Congo Tetras, Any Tips?

[ltkettch17]

So 2 weeks ago, I'm at my LFS with my new wife, and we're looking at some fish. I came in there with the plan of (finally) getting some angel fish. However, I have 2 large gourami's and one is especially aggressive, so I would only buy the angels if they looked big enough to handle the stress. Of course, the angels were too small, but something else caught my eye - Congo Tetras. There was a tank with some males and females and they looked just slightly smaller than my jerk gourami - and very lively, so I figured I'd give it a try and bought a pair of each. The next morning, both the males are D-E-A-D!!! And not just floating at the top dead, or laying on the bottom dead; they're like disintegrating! And I see my 2 neons picking at one, while my pleco is chowing on the other. So I call my LFS as soon as he opens and tell him what's happened, and he says he'll give me store credit - so I'll stop in on Monday night. Monday night comes by and we go to the store again and I tell him the tale in person - then he tells me that another guy who was in the store at the same time as me saw me buying the Congos and then bought up the rest in the tank. Guess what, all his Congo's died too! LFS says he'll get some more congo's from his supplier and I can stop by again in a week. The next day, both my neons die! This past weekend, I'm out of town, my wife texts me that my pleco has died as well! (Just a side note, the neons were just over a year old, and I'm not really sure how old the pleco was - probably 4-6 years - and he was the last survivor of my fish tank move over 2 years ago)
So I call the LFS and tell him my woes, and he says all he'll replace is the Congo's that I bought from him. But get this - all the replacement Congo's he bought from his supplier have already died in the store! LFS says he's not going to carry them anymore!

So what's the dilly, yo? Are Congo's all that sensitive? Is it a bad supplier?
I've got 2 females left, and while they are extremely skitish and easily frightened, they seem to be 'surviving' in my tank. Now I don't have much chance of replacing their counterparts - will they be okay on their own?

Thanks for the help all.

 

[mixmaster jay]

its a very bad supplier imo they do like to be in groups really but they should be fine i really like these and ive had a few in my time too lovely fish
ive personally not had a problem with tyhem as regards to sensitivity and water quality i went away for 2 weeks once and my mate never did anything he never went round to my house at all to feed or waterchange and they where fine i ended up giving them away in the end as my tank wasn't big enough at the time
so i think it is a supplier problem myself mate

 

[holidayinn]

Agreed, supplier problem..all my lfs sell congo tetra's and all seem healthy, but I've never kept them b4...if they're dying by the time they get to your lfs or at ur lfs, themn def supplier prob

 

[Elrohirthehasty]

hate to ask, but how much did you pay for those congos?

At my favorite lfs, they cost between $10 and $20 depending male, female, size, etc., is this too much?

 

[ltkettch17]

hate to ask, but how much did you pay for those congos?

At my favorite lfs, they cost between $10 and $20 depending male, female, size, etc., is this too much?

He charged me $15 for the males, $5 for the females.

 

[Cocomojo]

Have 6 congo tetra. Never have had any issue with them, other than they don't seem to be quick on the draw at feedin time.

Paid $5 a piece for them. They were just big enough to tell the males from the females. Have also seen full grown with nice colors go for $25 a piece however, but I think the owner of the store just doesn't want to sell them.