Neons Dropping Like Flies.

[Dr Bob]

Hi,

I've add 3 neons in a biorb for around 6 months, around 3 weeks ago I moved them (and the other fish) to a cycled 150 litre tank.
After a couple of weeks I bought 3 more neons. After about a week or so one of the original neons dissapeared. then about a week after that one of the new neons turned up dead. The next day another 2.
This left me with just the 2 older Neons. On saturday I noticed that one of them was up by the top of the tank, not gasping, just sat there. On sunday I found it floating on the top.
I carried out a water check.

PH 6.9
Temp 26
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate between 10-20

None of the other fish seem to be effected

I did wonder if the new neons (being so small) were being eaten/picked on but now the bigger Neon has died I'm not so sure.

They share the tank with;
3 Albino Catfish
3 Lemon Barbs
3 Silver tipped tetra
2 Ornage platys
1 Cherry barb
2 Angel fish

Any suggestions?

 

[Dr Bob]

K looked round this site and found a post containing the following link...
http/www.thatfishshop.com/health/neon_disease.htm
That seems to be it, thinking back I do remember seeingthe white spot
I assume this only effects Neons?

 

[nmonks]

In my experience, neons "drop like flies" for three key reasons:

1. Eaten by other fish. Angelfish, for example, eat neon tetras in the wild and in aquaria. Keeping them together is basically providing an angelfish with live food. Sooner or later, an angelfish will eat any neons kept with it.

2. Neon tetra disease. This is a free goody with every captive-bred (i.e., cheap) neon tetra on the market, as far as I can tell. NTD is incurable, irrespective of what the purveyors of magic potions (i.e., off the shelf treatments) like to say, and the most you can do is stop it spreading. The key thing is to remove any sick fish at once, or at least isolate it in a breeding trap, and in that way stop the main way the pathogen jumps from sick fish to healthy fish -- when fish nibble at the corpses of fish that have died. NTD can affect a variety of fish beyond neons, including other tetras, barbs, goldfish, even cichlids. Cardinal tetras are supposedly more resistant to NTD than neons, and can therefore make a better choice, despite being more expensive.

3. Water quality/conditions. Neons may have been hardy fish once upon a time, but they are bred so indiscriminately and tanked up with antibiotics on the fish farms to such a degree, than any latent hardiness has long since been expunged. Neons obviously prefer soft/acid water, just like most other Amazonian tetras, but they are also intolerant of poor filtration and fluctuations in water chemistry. Basically, they need a mature, well-maintained aquarium.

Sadly, even experienced aquarists have problems with neons. I've kept seahorses, glassfish, halfbeaks, and coldwater marines -- all supposedly "difficult" fish, and yet I've never had any luck with neons.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[jonny-5]

i agree neons are very weak,ive had a loads of fry in the last few weeks and now there dropping off daily but all the parents have since died too......i had cardinals for ages though without any problems

 

[hot_hazza3]

All my neons died to its due to beenig needy, they say not to add neons until about 6 weeks afetr the full cycle well thats what the "lps" said anyhow!!!
"H"

 

[Dr Bob]

After this episode I'm deffinitley setting up another tnak for new arrivals to go in for a couple of weeks before adding to the big tank.