Red eye tetras look bored?

[GaryE]

They've been in that 10 since April or May? I just was too lazy to move them til I needed the tank, and it's up high so I was watch the baby cory grow.

Nice. So now if you need to Qt with the tank they've been in, for their safety, they should go to more permanent quarters. Whether you want to stick a large group of red eyes in the QT or not, there will be a risk (all QTs are risky places).

A 10 is a small tank and we can debate how we use it, and how long we use it for. Most simple problems appear in the first few days to 2 weeks. If the QT is really crowded, then it can become counter productive - an environment that brings out disease problems that might never have manifested themselves otherwise. I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[Glenn407]

Two significant things to answer this. First, always acquire all the intended number of a species at the same time if at all possible. Always. Some fish develop an hierarchy fairly rapidly in a new environment, certainly by the tank the quarantine is ended--if this is crucial to the species.

Would that same advice apply to adding more embers, lowlights, harlequin rasboras?

 

[Byron]

Would that same advice apply to adding more embers, lowlights, harlequin rasboras?

Yes, absolutely. All shoaling species should be added as a group together, there are no exceptions. I did mention two reasons, one being the possible hierarchy/territorial issue which is without any question strong in some fish like loaches, cichlids, barbs, some tetras, etc. I cold say much more on this topic, if asked.

The other reason though involves the comfort level of the fish. Groups of 10 or 12 or 15 if added together will without question be less stressed than a group of three, or four, or five. There is clear scientific evidence of this. And no aquarist should ever ignore possible stress issues, given that ich will not occur without the fish being stressed, and the same applies to over 90% of all disease in aquarium fish. I have an article on stress on @AbbeysDad blog, here:

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[Alice B]

I did not buy enough red eyes initially as the quarantine tank was young and recently set up, I bought 5, and added my last living red eye who was quite old to them. moved to the 55, assume 2 of the 5 jumped, no body found, unless the clown plec ate them. or the female bristlenose. so I had 3 young, one old, no one really swimming together, then a cold front and lost power last week killed off the last old one. Remaining 3 just look confused. I don't know how they will like a dozen new buddies, but they aren't liking the low numbers for sure, but not nipping either.

 

[Alice B]

I am not sure this is boredom. There is no food on the surface.

 

[JuiceBox52]

I

I am not sure this is boredom. There is no food on the surface.

s the tank well oxygenated?

 

[Alice B]

could maybe use a bit more.

 

[Byron]

I am not sure this is boredom. There is no food on the surface.

No, that is a serious issue. I will not guess as to what, but when I had fish behaving like this they did not last long. The fish on the right has a definitely inability to swim upright, and that could be an internal issue or water issue. Internal protozoan can cause this, as can internal injury.

 

[Alice B]

I increased aeration temporarily, 2 are upright again, 3rd is struggling. Instead of buying more, moving the catfish out of the quarantine tank and putting these 3 in. the older one exhibited similar symptoms after a power outage for an hour stopped filtration and heat last week, and died (in a saltwater dip I put him in because it seemed a safe treatment) but I think he would have died anyway. No ich. Temporary chilling? yes there has been less aeration as it cools the tank a lot so I had turned off the external filter, it's back on now We had a little mini winter here

 

[Alice B]

Fish are moved. Catfish in the 40, although the Buenos Aires tetras in there were bothering them they do have caves. I turned the light out for a few hours. 3 red eyes in the 10. They quarantined in the 10 that I started from scratch for them I think, this past spring. Didn't lose anyone during quarantine. My levamisole finally came in a week or so ago, haven't tried it. Definitely not buying more red eyes right now

 

[Byron]

Fish are moved. Catfish in the 40, although the Buenos Aires tetras in there were bothering them they do have caves. I turned the light out for a few hours. 3 red eyes in the 10. They quarantined in the 10 that I started from scratch for them I think, this past spring. Didn't lose anyone during quarantine. My levamisole finally came in a week or so ago, haven't tried it. Definitely not buying more red eyes right now

A good decision in my view. I thought previously that there could be a problem integrating a new group with the existing three, so that is now avoided. It may not have ended well, difficult to say. The effect of too small a number on any shoaling species is difficult for many to understand, but it is real and it is significant. When fish are hesitant to eat because there are only five of them instead of ten, that should tell all of us something. And this is not your situation, it is a general comment on the scientific fact of the effect of too few fish.

 

[Alice B]

I am not certain that they are not ill. 2 out of 3 are swimming well again, oxygen level is higher in the 10, temp about the same, pH around 7.2 or 7.3. No ammonia or nitrites. When I quarantined the red eyes I believe I bought 5 or 6, 5 made it out of quarantine, plus the old one from my hex tank, who was part of an orphan group from another fishkeeper and I'd had a year or so. It was he that died after the power outage. If they are ill it's an internal parasite or something that only affects tetras.

 

[Alice B]

I dosed them with metronidazole and praziquantel today. I don't see an improvement. Prazi is a one time dose, if they are alive I will redose metro on Monday

 

[Byron]

I dosed them with metronidazole and praziquantel today. I don't see an improvement. Prazi is a one time dose, if they are alive I will redose metro on Monday

I don't have much to say on drugs/antibiotics, but metronidazole is one I used twice for internal protozoan and it is extremely effective. However, I understood from the marine biologist who suggested it that it is much less effective in the water because it has difficulty diffusing across the cell membranes, so it is much more effective added to the food. Use any flake food you want, mix some metronidazole in with the food in a plastic bag that can bee sealed, and the flakes will assimilate the antibiotic. Feed only this food for ten days. Like most antibiotics, it takes several days before it begins to take effect, hence the ten day feeding. With no other food so the fish are forced to eat the drugged food. They may even eat some of the metro as they feed, that's fine.

 

[Alice B]

Metro is sort of an anti-parasitic, and it will work sometimes if they are not eating, these are a bit past eating, I do not expect survivors. Won't be adding anyone to the 55 til I figure out what's up. If it's Neon Tetra disease, 6 weeks without tetras and it dies off. Be that long at least til I buy any fish