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Chili rasboras no longer swimming around


Karen B.
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Greetings!

I have 4 aquariums:

- 5 gallons with blue shrimps and 1 nerite snail. (Planted, fluval spec, heated, sponge filter)

- 10 gallons with 7 green neon tetras and 2 nerite snails (Planted, HOB filter aqueon quietflow 10 + sponge filter, WC + gravel vacuum once a week, 0/0/20, 77f, ph 7.2, kh 2, gh 6)

- 15 gallons with 10-12 clown killifish and 2 nerite snail (Planted, Fluval flex, WC + gravel vacuum once a week, 0/0/10, 76f, pH 6.6, kh 2, gh 15)

- 20 gallons with 1 honey gourami, 10 Chili rasboras, 5 otocinclus, 8 false julii corydoras and 4 nerite snails. (Planted, HOB filter aqueon quietflow 20 + sponge filter, WC + gravel vacuum once a week, 0/0/20, 75f, pH 6.6, kh 2, Gh 15

 

My 7 green neon tetra used to be with my chili rasboras and they were all schooling and swimming back and forth. My green neon tetra got sick so I moved them in a 10 gallons.

Lately, my Chili Rasboras are all staying together in one corner and no longer swimming back and forth. I suspect that at some point my gourami might have scared them. 
What should I be doing? Any way I can get them to be comfortable again in the 20 gallons with the gourami? Especially since I wanted to add a female?

Can I move the chili in the 10 gallons with the neon tetra or it’s too small? (That would be my favorite solution) According to Aquadvisor, I would be stocked at 104%

Or move my gourami in the 10 gallons and the 7 neons in the 20 gallons? 

Thank you!

Karen

Edited by Karen B.
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On 8/19/2021 at 7:31 PM, Patrick_G said:

@Karen B., those Chilis would look so good with the Green Neons! I have ten Chilis and four Rummy Nose plus clean up crew in a planted 11 gallon and everything is stable. 
Another option would be to get more schooling fish for the 20 gallon to help the little Chilis feel safer. 
 

Oh, they look amazing together. I was just wondering if 7 green neon tetras and 10 chili cory in a 10 gallons would be overstocked 

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On 8/19/2021 at 7:32 PM, Tankseeker said:

@Karen B.so they just started this behaviour?, it could also be lack of oxygen in the water are they near the filter ?

Yes, about few weeks ago. I tried a new filter and I think it made bubbles which may have triggered my honey gourami more agressive behavior?

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These fish are all so small, the bioload is tiny. My 11 gallon with plants and a similar stocking level almost never needs a water change. My guess is the Nitrates go up a bit but not to the point where it’s dangerous to the fish. 

Why are you wanting to put them in the ten? It seems like it would be better to put the Gourami in the ten and the schooling fish in the 20. 
 

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On 8/19/2021 at 7:52 PM, Patrick_G said:

These fish are all so small, the bioload is tiny. My 11 gallon with plants and a similar stocking level almost never needs a water change. My guess is the Nitrates go up a bit but not to the point where it’s dangerous to the fish. 

Why are you wanting to put them in the ten? It seems like it would be better to put the Gourami in the ten and the schooling fish in the 20. 
 

I would like to have a female for my honey gourami, and the 10 would be too small

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On 8/19/2021 at 7:56 PM, Tankseeker said:

@Karen B.i wouldn’t add anymore fish

So to sum it all, what would you actually do?

Nothing : let the chili with the honey gourami

Move honey gourami in 10 gallons and green neon tetras in the 20 gallons

Move the Chili in the 10 gallons with the green neon tetras and add a female gourami in the 20 gallons

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On 8/19/2021 at 4:02 PM, Karen B. said:

Lately, my Chili Rasboras are all staying together in one corner and no longer swimming back and forth.

I'm not 100% sure this is a bad thing. I keep a group of ten in a species only tank with dim light, acidic and tannic with plenty of plant cover- the goal being to make them as comfortable as possible. They were very active in the beginning but have since settled down and spend most of their time calmly hovering in a school. 

It's entirely possible that yours actually have become stressed, I just wanted to throw this out.

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Have you changed the lighting recently? I had to troubleshoot weird corner behavior with my chilis and the answer ended up being the light--I got one that ramps gradually up in the morning instead of just turning on all at once and that made a really big difference.

If you didn't change the light, my bet's on the filter. They're so teeny-weeny that the currents affect them more--they might just be in that corner because it's the easiest place to stay still and try to hunt nano-prey, which seems to be their preferred behavior in my tank. A slower current or more things in the open space of the tank to break up the current might help them spread out, if either of those things are workable with your setup.

If you didn't change the lighting and have no options with the filter, my last recommendation would be adding more floating plants so that there's less "open water" in the tank. Mine really like the floating water sprite plants I've added (one of which is from Aquarium Co-op! They ALL would be but I'm lucky and my LFS has the broad-leaf variety, haha), and sometimes if you get them comfy with lots of plants you can slowly remove them without freaking out the chilis, if you're not into the HEAVILY planted aesthetic that they prefer. Good luck!

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