Xref: utzoo alt.aquaria:400 rec.pets:2688
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!gryphon!richard
From: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.pets
Subject: Re: Neon Tetra schooling behavior (or the lack of it)
Message-ID: <3859@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: 6 May 88 07:46:31 GMT
References: <28533@yale-celray.yale.UUCP>
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 31
Keywords: fish, schooling behavior of

In article <28533@yale-celray.yale.UUCP> Ram-Ashwin@cs.yale.edu (Ashwin Ram) writes:
>I have a question about the schooling behavior of Neon Tetras.  These are
>classic schooling fish, right?  I got 4 of them for my 40-gallon tank, and they
>schooled beautifully.  They never did in my 10-gallon, but I thought perhaps
>that was too small for them (i.e., the physical size of the school may be larger
>than 20 inches).
>
>So I added 2 more.  Everything went fine for a couple of hours, then all hell
>broke loose.  The Tetras began chasing each other all over the place.  I wasn't
>sure if they were spawning (though sometimes they did seem to be chasing each
>other in tight circles) or just fighting.  This continued for a week, during
>most of which time they were dispersed througout the tank.

The four already in the tank considered the new 2 "outsiders" and
probably killed them - it happens sometimes. Next time you try
adding fish, change stuff around in the tank, rocks, plants,
decorations, whatever you have. It cornfuses them so much
they dont notice new additions, they are too busy getting
re-aquainted with their "new" surroundings.


hen schooling fish are frightened, they school close together, only
an ince or fraction from each other. After they are a bit more
relaxed they "loosen up" so that they appear to not be schooling,
even in a 100 gal. tank. Be assured though it is merely a quastion
of scale, and if they were in a 10,000 gal. tank, there
would be no question of them being in a school.


-- 
               noalias went. it really wasn't negotiable
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM                          rutgers!marque!gryphon!richard