Well This Is Odd.....

[MeganL3985]

I have noticed the past day or so that one of my neons is hanging in the back by himself. Nothing looks wrong with him other than the fact that his belly looks a bit smaller than the others. I noticed some chasing going on the other day as well but just chalked it up to being normal behavior. So tonight when I fed them (a few minutes ago), I noticed when he would come over to get food, the others would "chase" him out! He would have to literally pick a little piece and swim quickly to the back! What is going on?? Now i'm wondering how much food he's been able to eat! I crushed a 1/2 of a flake and opened the top cover so I could put it in the back where he's hiding. He came right up and went for the food while the others were up front getting theirs. I have never see this before!! This might sound silly but do you think they developed some sort of a "pecking order" when the 5th one died recently? I just have no clue, it wasn't like this the past few months i've had them. I was planning to go get 2 more neons to add to the school tomorrow, but now i'm not so sure.....

[Lady Hobbs]

Maybe the male wants a harem for himself and chasing this other one away.....most likely another male? I lost 4 this week but I think my featherfin was killing them. Have lost none since I moved them.

[MeganL3985]

Oh man...i'm sorry you lost 4 of yours! :(

[zackish]

I wouldn't be too worried. One of my cardinals usually hangs back and he is smaller than the rest. He doesn't eat a lot when I feed but still eats and he has been alive for like 2 months.
Someone has to be last....

[MeganL3985]

maybe I will put 2 more in then...mix up the routine a bit. :)

[zackish]

maybe I will put 2 more in then...mix up the routine a bit. :)
Changing the aquascape might not be a bad idea either. Move a few rocks around or something of the sort.

[MeganL3985]

I moved a few things around about 2 weeks ago. The tree I had in the middle I moved to the back corner, sideways. I put in another small plant and added about 5 new rocks to it.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

From memory, pecking orders always change when someone in the pack/school dies. Someone who was in the middle before can go up but also down the order, too!
Maybe this has happened?

[MeganL3985]

yay!!! Mission accomplished!! I got two more neons today, they are both about half the size of my other 4, but now all 6 are together! Nobodys in the back!!

[MeganL3985]

Ps. I've now figured out how to tell my male and female neons apart :) The "skinny" one hiding in the back is the only male I had. So I had 3 females and one male. The two I got today are one male, the other female. So now i've got 4 females and 2 males. :)

[Nick_Pavlovski]

So, we'll see what happens now...

[MeganL3985]

Their all still together today :)

[TowBoater]

Good deal! Hopefully they will stay together now.

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Yup, fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc.