Lemon tetra behaviour

[Mordred]

When I first introduced my lemon tetras to the tank they kept very close together for a couple of days.

Over the last 3 weeks they have relaxed a lot, and rarely school.

More recently though I have noticed a real change in behaviour - they seem to be getting really territorial with each other. They spread out across the tank and then charge each other in short aggressive bursts. Sometimes two will swim at an angle to each other then charge.

The bursts are short and sharp and they dont seem to be doing any damage to each other at all.

They completely ignore the cardinal tetras and dwarf gouramis.

Is this usual behaviour for lemons?

I have no idea whether this is just playful, or if this is real aggression.

Also no idea whether I have 6 males, or a mix.

 

[JesseJ]

Tetras usually stop schooling in an aquarium after a few days. Read this article for more about that.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/school.shtml

I've got 6 Lemons in a 33 G other tetras and some cleaner fish and mine don't do that. That sounds like real aggression to me. Adding some peat to your filter schould help. As tannins leach into your water it will turn a very light tea colour and if your fish can't really see each other then they won't fight as much. Plants will also help by providing more cover. Live is better but plastic will do.

There may also be too many fish in a small space. What size of tank do you have? How many of the other fish?

 

[JesseJ]

gah !

I just found the answers to my questions in another thread you have going. Guess I should read everything before I speak.

What types of plants do you have. Mine seem to like swimming around my Ambulia more then the other plants I have. You can also rearrange the tank so they don't think they are in the same territory.

If nothing really works then you can wait for a week or so and the fish will probibly have settled a pecking order and will stop fighting.

 

[Mordred]

I'll be honest Jesse and say that I have no idea what type of plants I have yet.

The wife chose a selection from the LFS that looked good together. The LFS said that the selection should work well, so hopefully there are no poor choices in there. (I have ordered a plant book to learn a bit more about each one).

Basically they are a range of sizes, so there is loads of cover for the tetras to swim in and out of.

Since the tetras dont appear to be doing each other any harm at all I'm not too worried - just intruiged. (Also they're not the most relaxing thing to watch when they're busy harrassing each other like that!).