Fish not schooling due to bully males?

i posted a few weeks ago about my 7 black phantom tetras not schooling. when i posted up my water parameters, which were slightly high, people said that was the problem. now i knew the levels were a bit high, but was unsure that was the reason why they were not schooling since i've had the fish for almost a month at that point, and the levels were always low or 0 but they still did not swim around.

now i know schooling doesn't always mean the fish swimming around in a tighly knit group. my fish don't do that at all. in fact, 5 of them hide in or stay close the plants in the back while 2 tough males hover closer to the middle of the tank. whenever a female (there are 3 males, but 1 of them is not as "tough" as the other two) swims out, the males chase it to the back. this is also evident during feeding time but everyone gets food in the end. after feeding, they will all swim out in the front for a while. when i come back half an hour later, all the fish are swimming in the plants while the two males swim around sparring each other in the front.

do you think me getting 2 more males will straighten them out so they form a better social order?

water parameters are as of today (before a small 15% water change i did shortly after this test)

pH - 6.8
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 10ppm

bump

plah831 said:

I'm sorry, icecubez. I remember you've been dealing with this problem of the not-so-happy tetras for a few months now. I hope someone can help you sort it out, because you're definitely working hard to make them more content.

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thanks, i've posted this on 2 other popular fish forums, so im getting replies there as well. im just glad they haven't died yet from me or diseases, they are pretty healthy, dark and rich in colors. i just wished they would all swim around on the outside so i and others can enjoy the fruits of my hard labor!

it's ok, i'll figure out something soon enough. just happy they are alive and well. heading out to Petco's, see if they have some twin tube lighting for my plants, and if they some black phantom tetras, might get myself 2 males and see what happens.