Shy fish

how long have they been in the tank?

My tetras did the same thing when I first put them in my 55 gallon tank. Now they're pretty much all over the tank. I have 5 glolights, 2 black neons (hope to add 2 more), and 2 rummynose (hope to add 6 or 7 more). They actually just stay in their own groups, even though there are only two rummynose and black neons. The rummynose seem to be the most active, that's why I want those to be in the largest school. You said yours have been in for over 6 months, how many of each do you have, and how big is the tank? Do you have a lot of plants? If not, this could be why your tetras stay near the bottom. Although mine go throughout the tank, they tend to stay close to cover most of the time. Do you have any larger fish in your tank that could scare them into staying near the bottom? Even if you don't, it's natural for smaller fish to stay close to cover, because they don't understand that there isn't anything in the tank that can eat them. For all they know, if they go too far into the open, something is going to come and gobble them up.

Well,glolights have a tendancy to hang out in the bottom half of the tank anyway. I would say that you should try to just get all of one species in your tank, and then you might not have a problem. While tetras don't NEED to be in groups to live, they appreciate it a lot.

Tetras are generally a schooling fish, and therefore if you want them to be a little more out going you should probably have around five or more in the tank. It can also greatly depend on what their tank mates consist of. What are the tank mates? I'd say with the size of your tank it might be alright to have about 5 neons. Remeber, the more live plants you have, the more fish you can put in the tank....to a resonable degree at least

Jamjarjames

What you're describing actually sounds quite normal.

I have a 20G heavily planted with 10 juvenile neons, 5 Glo-lite, and 3 Bleeding Heart tetras. There are also 2 juvenile Oto cats that are growing pretty fast and 2 guppies.

My Glo-lite tetras feed just as you describe, but they seem very happy - always active, chasing each other between the plants, etc. They don't swim at the top of the tank, but they are frequently in the lower 1/2 of the tank. A couple are frequently deep in the foliage but do come forward if I approach the tank. I presume they are curious or expect that it's meal time. My Neons eat right from the surface and just sort of hang out their while they eat. They tend to swim at all levels but mostly the lower 3/4. My Bleeding Heart tetras feed in the same manner as the Glo-lite tetras and hang out in the front where there is space to swim freely. I'm guessing they feel safe because they are the biggest fish in that aquarium.

What types of plants do you have? I have a big bunch of Wisteria right in the back center of the tank and the Glo-lite and Neons seem to love to dive into it and swim through it.

Though I did not follow this rule, I have read that you should try to purchase tetras in groups of six or more.

Maybe you could get some floating plants to make the fish feel more secure at the surface. It would dim your lighting a little, but glolights and neons look better in subdued light anyway.

I don't know
Even when i had a school of neons (11), the fish wbere still generally shy, kind of stuck to themself and chased each other around in a far corner of the tank heh