Why is my Tetra always hiding? 5 Reasons & Solutions

Why is my Tetra always hiding? Tetra comes under the prey fish category. They always in alert mode, which makes them frightened in some situations. The Tetra try to protect themselves from the hunters. When they are stressed or feel uncomfortable, they hide.

Check your surroundings and see if anything around the tank is causing it to vibrate or make noise scares Tetra.

Why is neon tetra not coming to the front side of my tank?
- Here are some of the reasons why the Tetra is not coming to the tank’s front side
Why are neon tetras staying in one place?

Do neon tetras need light at night?
- Cardinal tetras hiding behind the filter, is it normal?
Do neon tetras need hiding places?

Why is neon tetra not coming to the front side of my tank?

The Tetra is fickle creatures. They may behave strangely in certain water conditions. There are several reasons why Tetra finds the condition hostile. You may have to check each aspect of the situation to understand what is happening under the water.

Fish do not always behave that you usually see in love decorated fish tank. Some fish are reclusive.

They would like to stay away from the tank’s front side, where most of the activities are happening.

They feel insecure in the environment, which causes them to hide behind the stone or the water plants.

Why is neon tetra not coming to the front side of my tank?

Here are some of the reasons why the Tetra is not coming to the tank’s front side

#01. Water temperature:

Different types of equipment are used to moderate the water temperatures. In the cold region, the heaters are used to heat the water. In the hot region, the pump is used to reduce the temperature of the water.

The cooling or heating process does not balance in all the areas. The water takes time to balance out the temperature on all sides of the water.

Therefore, the Tetra finds an excellent water condition where they can comfortably dwell.

In contrast, Tetra tries to stay away from hostile water conditions.

If your equipment produces more heat near the output pipe, Tetra may stay away from it to secure their life.

Check the water condition in the front side of the tank. If it shows a different temperature on the backside of the tank wall, then balancing the temperature is required to protect your Tetra.

#02. Oxygen Pump:

Depending on the type of oxygen pump you use to pump the oxygen in the water, the water flow may cause a problem.

Water receives more oxygen near the pump, and other places in the tank may take time to disburse the oxygen in the area.

Tetra would prefer to stay close to the environment where the oxygen is easy to consume. You can change the flow of the pump and see if Tetra follows the direction.

Situating your pump in the right direction would allow them Tetra to freely move in the tank without bothering much about the Oxygen supply.

#03. Water Filter:

Sometimes, the flow of the water filter crease the moving water under the surface, which makes floating difficult to Tetra.

You would notice Tetra would try to stay away from the flowing water to prevent it from damaging their health.

If the flow is too harsh, you can decrease the flow or move the flow in another direction where you do not want Tetra to stay.

Keep the front side of the tank smooth so that Tetra would stay in the front all the time.

#04. Hiding Places:

Small fish generally hide behind the stone, water plant, or anything they find comfortable protecting themselves from the predator.

It is their instincts that make them afraid of the predator. If this is your aquarium condition, you can move some of the plants in the front and let the fish stay around it.

This way, the Tetra would get their desire place, and your aquarium looks balanced and beautiful.

#05. Bad water condition:

Use equipment to moderate the water condition. The unusual behavior of the Tetra is a sign of bad water conditions.

If they are always hiding the back of the tank, they might have trouble breathing in the water’s front side.

Find the cause of the water condition would allow you to fix it in time. Bad water conditions may compromise the health of the Tetra.

It would be best if you took require precautions to prevent the Tetra from getting sick. There is no treatment available to protect the health of the fish.

Most you can do is to manage the essential things and keep the water balance water condition.

neon tetra not coming to the front side of my tank

Why are neon tetras staying in one place?

The cause can be varied depending on the type of fish. Tetra generally stays in one place when they find themselves in a hostile condition. They might be feeling unsafe due to no hiding place.

You can use the stones and plants to provide the natural condition in the water. When the Tetra is sick, they try to stay in one place until they recover from the health condition.

Do neon tetras need light at night?

Research shows that Neon Tetras need 12 hours of lighting to maintain the rhythm. Their biology performs at its peak when they are exposed to the right type of lighting. Generally, they adopt the surrounding condition, and they do not need lights at night.

Do not use bright light at night as it might cause them stressed. They also need resting time in the dark, so the right amount of light in the day would be sufficient.

Cardinal tetras hiding behind the filter, is it normal?

Yes. It is the normal condition of the Tetra. The hiding place makes them feel safe. If the tank doesn’t have a hiding place, the Tetra may feel unsafe and expose the predator.

It may stress them a lot, and they will start functioning abnormally. Providing the right amount of space to swim and natural hiding places would balance their surroundings.

Do neon tetras need hiding places?

Yes. The hiding places require to protect the Tetra from unexpected attacks. This is the inbuilt function of the fish that keeps the alert all the time. The tank is safe for them, but they still follow their instinct to protect themselves from the predator.

It would be best if you had hiding places in the Tank to feel the natural environment.