Newbie ~ Cardinal Neon Tetra Passed Away

[allthemaples]

Hello! We've had a small tank for a little over a year. I wanted some friends for our two guppies, so we bought another guppy and a Cardinal Neon Tetra. In the Tetra bag was, what we think, is a Tetra fry!! Anyway - the new guppy loves his new friends (and vice-versa). Oddly, the baby neon is also getting along VERY well with them!

However, the adult tetra didn't seem all that thrilled. He was fine, but last night his mouth was moving very quickly. This morning he would occasionally turn himself over, but still seemed OK. Then later in the morning he tended to swim/float upside-down. His color remained good though. Unfortunately I had to go to work - when I returned home, he had died.

Any ideas what could have been wrong? What should I have done? Thanks in advance - Pam.

 

[Fishy friend2]

how big is the tank and i think you should get 5 more neon tetras if you have the space

 

[laura120381]

hi there,

tetras should be kept in groups of at least 5 but preferably 6+. it could be that yours came from a bad batch but it is not unknown for tetras not kept in groups to die of shock/loneliness. this is not your fault. you should have been advised that it is unwise to purchase tetras in small numbers. of course there may be another reason for its death...are all your other fish ok?? is there any sign of illness?? have you tested your water??

sorry for your loss

L

 

[fluttermoth]

I've never heard of anyone getting a tetra fry as a freebie; far more likely to be a stray livebearer fry; they can get everywhere.

What's most likely to have happened is that your tank, because it's small, has suffered a build up of toxins that your current fish have become accustomed to, but that new fish; especially sensitive ones like neons or cardinals, are not able to withstand, certainly not suddenly.

Get your LFS to test the water, if you can't afford your own test kit (which would be better) and write down the actual figures. All too often we recommend people to have their water tested and they come back with, "the shop says all the levels are fine" and that is just not good enough for us to be able to understand what's going on in the tank enough to help.

In the meantime, do 50% water changes every day for the next week (warmed, dechlorinated water, of course!) and if you could post the details of your tank; size, filtration, temp, etc, that would be a great help

 

[allthemaples]

Thank you for the replies!

My tank is a 5 gallon. The other fish are fine! Even the tiny fry ...

When I brought the fish home - I settled the bag into the aquarium to even the temperature. Then, I took some of the aquarium water and added it to the Cardinal's bag so that he would get used to it. I added a little at first, then a little more. After a little while I let him and the fry go into the tank.

The adult neon went right for the bottom left corner of the tank. Once in a while he made an attempt to be with the guppies, but, he would sort of retreat back to that corner. The other fish were "nice" to him; they'd let him hang out - but it was always the neon's decision to go back into the corner. Maybe he just didn't like being without the other neon's?

I'm going to get a test kit anyway ... although my water is pretty clear. I have a good amount of fern, a running filter that I change every 2-3 weeks, and an airstone. My water is well-water, and when I add a significant amount of new water I put in appropriate amounts of Amquel+ and NovAqua. The temperature is about 79f.

The other fish seem VERY happy - they frolic a lot. I have two guppies that I'm pretty sure are at least a year old, one is 6 months (one of the guppies was pregnant when I bought her - I didn't know! He's the only survivor of 9), and the baby fry that I think is only about a week old. The guppies treat the fry well, and the fry appears to be quite happy.

 

[fluttermoth]

5 gallons is a pretty small tank, and all neon/cardinal tetras need to be in shoals or 6+, so I would get any more; stick with the guppies.

Hydrochloric acid is clear, but it wouldn't be much good for your fish!

You must never change the bits inside your filter or you'll just be throwing out the good bacterai that you need; just rinse it gently in old tank water when you do a water change so it doesn't get clogged up

 

[allthemaples]

5 gallons is a pretty small tank, and all neon/cardinal tetras need to be in shoals or 6+, so I would get any more; stick with the guppies.

Hydrochloric acid is clear, but it wouldn't be much good for your fish!

You must never change the bits inside your filter or you'll just be throwing out the good bacterai that you need; just rinse it gently in old tank water when you do a water change so it doesn't get clogged up

The filter came with the set we bought. It has a snap-in wool like thing (that goes inside a tray) that you are supposed to change once every 2-3 weeks.

 

[fluttermoth]

Manufacturers always say that; it's just a way of getting more money out of you. Just rinse it out in old tank water, it does not need replacing, trust me on this

 

[Jinty McGinty]

Manufacturers always say that; it's just a way of getting more money out of you. Just rinse it out in old tank water, it does not need replacing, trust me on this

Agrees

 

[allthemaples]

Manufacturers always say that; it's just a way of getting more money out of you. Just rinse it out in old tank water, it does not need replacing, trust me on this

My husband suggested I do that! I will, definitely. They're not "cheap".

 

[Fishy friend2]

So your not supposed to change a filter Cartridge every three weeks I don't use carbon so do I have to change it

 

[fluttermoth]

No, you never have to change it. Everyone always says, "unless it's falling apart", but I have sponges and ceramic rings that have been in almost constant use for 20+ years, and they haven't 'fallen apart' yet!

 

[laura120381]

+1!! its a money making scheme!! you don't need to change it!!

 

[Blubble37]

Manufacturers always say that; it's just a way of getting more money out of you. Just rinse it out in old tank water, it does not need replacing, trust me on this

Agrees

+2

 

[Fishy friend2]

thanks thats alot of money i have now