the fish at once.

 

[Alice B]

store is closed on Wednesdays, so I'll get 10 or 12 tomorrow. Biological filter is very good in that 10 gallon, cories will be moving into the tank I set up for them, so they can stay there, it's a 40 long with plenty of room and cover. Guppies can rejoin their pals in the 55

 

[GaryE]

Hmm. Meanwhile, back here, I believe QT tanks should be very lightly stocked. If you have trilineatus in there, I would not buy until their QT was done. It isn't an emergency. The red eyes can wait.

QT should be a few weeks, so my approach would be 4 of them, if there are no other fish in the tank. Then in 3-4 weeks, add to the community, and repeat for four more. Slow, but steady.

Rank and position in the group probably changes daily in the wild, and these fsih adapt quickly.

 

[Alice B]

Hmm. Meanwhile, back here, I believe QT tanks should be very lightly stocked. If you have trilineatus in there, I would not buy until their QT was done. It isn't an emergency. The red eyes can wait.

QT should be a few weeks, so my approach would be 4 of them, if there are no other fish in the tank. Then in 3-4 weeks, add to the community, and repeat for four more. Slow, but steady.

Rank and position in the group probably changes daily in the wild, and these fsih adapt quickly.

They've been in that 10 since April or May? I just was too lazy to move them til I needed the tank, and it's up high so I was watch the baby cory grow.