Bi-polar Buenos Aires Tetras?

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NeoPices

Registered Member
Apr 21, 2007
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Hello, I recently started a 10g aquarium with 2 fantails. Both were very happy and active. I purchased a few more fish the other day, the list being 3 Buenos Aires Tetras, 1 siamese algae eater, and 1 albino chinese algae eater, along with some ghost shrimp.

My question is this: My BA Tetras are strange... for a while, they will exhibit their normal schooling behaivor, then they will all split up, and while they are split up, they will start following after the fantails. The largest of the 3 Tetras seems to be the most aggressive, but the smaller 2 will be agressive towards the fantails at times as well.
On the other side of the coin, sometimes the fantails will follow after the tetras... They are all juvenile, and I was wondering if anybody else has had this combo, or seen this kind of behaivor? It doesn't look as though any of them are biting each other, and I'm watching them closely to make sure there isn't any fighting going on.
 
All tetras are schooling fish, and their behaviours will mutate due to stress when kept in small numbers. Some tetras are aggressive/nippy in nature, and this can manifest itself more strongly when they're not in proper schools.

That said, your problem is not as easily solved as tossing enough tetras in there to round out your schools. You've got some pretty serious stocking issues happening. 10 gallons is a very small tank, even with low numbers of small, placid fish. It's way too small for even just the two fantails you started out with.

Where did you get your new fish? Will they take them back, or let you exchange them for a couple of other fish, and perhaps some dry goods supplies like food or filter media?

What you have now is a really inappropriate stock for 10 gallons. I don't intend to be mean, honestly, but you're heading for some serious calamity with that stock in a 10 gallon tank.
 
Yeah, I guess thats what I get for listening to the so-called "expert" at my local pet-store... Unfortunately, returning the fish isn't much of an option, as my kids have grown very attached to them (and named each one). So getting a larger aquarium ($$$$$$$$) is probably the only other option? I was told that for every 1" of fish, you should have 1 gallon of water.. and with fantails growing to be 8"+, I know they're definately going to need a bigger tank. I wonder if I get a 20g tank for the fantails and the albino CAE, then keep the BA tetras in the 10G, and give them a few more of their mates?
 
10g is to small for BA tet's... these are large tetras (3+ inches) and fast swimmers, plus you need atleast 4-5. A 20 would work for them but you should get the long format.

20g is too small for goldies... you need at lest 20-30g per fancy goldfish, anything less and water quality will suffer. These are also coldwater fish, realy they shouldn't be kept with tropical fish. Note that with goldies you can keep them in a pond if you want.

Inch per gallon rule is garbage... it fails to take into acount temperments, fish size (there's much more than length), tank dimensions, filtration and water changes... really your best bet is to post here about stocking and get the help of the more experienced members.
 
as with the others,you are a bit over stocked..even a 20g will not be big enough,always go for the largest your budget will allow..also,your algae eater will grow much larger than you think..
 
Yes I'm starting to see the error of my ways.... :mad: So, for my particular setup, what size do you think would be appropriate? I would definately like to add at least 2 more of the BA tetras (5 total), so that they are happy. I know that the albino CAE is definately going to have to go eventually... my wife wanted it because it was "pretty", so I submitted, before researching. I just wanted the SAE, but... well, any married man knows. :)

So, should I go with something like a 37-50g size aquarium?

Also, what plants would you recommend? I currently have plastics, but was thinking about some live, although I read that the BA tetras would eat it?
 
I really, REALLY wouldn't recommend keeping the fantails and the other stock together. Goldfish are coldwater fish. They should not be kept in water above 72 Fahrenheit, which is far too cold for any tropical fish. They're also just plain large fish. They need at least 48" in tank length for swimming room, meaning they should not be kept in anything smaller than 55 gallons, and even then you can only fit 3-4.

Also, goldfish are anatomically different than tropical fish. Goldfish have no stomachs, so their digestive tract is entirely different, and their intestines house all kinds of bacteria to aid in their digestion of food...bacteria that can be harmful to tropical fish. This is also why they're such heavy waste producers, and require extremely powerful filtration.

Nippy fish like tetras (especially the larger ones, like the BA) should not be kept with ANY fish with flowing, elaborate fins. Even when kept in large schools, where they will be preoccupied with each other for the most part, nippy fish often can't resist the temptation of long decorative fins.

The Chinese algae eater will have to go much sooner than "eventually." As it matures, it will get very large, will not eat algae at all, and will be very aggressive. They can and will suck the eyes out of other fish, attach themselves to the sides of fish to feed off their slime coat, or even eat a hole in other fish and then feed on the carcass. They can only be housed in very large tanks with large, fast, aggressive fish who have the temperament and swimming room to defend themselves.

I know you said your children have gotten attached to the fish already, but you really need to decide which of the fish are more important to all of you - the coldwater goldfish, or the tropical fish - and then rearrange your tank and stock accordingly. This may be a difficult decision for your children to face, but it would be easier on them, not to mention the fish, than the alternative. There is nothing fun, beautiful, or relaxing about a tank full of stressed, unhealthy, and soon to be dead fish.
 
Okay, so if I get a 20g tank, and a heater, then find a new home for the goldies & CAE, then what kinds of fish get along well with the BA Tetras? It seems like any kind of calm fish would get lost in the mix with those busy little buggers. I read that the BA Tetras do best in water between 63-84 F, so does this mean that I can go with more tropical species?

I am going to give the goldies back to the store, but I want to know what I can get to go with this tank, so the kids won't be totally dissapointed.

I swear that I'll never listen to a pet-store employee again... this whole ordeal is turning into such nightmare.
 
NeoPices said:
Okay, so if I get a 20g tank, and a heater, then find a new home for the goldies & CAE, then what kinds of fish get along well with the BA Tetras? It seems like any kind of calm fish would get lost in the mix with those busy little buggers. I read that the BA Tetras do best in water between 63-84 F, so does this mean that I can go with more tropical species?

I am going to give the goldies back to the store, but I want to know what I can get to go with this tank, so the kids won't be totally dissapointed.

I swear that I'll never listen to a pet-store employee again... this whole ordeal is turning into such nightmare.
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buenos aires tetras are actually subtropical and can take water down to about 60 degrees, but it's better to keep them in tropical tanks.

a 20G would not be large enough for 5 BA tetras. you'd need a good 30Gs IMO once they get around 3", as they are quite active. you could keep some type of dwarf pleco (DO NOT get a common pleco!) like a bristlenose with them without issue, corydoras catfish would also work. blue/gold/opaline/threespot gourmais (all one speces FYI) would work too as they are pretty scrappy little buggers. I woulkd reccomend something like this:

30G commuity tank
5 BA tetras
1 B/G/O/T gourami
1 BN pleco OR 5 corys (make sure to get all the same species, albino cories are the same as bronze corys)

there are also various invertebrates that you could throw in this mix too, I might include amano shrimp for their algae eating abilities. olive nerite snails are also very good algae consumers, but are sadly hard to obtain.
 
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NeoPices said:
Also, what plants would you recommend? I currently have plastics, but was thinking about some live, although I read that the BA tetras would eat it?
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Unfortunately, that information is correct. Which means a few plants won't do it. You could try lots of fast growing plants, but the outcome isn't sure.
 
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