pendragon
Fish Crazy
Tetras are fine fish - in fact most of them are quite hardy, although there are a few exceptions - but like any fish they can be sick and/or stressed when you get them, and they will fall prone to problems if their environment is not maintained as it should be.
Tetras are especially popular with beginners, who haven't had the time to develop their aquarist skills yet. Some tetras certainly do come straight from the LFS with problems too great to overcome, but IMHO often problems with tetras stem from the inexperience, misjudgement, or negligence of the fishkeeper, not the fish. No offense meant to any beginners out there - we all learn sometime.
Unfortunately, some species of tetras (most prominantly neons - and if there is a glaring exception to the hardiness of tetras, IMHO, it is neons) are mass-bred at fish farms for sheer quantity with little regard for quality or long-term health. Such fish are typically raised in water saturated with antibiotics and other medicines in less than ideal conditions, and are of frail health. Luckily, this is not the case with the majority of (non-neon) tetras. So while it is possible to get a "bad" tetra (just as it is possible to get a "bad" any fish), most of them are not this way, and will do quite well with the proper care, just like any fish. I happen to be quite fond of tetras, and IME they're anything but frail or unhealthy. I've had exceedingly good experience with them. As with all things, YMMV - but I certainly wouldn't go so far as to generalize tetras as frail, weak fish.
Sorry, didn't mean to get on my soapbox. B)
pendragon!
Tetras are especially popular with beginners, who haven't had the time to develop their aquarist skills yet. Some tetras certainly do come straight from the LFS with problems too great to overcome, but IMHO often problems with tetras stem from the inexperience, misjudgement, or negligence of the fishkeeper, not the fish. No offense meant to any beginners out there - we all learn sometime.
Unfortunately, some species of tetras (most prominantly neons - and if there is a glaring exception to the hardiness of tetras, IMHO, it is neons) are mass-bred at fish farms for sheer quantity with little regard for quality or long-term health. Such fish are typically raised in water saturated with antibiotics and other medicines in less than ideal conditions, and are of frail health. Luckily, this is not the case with the majority of (non-neon) tetras. So while it is possible to get a "bad" tetra (just as it is possible to get a "bad" any fish), most of them are not this way, and will do quite well with the proper care, just like any fish. I happen to be quite fond of tetras, and IME they're anything but frail or unhealthy. I've had exceedingly good experience with them. As with all things, YMMV - but I certainly wouldn't go so far as to generalize tetras as frail, weak fish.
Sorry, didn't mean to get on my soapbox. B)
pendragon!
