Scared Guppy

[PrairieSunflower]

I have a female/fry guppy tank. Today I was out and happened across Maidenhead Aquatics and came away with 8 neon tetras. They have acclimated and are doing great. My guppies, however, are having such a mix of reactions to them. I'm not sure what to do or just to leave it.

I have a male guppy in there at the moment and he is awesome. (I put him in there to help my two girls get some confidence). He can't figure out what to make of them and is practically shoaling with the tetra... I believe he is trying to figure out if he should display his awesomeness for them.

My 4ish month old female isn't too bothered but is sort of hanging back more than she usually would... pretty much prefering to watch them from afar.

My oldest female, quite the giant at 4 inches... is seriously the biggest chicken of them all. She is so freaked out by them she has pretty much been hiding and her eyes have even shaded over darker!

Should I be concerned that my guppies are freaked out? One for sure, potentially a second? Or is this just the normal way they adjust to a new species being in their tank? They have lived their lives only ever seeing guppies, shrimp and snails.

 

[slimeneo]

I think they'll get used to it over time. I guess you could say they are like people, when you first meet new people some may be more eager than others to become friends with them, haha.

When I first got my fish I got 3 platys, 3 gold barbs. Then I went and bought 3 more platys and 3 more gold barbs. When I added them, they stayed in their "threesomes" that they arrived in, but after a week they were ok with one another

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Just don't want them worrying themselves sick! If you looked in my tank and knew some fish were new and some weren't.. you'd probably think the guppies were new. The tetras are happily cruising round and round and through things.

I've left the light off in hopes that makes my guppies more relaxed.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Well, I don't think my one guppy is going to get over being afraid of the neon tetra unless I buy her more guppy friends. I keep adding a male to the tank and within an hour she comes out and joins along swimming with the male and the other female... then once I return the male to the other tank (a day or two after she has resumed normal activity) within hours she retreats back to the corner and just hovers (in a non sick way... you can see her eyes moving and following the others... poor silly fish).

SO... really... keeping a male in a tank I intend for a female guppy and other tank is really against my plans... ok at this point since I DO want fry anyway... but.... I think I need to go ahead and get her some more friends so she can have a school of her own and the boys can stay in their tank (they are currently babysitting the young ones just in case they aren't big enough to not be eaten by the tetras. )