Black phantom tetra behavior

Jayhawk

Jayhawk

AC Members
May 12, 2001
1,358
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38
Lawrence, KS
I've got a 20 long that is primarily a home for three Bolivian rams. It also has one African Butterfly fish and a bulldog pleco. I added a trio of black phantom tetras to add a dash of movement and more color to the tank, and the three have been great...but their behavior is much more different than past tetras I've had.

The three do hang out together, but instead of schooling they more or less constantly display for each other (including a bit of fin nipping at first which has stopped since there appears to be a heirarchy amongst the three).

Is this normal behavior for this kind of tetra? Would adding a couple more (which was my original plan but the store only had three left at the time and they haven't been able to order more because of bad winter weather) change this behavior? I quite like them...they're little characters!

Thanks,

Eric
 
ah actually the tetras of that shape are less likely to school even with a bigger group... they will set up territorys and squabble over them unless something takes after them then they might school or fight back depending on how big the percieved threat is
 
SnakeIce - I just came across a similar statement (that these types of tetras were minimally schooling) in an older book I dug out last night. That's cool - I'll probably just leave them as a trio then which will keep the bioload down.

It's funny, but the bolivian rams and the black phantoms create my least shy tank of all time - they all notice me, the food god, and they rarely hide. Lots of black phantom displays, the occassional lip lock battle of the rams - there is simply something always happening.

Eric
 
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