Pale Pristella Tetra

[karawr]

Hi all,

I recently bought 9 pristella tetras and I've noticed 2 of the batch have very pale fins. It's not the striking black/white/yellow like the others have.

Please don't tell me I have neon tetra disease. Could it be something else, should I return them to LFS?

 

[Caprichoso]

Hi all,

I recently bought 9 pristella tetras and I've noticed 2 of the batch have very pale fins. It's not the striking black/white/yellow like the others have.

Please don't tell me I have neon tetra disease. Could it be something else, should I return them to LFS?

The best thing you can do is to keep the water very clean and the tank well maintained. This will hopefully prevent any illness from happening in the first place. Did they have pale fins from the beginning or is this a recent development? Pay attention to their behaviour to see if they are getting bullied by the others. Also keep in mind that some fish that are less dominant will pale in colour, while the dominant fish will be very bright. I would say keep a close eye out and let us know if any new symptoms appear. I wouldn't return them, they have the best chance of survival with you as long as the water parameters are good. You should also test you water too.

Good luck

 

[karawr]

I can't say I noticed pale fins from the beginning... it was something I only noticed yesterday. I got them 2~3 days ago.

I haven't noticed any bullying; they are schooling together fine but I will definitely watch for it. I was going to bump up the numbers once my lfs bought more... I bought all the ones available.

I must admit I tested yesterday and ammonia was 0.50ppm so I did a 50% w/c right away. I'll continue to watch it to make sure the numbers stay down. Thanks for your reply... I hope it's a matter of watching water quality more than a disease!

 

[Caprichoso]

I can't say I noticed pale fins from the beginning... it was something I only noticed yesterday. I got them 2~3 days ago.

I haven't noticed any bullying; they are schooling together fine but I will definitely watch for it. I was going to bump up the numbers once my lfs bought more... I bought all the ones available.

I must admit I tested yesterday and ammonia was 0.50ppm so I did a 50% w/c right away. I'll continue to watch it to make sure the numbers stay down. Thanks for your reply... I hope it's a matter of watching water quality more than a disease!

The fact that you have ammonia is the reason why. You will have to do another water change, I would do 75% because the ammonia will still be present but just more dilute. Do you know why you had an ammonia spike? Un-cycled tank, too many fish, not enough filtration, over-feeding? Water quality is the difference between success and failure in the aquarium. If you have good water, generally speaking, you will have much success with your tank. I would monitor daily with the test kit to make sure ammonia stays at 0.

 

[karawr]

75g with Eheim 2217 stocking:
x9 Pristella Tetra
x5 Congo Tetra
x7 Black Phantom Tetra
x5 Kuhli Loach
x1 Bristlenose Pleco
x1 Rubberlip Pleco

All are young still (so not max size). It could be that I added too many fish at once. It could also be overfeeding. I feed new life spectrum .5mm pellets and the tetras go nuts so I worry the loaches aren't getting any... but I do try to be careful not to feed too much. I give one wafer/day to the plecs.

The filter is also new but I filled it with 90% mature media. It probably still needs to develop more bacteria.

I will do daily testing and w/c as needed...

 

[Caprichoso]

75g with Eheim 2217 stocking:
x9 Pristella Tetra
x5 Congo Tetra
x7 Black Phantom Tetra
x5 Kuhli Loach
x1 Bristlenose Pleco
x1 Rubberlip Pleco

All are young still (so not max size). It could be that I added too many fish at once. It could also be overfeeding. I feed new life spectrum .5mm pellets and the tetras go nuts so I worry the loaches aren't getting any... but I do try to be careful not to feed too much. I give one wafer/day to the plecs.

The filter is also new but I filled it with 90% mature media. It probably still needs to develop more bacteria.

I will do daily testing and w/c as needed...

A good rule of thumb is to add only 10% of your desired fish stock at a time, that way your filter media will be able to establish bacteria colonies and not be overloaded. As far as the feeding, I only feed my fish what they can eat in 30 seconds and I also skip a day or two each week. As far as the wafers, that can be difficult to measure but I think you feeding them one per day is good. It will be all good for you I'm sure just as long as you monitor the water closely for the next little bit.

Good luck