Schooling fish aren't schooling...and a few other things.?

Question

I have 4 bloodfin tetras, 4 serpae tetras, a blue gourami, a spotted cory, and an african drawf frog. The tetras aren't schooling like they did in the pet store. The frog doesn't look like it's gonna make it. The bloodfins seem to be gasping (but since I only got them today, I don't know if this is normal). And there is something clinging to the side of my tank which I think is displaced eggs, but I'm not sure. Also, though everything I can find on these species say that they are peaceful fish and would be ok mixed in this fashion, they seem to be aggressive towards each other. They aren't nipping, but they are chasing. Thank you in advance for any comments you may have. Brandi

I did cycle the tank. And I've added the fish (by species) over the last 2 weeks. I just tested the levels and they are all normal, in fact, perfect.
Also, the bloodfins aren't gasping at the top. They are quite active in the tank and are currently playing on the bottom of the tank. I should have been more specific. Sorry bout that.
The frog and cory are doing fine together. In fact, they are hanging out right now in the same corner of the tank.
Thank you both for your comments. Any more suggestions?

BTW...It's a 10 gallon tank.

And I just fished the frog out. Poor thing. But I won't be buying from that store any more. Thanks for the info about schooling. Will definately get more it space allows.

Answer 1

To be a "school" you will need to have 6 or more fish of each of the species. In smaller groups, they become nervous and will nip at the fins of other fish in the tank (and each other) and chase. Chances are, when you saw them in the store, they were in tanks with many more than that of their own kind. The cory should also be in a group, although this can be fewer (around 3 is a good start).

You don't mention the size of the tank, but you should be checking for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. By adding new fish, you're increasing the ammonia level (more fish = more food = more poop), so it's possible that the level was increasing even before the addition of the bloodfins, and the others were slowly adjusting as the level rose, but with the addition of the latest 4, they weren't accustomed to that level are are showing the greatest reaction. Besides gasping at the top of the tank, fish can also sit at the bottom and be lethargic.

Another possibility is that the water temperature is high, and the warmer water is holding less oxygen, making they breathe more rapidly.

Or, it could be that they're behaving this way because they're new, and the tank doesn't have enough hiding spots to make them feel comfortable.

Answer 2

It sounds like your fish are having problems with your water conditions. Gasping at the surface is a sign of poor oxygen quality or poisoning, usually from ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. If your tank is new, probably ammonia.
How large is your tank?
Did you cycle your tank? (If you don't know what cycled means, your fish are probably dying from New Tank Syndrome - check the link I put in below)
Did you put all these fish in the tank together at once?

That's too many fish to put in at once, even in a cycled tank. Tetras school best in groups of 6 or more. If you have too few they can't school properly and they get stressed and aggressive. Gouramis tend to be fin nippers. Cories are social fish and are happiest in groups of 4-6. I know african dwarf frogs are supposed to be safe and peaceful, but I'm not sure I'd want to keep one with a cory. They are both bottom dwellers and cories are so busy along the bottom of a tank I'd think they'd bother each other. At the very least the frog might have trouble getting any food with the cory there.

Answer 3

Tank may be too small. Water quality may be bad. PH may be way different and stressing them too much.