# Need something to scare my tetra into schooling...



## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

Ok, I have a densly planted 55 Gallon with river rocks and 2 large pieces of driftwood (turning into my fav tank)

Current stock list follows:

1 Pair Apisto 
3 Bolivian Rams
12 Blood Fin Tetra
12 Priscella Tetra
5 Cory Cats
1 BN Pleco

The male Apisto is the king of the tank no doubt, he only tries to bully the Rams around but they're happy has a clam and don't really care =D and he just ignores the Tetras. Which means the Tetra are all over the place by themselves...

So, is there a big enough fish that would fit with my setup that would "scare" the tetra into schooling?


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

What about a Keyhole? I've never kept them before but think they'd scare the dang tetra into schooling?


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

Firemouth?


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

Your tetras are happy fish. Thats why they feel comfortable not schooling. Why would you want to stress them out? Just add more tetras if you want to see more tetras.


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

I wanted a schooling fish so I could see some schooling...if I just wanted fish going every which way I would have made another African tank with it.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *Cook.MN*,

Well for a start maybe another 3 Bolivian rams would be a start.

Now as for the tetras, not all species of tetras are schooling fish. Unfortunately it is not easy to tell at the LFS which ones are and which ones aren't.

As for _scaring_ them into schooling. I don't think this works. My tetras that do school, don't do so becuase they are scared, they do so becuase it's part of thier nature. When they are scared by something, they scatter every which way.

Schooling is a defensive mechanism, where by it's harder for a predator to pick an individual fish out of a large group moving in unison.


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## muggins (Mar 22, 2008)

I think type of fish, size of tank and size of school is important.

The best display of schooling I have seen in an aquarium was about 20-30 neons in a 5 foot tank - and they were the only inhabitants.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I agree with DFF...

And I also think that the more space you give them, the more comfortable they become, and the more apt you are to see those lone fish striking out on their own!

I have the same "problem" in my 55G, but I don't really consider it a problem. I like seeing them all that comfortable and settled.

The only group I've had in there to actually "school" were a group a 10 neon tetras, and they _vanished_ off the face of the earth...er, tank....

Kim


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

Well, my cory cats don't school either...they're here...there...everywhere!


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

Cook.MN said:


> Well, my cory cats don't school either...they're here...there...everywhere!


Sounds like pretty normal behaviour.


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

I've got 11 pristella tetras in a 10g, they seem to school a little bit, especially when it's feeding time, they remind me of piranha the way they'll take the food out of each other's mouth. It is kind of hard to be sure they are schooling though because the tank is so small. In a 55g I'd think you could get away with at least 6 more of each tetra, crowding may cause them to school a little more, it seems like they school at the pet shops where there are 100 tetras in a 20g.


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

Yeah, these guys were schooling really nicely in the petshop. Granted there was like 30 of them in a 20 Gallon.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I have a nice group of scissortail raspboras that are my best "schoolers"...Doesn't matter how many I have, they stick together well.

Kim


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

adding keyholes to my tank made my penguin tetras school instead of just sitting there guarding one little area. my rummynose have always schooled well and swam back and forth.


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## Cook.MN (Mar 11, 2008)

Well my Blood Fins were the first Tetra in the tank, and the Priscella schooled nicely when they were first brought home...I swear my Blood Fins corrupted them!


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## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

*** got 10 black neons. They usually dont school. Most of the time they just hang out. If I clean the glass or run by the tank, they get scared and school. They also sometimes will just spontaneously start schooling for no reason that I can see.

I doubt adding any specific fish will help. I have a pair of angels in there....doesnt seem to matter, once the tetra's got used to them they settled into their old ways.

I do hear that some tetra's are more prone the schooling than others though, and maybe you could rig something up that would "scare" them every 5 to 10 minutes or so. like a giant fake hand that waves in front of the tank or something ;-). But, im going to have to agree, they dont school because they are happy, however, they school in nature, so a little stress shouldnt really bother them too much.


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## slickvic277 (Aug 20, 2006)

If you are willing to change fish you could try the head and tail light tetra very underrated fish once they settle in they look great and a school is even better I had about 30 in my 75 gallon and they schooled great!There bodies are a yellowish green color that realy shimmers and there eyes are bright red great tetra hardy as **** too.I used my school to cycle my tank.


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