Should I worry if a neon tetra is away from its school?

[andy36yr19]

I have a 10 gallon overstocked tank I'm trying to un overstock and I have 1 male betta, 4 Male guppies, 1 yoyo loach (removing soon), 1 common pleco (moving soon), 4 or 5 amano shrimp (havent seen the 5th in a while) and 8 neon tetras. The tank is cycled and has been running for 10 months now. Normally my neons arent away from eachother for much but there is this one neon that's always by him self either under the filter intake or behind plants. He only moves to eat but that's once every other day and I dont know if I should worry.
Ph-6.6(trying ph up tomorrow)
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-50ppm

 

[Colin_T]

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?
How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?
How long has the fish been acting like this?
Have you added anything new to the tank within 2 weeks of this starting?

---------------
Any chance of a picture and short 20 second video of the fish?
If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.

 

[andy36yr19]

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?
How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?
How long has the fish been acting like this?
Have you added anything new to the tank within 2 weeks of this starting?

---------------
Any chance of a picture and short 20 second video of the fish?
If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.

I do water changes every week or other week and I remove 30-40%. I clean the substrate and de chlorinated new water. I clean the filter every month and I use a toothbrush or paper towel to remove gunk and algae and use tank water to squeeze pre filter and mechanical sponge. It's been acting like for about 4-5 months I just never worried about it and no new additions. I will post a photo later I'm about to sleep bye

 

[andy36yr19]

I do water changes every week or other week and I remove 30-40%. I clean the substrate and de chlorinated new water. I clean the filter every month and I use a toothbrush or paper towel to remove gunk and algae and use tank water to squeeze pre filter and mechanical sponge. It's been acting like for about 4-5 months I just never worried about it and no new additions. I will post a photo later I'm about to sleep bye

Nvm I will do a photo and the tank is kinda overgrown sorry about that.

 

[seangee]

I have a 10 gallon overstocked tank I'm trying to un overstock and I have 1 male betta, 4 Male guppies, 1 yoyo loach (removing soon), 1 common pleco (moving soon), 4 or 5 amano shrimp (havent seen the 5th in a while) and 8 neon tetras. The tank is cycled and has been running for 10 months now. Normally my neons arent away from eachother for much but there is this one neon that's always by him self either under the filter intake or behind plants. He only moves to eat but that's once every other day and I dont know if I should worry.
Ph-6.6(trying ph up tomorrow)
Ammonia-0
Nitrite-0
Nitrate-50ppm

Personally I would not try to mess with the pH - that will likely cause more problems than it will fix.
Nitrate at 50ppm is bad for the fish in the long term and will significantly reduce their lifespans. I would consider changing 75% of the water at least once a week (if you change 30% it means 70% of the muck stays in the tank).

I can't speak for the one tetra but it is not normal for tetras to hang around in a tight bunch all the time. They do sometimes swim together but they also do it in response to stress or when they feel threatened. You have mentioned that you are trying to reduce the overstocking, which is good so reducing your nitrate should be a priority and separating the betta from tho other fish.

Just FWIW the tank does NOT look overgrown. You should not try to thin out the plants at this stage. This is especially important while you have the betta in with other fish. They are not community fish and however well you may think they are getting on this will only add to the stress in the tank.

 

[Colin_T]

If it's been going on for 4-5 months, then the fish is either being bullied and is hiding, which is unlikely for neon tetras, or it is unwell. It could be territorial too and he is simply staking out his territory. Again, this is uncommon in neons but male tetras have little territories during the breeding season. Sometimes adding more fish can help them regroup. If you get more fish, quarantine them for at le

The fish looks a bit skinny but that could be the angle it is on. If the fish is skinny, you could try deworming the tank.

As long as the fish is eating properly and regularly, I wouldn't worry too much. Monitor it and if it stops eating, or gets picked on, then it's time to worry. Otherwise post a short 20 second video of it eating and socialising, when you get a free moment.

--------------------------
You can add some shells, coral rubble or limestone to the tank to raise the pH a bit and get it back to a safe level for the guppies. Add a small bit of limestone or shells and monitor the pH over a couple of weeks. If the pH remains low, then add a bit more and monitor over a couple more weeks. Continue adding small amounts of shell or limestone until the pH is about 7.0.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I have one that likes to go out on patrol on his own. He doesn’t hide in one place though. He just patrols the tank.