Need Some Help With My Cardinal Tetras

fishbone

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Stats first. so you know where the tank is at... 190L corner tank.
Temp 26C
Ammonia & Nitrite 0
Nitrate 15-20
PH 7.5
Heavily planted, diy co2, external filter.

Inhabitants; 3 dwarf Gouramis, 1 zipper loach, 3 guppy (+fry), 4 albino cory's, 2 albino bn plec babies, 1 dwarf chain loach, 1 clown killie, 2 ottos
At present 5 cardinal tetras left from 10 I bought just over 2 months ago.

We lost two in the first couple of days, which I put down to possibly the stress of being moved, slightly diff water parameters or maybe just sick ( they died while in quarantine) Since being added to the main tank, one dissapeared, one I found dead with no obvious signs of disease and today I found one hanging at the surface and on closer inspection, it's eye looked like it either had a fungus or it was badly swolen and popping out.

What's up with them? They've definately been eating and the 5 remaining tetras are all looking healthy, well rounded, but not fat fish. None of the ones that have died have shown any sign of illness before death except this last one (which I have now euthanised)


If anyone can enlighten me on where I'm going wrong, I'd greatly appreciate it. I would love to get some more as they look great in large shoal.

K
 
Asuming that the the tank has been running for a while and is fully matured.
Cardinals are a soft water fish and do best in with pH 6
 
Stats first. so you know where the tank is at... 190L corner tank.
Temp 26C
Ammonia & Nitrite 0
Nitrate 15-20
PH 7.5
Heavily planted, diy co2, external filter.

Inhabitants; 3 dwarf Gouramis, 1 zipper loach, 3 guppy (+fry), 4 albino cory's, 2 albino bn plec babies, 1 dwarf chain loach, 1 clown killie, 2 ottos
At present 5 cardinal tetras left from 10 I bought just over 2 months ago.

We lost two in the first couple of days, which I put down to possibly the stress of being moved, slightly diff water parameters or maybe just sick ( they died while in quarantine) Since being added to the main tank, one dissapeared, one I found dead with no obvious signs of disease and today I found one hanging at the surface and on closer inspection, it's eye looked like it either had a fungus or it was badly swolen and popping out.

What's up with them? They've definately been eating and the 5 remaining tetras are all looking healthy, well rounded, but not fat fish. None of the ones that have died have shown any sign of illness before death except this last one (which I have now euthanised)


If anyone can enlighten me on where I'm going wrong, I'd greatly appreciate it. I would love to get some more as they look great in large shoal.

K


The symptoms you are describing sound a lot like a bacterial infection. One thing to find out is whether they are falling ill to a bacterial infection from stress from ph shock, i would ask the store the ph of their tanks. How long did you acclimatise them to the water for when you bought them?

Asuming that the the tank has been running for a while and is fully matured.
Cardinals are a soft water fish and do best in with pH 6



Even lower than that, ph of 3-4 is not unusual in their wild habitat;

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...?article_id=212


Cardinal tetras thrive best in blackwater tanks.
 

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