Tropical Fish Forums

[coryfan]

I want to ask if this is normal neon tetra behavior. I have four of them and they just kind of hang around the bottom, don't swim much and sometimes put their head down diagonally in the water like they are observing the bottom of the tank. They get real active during feeding time, however.

[Tienie]

What do you have with them?

Adding a few more neons might help them to feel more secure.
_________________
Life is a journey, where are you going?

[tkipfer]

its probably that. neons are very active schooling fish and feel more secure in groups. my firend has a 20 gallon with a group of 20 neons and some times they can be overly energitic.
_________________
"I am a wildlife warrior, and I will fight, fight to the death for wildlife." - Steve Irwin

[Kaycie]

The head-down diagonal movement could be due to bloating or constipation; mine often do that when I feed them tubifex worms and they gorge themselves silly. If it goes on longer than you think it should--mine usually get over it within a few hours--you can feed them shelled peas (search the forum, you'll find lots of posts about feeding peas for constipation) and see if that helps.

[MattyP]

I have 5 neons and they do it every once in a while. but they get over it in a matter of seconds.

[Flame Angel]

If there is some big fish in the same tank, getting some more would probably make them feel more secure and become more active. As for the diagonal thing, when I had neons (I sold them), I sometimes noticed them doing that at night when all the lights were off. Do yours do it during the day as well?

[ClaytonM]

My neons group together at the bottom during the night as well. They are pretty active during the day though. The only time I've seen neons act like this is if they are stressed. What are your water parameters?
_________________
10 Gallon Freshwater Planted
29 Gallon Freshwater Planted