# Why aren't Neon Tetras known fin nippers?



## Josiah (Apr 16, 2013)

I finally got rid of my Neon Tetra's. 

I caught them nipping fins in both of my tanks. First the guppies. It was a pretty consistent thing, easy to catch them doing it. Then transferred them to the baby angelfish and they tried nipping them.

It was a school of 12 under-stocked in both tanks. The neons were huge, a lot bigger than the stores. The size of a female guppy.

So I wondered...why do people swear they don't nip.


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## NeonFlux (Apr 10, 2008)

Well, I'd say because they are well known as a peaceful small shoaling fish that don't really nip, and when they do, they usually do it to themselves. It's a pecking order thing neons do to see who's ranking who. The neon's might have thought the guppies were their kind, and decided to get them in with pecking order, just my hypothesis, and as for the angel getting nipped by the neons, that's pretty rare imo.... My neon's don't nip anybody, except sometimes their own buddies. Sorry to hear your NT's wasn't what you expected.


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## AquariumNut-Josh (Jul 18, 2014)

Ive never had problems with them . Maybe you didn't have enough in the tank ... but at the same time I had a dwarf gourami that would break up fights between my loaches . Maybe he stopped them lol


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## Ka Splat (Jul 4, 2014)

I've kept schools of Only 5 neons with male and female bettas, gouramis, guppies and even a Red ryukin goldfish (I was young but they did quite well) And I've never witnessed them nipping on any of their fins. 
Maybe you just got a bad batch?


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## KnownSyntax (Mar 15, 2014)

Seems like you got either a small guppy, or that your store sells "Jumbo Neon Tetras" which are about the size of a fully grown guppy (a little smaller). Normally they keep to themselves and will only chase or nip other neons.

Like the other user said above, they probably thought that the guppies were in their pecking order (and same for the newly introduced angel fish). How big is your tank? Since the only other reason they would become aggressive is if you have a small tank with more fish than they like in it. I know you said understocked, but without giving a tank size it might be what is causing them to nip.


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## Josiah (Apr 16, 2013)

KnownSyntax said:


> Seems like you got either a small guppy, or that your store sells "Jumbo Neon Tetras" which are about the size of a fully grown guppy (a little smaller). Normally they keep to themselves and will only chase or nip other neons.
> 
> Like the other user said above, they probably thought that the guppies were in their pecking order (and same for the newly introduced angel fish). How big is your tank? Since the only other reason they would become aggressive is if you have a small tank with more fish than they like in it. I know you said understocked, but without giving a tank size it might be what is causing them to nip.


They were Jumbo Neon Tetra's, what is the difference? Just size? As far as the fish they would only pick on my blue or orange guppies it seems, and the orange baby angels.

The First tank was a 55 gallon with: 12 Neon Tetras, 12 Guppies, some new guppy fry, 1 GBR, 1 BRN Pleco, and a lot of Red Cherry shrimp. The other tank was a 45 Grow out tank with baby angles.

Now that I think of it they would do it when the guppy was fanning females near them. It just was to often. It's gotten worse over time. Maybe because they didn't school?


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## loach guy (Jun 2, 2014)

What nobody has addressed is the probability of hybrid neons. Piranah neons! Look out for them. They are everywhere! ~


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