# Neon Tetra Question:



## TheBBB (Apr 13, 2009)

Got a Neon Tetra named "Bob" ... 

He FREAKS OUT if I turn off the light in the hood. Swims to the nearest lighted side and darts frantically. 

Turn the light back on and he's happy, no more darting or bashing his head into the tank. 


???

Maybe cos WalMart fish have lights ALL the time?

Any help would be appreciated.


:fish-info::fish-info::fish-info:


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## aquaman (Feb 16, 2009)

Do you have one. If so that could be the problem. They are scholing fish & you should get about 6 of them If you have the room. The other issue is he can be sick & stressed out.


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

Fish will tend to group around the light source when you first turn off the lights. As they get used to it being "night time" they will spread out and find their hiding spots for the night. Fish like neon tetras are schooling fish and find safety in numbers. If you only have one, he sees the light as safety and may take longer to calm down and find a hiding spot for the night.

This extra stress could trigger future disease, so if you have the space get more neons!


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## ELewandowski (Mar 2, 2009)

I agree, you should get more neon. Tetras need a good shoal to feel safe.


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2009)

10 is a great number for neons. 6 is ok but 10 they seem to flourish and are alot more fish like then scared or skiddish.


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## telstepien (Apr 30, 2009)

Neon Tetras are a schooling fish, and should be kept as such. It is embedded in there genes to be around one another, and it is instinct to panic when alone. When the lights are on, your fish probably feels safe _enough_, but when the lights go out, he lacks his only means of defense, which would cause any fish to go into a panic. Depending on the size of your tank, you could have a school of five in a ten gallon tank, or a school of 25 in a 50 gallon tank. But i'm guessing that you are probably on the smaller end of the tank scale. In which case, you should get him three to four more buddies to keep him company. Hope that helps!

~Thomas


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## ina1032 (May 28, 2009)

That's kind of ironic because my group of 9 silver dollars (hey, they're tetras...just bigguns!) go absolutely BONKERS when I turn the tank lights ON! They'll be in a nice calm school swimming around happily, and then once the lights come on, they break out of their school, dart around frantically, bash into things and each other until I turn the lights off. Not saying they like it dark, but I keep the living room dimly lit to conserve energy and keep the tank lights off most of the time. Maybe I could try to keep the lights on full time and have them acclimate, but I'm afraid in the time it takes to do that, I will have casualties. So....it's lights out for now.


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

ya its totally opposite for my fish jack dempsey he freaks out when i turn the lights on and how can u only keep one neon tetra nobody does that get 100000000 of them lol


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## Bottomfeeder (Jun 30, 2009)

most of my fish hate the lights. mostly because i rarely turn them on, my tanks get indirect sunlight from my window.
maybe add some plants or caves so that its less likely to fly into the glass, or turn aa desk lamp on near the tank so you still get light but its not so direct.

unless you have live plants or you are cultivating algae for Plecos, Snails, whatever, you dont need light at all, actually.


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## TheAquaExpert (May 24, 2009)

TheBBB said:


> Got a Neon Tetra named "Bob" ...
> 
> He FREAKS OUT if I turn off the light in the hood. Swims to the nearest lighted side and darts frantically.
> 
> ...


It Isn't A Good Idea To Buy Fish From Walmart, Petco, Petsmart etc....It's Better To Buy Fish In LFS.
Neon Tetras Need To Be In Schools Of Atleast 5 or 6.
Try Doing That And See If He's Doing Better.


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## iz513 (Jun 24, 2009)

TheAquaExpert said:


> It Isn't A Good Idea To Buy Fish From Walmart, Petco, Petsmart etc....It's Better To Buy Fish In LFS.
> Neon Tetras Need To Be In Schools Of Atleast 5 or 6.
> Try Doing That And See If He's Doing Better.


WHAT??????????? those are all fine places just inspect the fish all my simple fish are from walmart (cory cats) and they are amazing. walmart is great for supplies though i filled my 46 gallon bowfront with like 4 inches of gravel that is natural looking for 19 dollars (six large bags) thats cheap. But i did buy my firemouths at a specialty store and my severums are from petco they all are fine. the kid that works at my petco takes amazing care of the fish and hes kept pretty much all of them before.


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

TheBBB, I agree with everyone else. You should get more neon tetras. One will get stressed, and more freaked out when it is by itself. I know this because I have good experience with this. I always have a school of 15, but you don't need to but I like to so they don't get stressed out so easily xD


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## Shotgun (Mar 1, 2009)

you ABSOLUTLY need ATLEAST 6 tetras. He probably finds the light as security if he is alone. If he is in a group of atleast 6, then he will be much happier. 10+ is optimal, but 6 is good enough.


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

shotgun13249 said:


> you ABSOLUTLY need ATLEAST 6 tetras. He probably finds the light as security if he is alone. If he is in a group of atleast 6, then he will be much happier. 10+ is optimal, but 6 is good enough.


Yeah, but I hear they like soft water right?


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## Dmaaaaax (Nov 20, 2008)

DarkRevoultions said:


> Yeah, but I hear they like soft water right?


Yes and no. Most tetras are used to a neutral ph (7.0) and are still happy up to 7.5, but I find that a lot of tetras, angels, and discus show off their best colors in softer water. I keep my pH at 6.1-6.4. Just keep it from fluctuating much and you should be fine.


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## Shotgun (Mar 1, 2009)

neon tetras ideally like soft water, but if gradually introduced to, they can thrive and be very happy in hard water with a higher pH.


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

shotgun13249 said:


> neon tetras ideally like soft water, but if gradually introduced to, they can thrive and be very happy in hard water with a higher pH.


Ah I see. Although I hear the wild caught neons can't survive in hard water easily.. since they are caught from the wild. Am I right?


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## DarkRevoultions (Sep 5, 2008)

Wow! that must mean they have been able to adapt to the conditions  Just like the same thing that happened to the salt water fishes when they were trapped in due to the Andes Mountains rising


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