Is this normal?

[crazysnail]

Hi everyone, (this is my first post so I hope i'm doing things right!)

I have 5 neon tetras in my tank, and one of them is behaving very strangely.
It points it's nose down towards the bottom of the tank at about a 45 degree angle and almost looks as if it is in a spasm, then later it is ok again and then starts again. I have had these fish about 5 months and I have never noticed it before. I'm worried it could be a symptom of disease but I can't find any similar symptoms on websites etc so I am rather confused.

Any help would be gratefully received

[cocoa_pleco]

hmm, could be shimmy or a nerve disorder. theres really nothing you can do but wait and see if it corrects itself

[crazysnail]

Thanks :)

There aren't any other signs of disease or anything so i'll just wait it out, hope its all ok. If it is shimmy or a nerve disorder what will happen next? And is there anything I can do to help?

I'm still kinda new to fish keeping, I've only had the tank five months, so I get quite worried when the fish do anything remotely abnormal lol

[MeganL3985]

You know thats really weird, cause I noticed one of mine doing that the other day. I didnt notice anything else either, so I let it go. Hrm...lol

[crazysnail]

lol well hopefully everything is alright! Keep me updated if anything happens...

[MeganL3985]

So far so good :) I will keep ya updated if I notice anything more.

[Algenco]

Sounds like a male doing his little spawn dance, I've noticed mine doing it a few times:c5:

[Doug G]

I've noticed this in 2 or 3 of my 5 neons within the last day or so. I wonder if its possibly some kind of swim bladder affecting condition, it almost appears as if the fish are constantly swimming downward to keep from rising. I don't see any other external signs of problems so its a mystery. I sure hope this is some kind of natural behavior.

I've had a breeders net in my tank to separate some male guppies from Mommy and sisters (my son just HAD to bring home a female from the school tank, didn't he :rolleyes: ) and this has seriously cut into the space since its only a 6gal tank. I've noticed the Mommy guppy getting territorial which I'm pretty sure is a sign things are too cramped so I'm thinking this may be stress-induced behavior. Hopefully its not fatal and I've arranged to give away the male guppies in a day or so which will allow me to remove the net and gain back the space.

Just have to wait and see at this point, I guess!