Aggressive Zebra Danios

[Colton]

Hello, Im new here and am recently returning to the hobby. In the past, I only had cichlid tanks. I am now a father and would like to have a peaceful community tank. I did some research and set a 55 gallon tank up. My first fish were Long Fin Zebra Danios and Neon Tetras. From the research I did and the advice from the pet store, I thought the Danios would be peaceful. The Danios seemed to be very aggressive and constantly chased and nipped at the Tetras and eachother. Is this normal behavior? There were 10 of each so I thought that would be enough for them to have the schooling behavior they needed. If there is nothing I can do to settle them down, I will either have to set up a new tank or give them to someone who can have them in a tank to themselves.

Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you!! 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Colton

[Biotope Biologist]

Zebra danios have lots of energy. Fin nipping behaviors have been observed commonly. The tank should have plants, rock, wood, or some other form of shelter for your tetras and to break up the line of sight. Once the fish settle in to the tank aggression usually wanes, although danios are also voracious at feeding time so I would attempt to feed in localized areas so your tetra have a chance at food. A turkey baster works marvels here.

[Colton]

Ok thank you for the info!! I have several plants and areas for them to hide but it doesnt seem to help. The Danios seem to seek them out. I may have just got more aggressive ones than usual.