Lonely Neons

[Miss Wiggle]

when I set up my first tank many many moons ago I had a group of neon tetra's. I lost the odd 1 or 2 through disease and more recently old age, until I was down to 3, now I know this is much lower than the recommended numbers to keep them in but I don't want to replace the rest of them as eventually I don't want any in the tank, just planned on taking care of them until they pass on and not replace them. The 3 seemed reasonably happy together, then a few weeks ago the tank broke and I had a crisis and had to put a spare tank on. In the course of the move one neon jumped from the net and landed on the floor, i got him back in the water in a few secs but for an old man the shock must have been too much, he was dead by the morning Now since then one of the remaining two is loosing his colour and becoming increasingly shy and unhappy. The water parameters are fine, all other fish are looking happy and healthy, the tank's well over filtered and well looked after. There's nothing that will be picking on him so I'm pretty sure he's just not coping well with being part of a pair when he should have more friends. I want to help him have an enjoyable last yr or so of his life and not be distressed but I'm nto sure what I can do.

I don't want to get more neon's and there isn't room in the tank for more fish, so getting mroe to make up to 6 isn't an option.

I don't want to re-home them to someone else with neon's... I think at they're age the stress of moving would probably kill them.

So what suggestions would you have to help him out?

 

[scubadoo]

Hey miss wiggle

You know the issues and have considered all the viable alternatives as far as I can see.

I dont think you have many options, either keep them and see how it goes or move them to someone else's tank and hope it works out or (and this will be really unpopular I know) euthanise.

The only other option I can think of would be to get some cardinals instead and see if the neons join in ?

 

[fish-r-fancy]

Maybe you could by a rubbermaid tub or plastic container at Wal Mart to put the fish in and add some more neons.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

the tank's fully stocked so I don't want to add any more fish, cardinals or neons.

We haven't another small tank to re-home them too, I wouldn't put anything in an unfiltered tub so that's nto an option Also that'd still leave me with the same problem, in a few yrs the original fish would die from old age then I'd be left with half a shoal of neon's I don't want.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

the tank's fully stocked so I don't want to add any more fish, cardinals or neons.

We haven't another small tank to re-home them too, I wouldn't put anything in an unfiltered tub so that's nto an option Also that'd still leave me with the same problem, in a few yrs the original fish would die from old age then I'd be left with half a shoal of neon's I don't want.

You have a fair bit of space left in your 60gal for some small fish, however neons are unsuitable for it, so- why don't you move some of your corys from your 30gal to your 60gal, and then just add 4 neons to the 30gal ?
This way you can keep all your current fish by just moving the stocking around a bit, so you can keep your neons in more appropriate numbers .

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Ian wants rid of the cory's in his 60g as it is, he wants to go high tech planted so it has to be understocked. Cory's are a bad idea for planted tanks he's already considering re-homing the ones that are in there. So he aint gonna take any more!


also, i don't want a bloody shoal of neons!

Is there anything I can do to make them more at home that doesn't involve getting more tetra's?!?!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Is there anything I can do to make them more at home that doesn't involve getting more tetra's?!?!

Nope. If you are not willing to sort out their numbers, you should rehome them.
One of their strongest instincts is too shoal with other neons, its how they survive in the wild, if you deny them of enough numbers to shoal properly they will die one by one until there is none left and they will be very unhappy- so rehoming them to someone else who can fullfill their needs is the best plan of action.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

aye, i've considered it, but they're pretty old now, I lost one when I had to drain the tank a few weeks back. I don't know if the strain of moving might just be too much for them and they'd die anyway??

so it's either get more fish i don't want and overstock the tank and be left with the same problem in a yr or so when the old ones die off, so have to continually keep a shoal of neon's to keep the old one's happy

take a gamble and re-home them which will probably kill them anyway

leave them to live out the last yr or so in relative unhappiness

man what fantastic choices

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

aye, i've considered it, but they're pretty old now, I lost one when I had to drain the tank a few weeks back. I don't know if the strain of moving might just be too much for them and they'd die anyway??

so it's either get more fish i don't want and overstock the tank and be left with the same problem in a yr or so when the old ones die off, so have to continually keep a shoal of neon's to keep the old one's happy

take a gamble and re-home them which will probably kill them anyway

leave them to live out the last yr or so in relative unhappiness

man what fantastic choices

Have you tried advertising them on the forum? I know they are only two neons, but if someone can take them here that would be great as well as you would have a better idea of how they'd look after them too

 

[Miss Wiggle]

aye, i've considered it, but they're pretty old now, I lost one when I had to drain the tank a few weeks back. I don't know if the strain of moving might just be too much for them and they'd die anyway??

so it's either get more fish i don't want and overstock the tank and be left with the same problem in a yr or so when the old ones die off, so have to continually keep a shoal of neon's to keep the old one's happy

take a gamble and re-home them which will probably kill them anyway

leave them to live out the last yr or so in relative unhappiness

man what fantastic choices

Have you tried advertising them on the forum? I know they are only two neons, but if someone can take them here that would be great as well as you would have a better idea of how they'd look after them too

aye I was just contemplating that myself. Doubt if anyone would want 2 5 yr old neon's but I guess it's worth a shot!!

 

[xJake]

I would rehome them. I would rather have my fish die in an attempt to make them happy then have them live unhappily until their death. (which would most likely be from starvation as many schooling fish simply wither away and refuse food if they're not kept in a school)

 

[Miss Wiggle]

I'm making sure they're still eating, get some frozen food and melt it, suck some up in a pipette and while the rest of the tank is feeding i squirt it right next to any fish who aren't eating so they all get some

looks like I may have found a home for them now in SamUK's 80g tank with 11 or so other neons