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Hi,
I have 12 Neons tetras, 1 CAE (2 inches), one paradize fish and 1 yoyo loach to take care of the snails in a 29g planted tank. Neons were introduced yesterday. Is any one of these fishes a threat to the other? I'm most concerned about the neons.
This morning, I observed one of them was not schooling and with abnormal breathing. Watching closely, a wound was found on the underside of the poor fish. Now, i'm not sure if this fish was injured at the LFS where it was kept with some male guppies, or any fish in my tank has misbehaved.
Thanks in advance.

The Paradise Fish is likely to be the most immediate threat.

Paradise Fishes, Macropodus opercularis, grow to be 5 inches or so in length as adults, and even a juvenile Paradsie Fish is a robust fish that can handle itself alongside Cichlids. Additionally, Paradise Fishes are territorial and easily capable of displaying aggression. When the Paradise Fish was the first tropical fish introduced to the aquarium hobby way back in 1868 (the venerable Innes book describes this in detail) they were kept with long finned Goldfish, a practice that was soon discovered to be a mistake, because the Paradise Fishes shredded the Goldfishes' fins. The reason that the Paradise Fish was capable of being kept in an aquarium in 1868 without access to heating technology was because its temperature range is very wide - 50 degrees F at the lowest point, and 90 degrees F at the highest point being its typical range. Thus it could survive in a coldwater aquarium even in a temperate land provided that the house in which the aquarium was sited was heated adequately in winter. It's air breathing capability also assisted in this matter, as the aquarium needed no aeration for the Paradise Fish to survive - all it needed was reasonably regular partial water changes and adequate feeding.

Paradise Fishes are beautiful as adults, but require watching like a hawk unless they are in the company of other robust and capable fishes. I would consider putting Neons in with a Paradise Fish to be an extremely risky experiment even if the Paradise Fish is small, and when the Paradise Fish grows, it will almost certainly regard them as potential food.

Suitable companions for a Paradise Fish include:

Silver Dollars
Buenos Aires Tetras (largest of the Hemigrammus, and likewise nippy and capable, they're suitable as dither fishes for medium sized Cichlids)
Firemouth Cichlids
Convict Cichlids
Salvinis
Blue Acaras
Clown Barbs (again, big and active)
Siamese Algae Eaters (again, reach 5 inches and are relatively robust fishes)
Red Tailed Black Sharks
Clown Loaches
Hoplosternum Catfishes
Raphael Cats
Medium sized Plecs (and if space permits, larger ones such as L-001)
Larger species of Rainbow Fish

Note that the SMALLEST of these fishes is the Buenos Aires Tetra (3.5 inches), and this choice is possible because the Buenos Aires Tetra is a tough customer that can look after itself alongside Dempseys and similar bruisers. Most of the rest are at least as big as the Paradise Fish, if not bigger, and are characterised either by a combination of size and activity (making them able to get away from the Paradise Fish if it turns nasty) or size and like territorial behaviour accompanied by a willingness to square up to the Paradise Fish if it cuts up rough. The Paradise Fish has a lot to recommend it in the right aquarium setting, but I emphasise here that the setting has to be the right one - namely a fairly large setup with other robust fishes, or else a species aquarium if one is constrained by budget to a more modest aquarium size. In the right setting, it's beautiful, possesses bomb proof hardiness (and will survive aquarium management mistakes that will kill other fishes in hours, though of course this is no excuse for abuse!), breeds readily in the aquarium, and is a bold, showy fish that takes centre stage quite happily and shows off its beautiful colours and finnage. In the wrong setting, however, it's a nightmare because it is an aggressive fish with the musculature and other equipment to permit it to wreak havoc amongst smaller and weaker fishes.

I'd rehouse the Neons somewhere safer to.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

The cae will eventually be an issue. These fish can get a foot long and are agressive as adults. Currently the culprit is probably the paradise fish. I watched mine stalk the fish in the tank all day and when he looked to just be casually swimming by all of a sudden he'd snap around and bite them. He removed the eyes off several small fish, shredded the fins of everything, and left wounds on their bodies. Most of the other males and several of the females were just as bad. They could only be kept with large or very fast fish that would not be easily caught and injured. Otos, cories, and small schooling fish all became victims.

I dont think Mughal has to worry about the CAE.
As discussed in another post, they have bought the
cae and it will be traded back to the lfs for a smaller one when it grows larger and gets more aggressive.

I wouldnt be surprised if it was a wound already on the fish prior to getting it.
The only culprit I can see at this point is the paradise fish, though I kept one and it never nipped or bothered any of the fish I kept it with. It was a great little fish.
I lost it after 1 year due to camallanus worms, poor little fish.


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I watched the paradise fish very carefully throughout the day and did not see it attack any neon fish. I too think I bought that fish injured. By the way, it died today. The rest seem to be fine.
I'm gonna watch them for a couple of days and if the paradise fish is found misbehaving, it will be rehoused.
Thanks for ur suggestions.