New?... Well, Technically, I Suppose.

[anje]

Hello, everyone. Hope you're all well.

To introduce myself - I have a 29 gallon aquarium that's been running for eight weeks. Its inhabitants are live plants, 6 black phantom tetras and 1 opaline gourami. I use a Marineland Penguin BioWheel 200 power filter.

Here's where I'd appreciate some advice. I'd like to keep neons, and I know they are sensitive fish. I recently tried to add 3 (along with the gourami, which I bought at the same time). Immediately one began flipping oddly and died within half an hour. Soon afterwards another became listless, struggled, acted partially paralyzed and died that evening. The last looked healthy enough but was found dead on the gravel the next morning. The gourami is fine. I've never had any trouble with my other fish.

I think it's the pH. At 7.8, it's kind of high for neons. Also, I floated the bag 15 minutes, but not much else; should I have done a more complicated acclimation e.g. mixing water? I perform regular water changes and do not overfeed. Is there anything else it could be? If it is the pH, what can I do about it? (I was naive enough to try pH Down several weeks before all this. Didn't work.) How about "softener pillows"?

Oh, and hi from California!

 

[martyn413]

Hi Anje,

Welcome.

When did you purchase the fish from? If they are locally then the chances are that the pet shop has the same water conditions as you. I've even asked the pet shop for their water stats.

You could add some of the tank water to the bag every 5 minutes then using a net, get the fish(s) out the bag.

It would also be useful if you had water stats - ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Martyn

 

[dwarfgourami]

I think you are right about ph shock being the cause of death. And it is rather high for neons anyway. I would do the following:

settle for some kind of tetra that is less sensitive (like black neon, maybe even glowlights)

leave it for a few months as many tetras do better in a mature tank

get some bogwood, as this has a mildly lowering effect on the water (don't expect miracles)

when you buy, check with the shop to see what water parameters they have

acclimatise by dripping tank water into the bag over a period of half an hour or longer, and only let the fish into the tank when the water in the bag is 2/3 tank water

another way may be simply to look out for some other fish that has what you looked for in the tetras but different requirements- e.g. if it was the colour, then male endlers might do the same for you, if schooling behaviour maybe dwarf danios

 

[Miss Wiggle]

DG is probably right, however just to check. is the tank fully cycled? what are your stats for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

 

[anje]

I bought the fish at a local store - only a few blocks away - but I have been meaning to check their water stats just to be safe.

I suppose I could settle for a different fish but I've wanted neons for years and I thought I'd been pretty careful.

Also I'd thought of bogwood before but I can't find it anywhere. Here are my water statistics:

Ammonia is 0 ppm
Nitrite is 0 ppm
Nitrate is 20 ppm

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what about getting cardinal tetra's instead, look virtually identical but they're just that little bit hardier

 

[ghostchoir]

It could have just been something wrong with the fish that came, if you don't want to risk it get Cardinals. They're basically the same.

 

[anje]

I've heard that neons sometimes come in "bad batches" where all the ones at the store eventually die , but I've been cheking on these for a couple of weeks on and off while getting other stuff and they always seemed fine.

So cardinals, huh? Thats very interesting to me.

I always heard that cardinals were even more delicate and difficult to keep. I never considered them because of this.

 

[01edmn]

i heard they less hardy aswell aparently bcoz they difficult to breed in the fish farms so come straight from the wild

 

[anje]

No one carries cardinals up here. I hate living in the high desert. Can't find black neons either.

Will try glowlight tetras, though, they seem cute enough

Thanks for the help

anje