Should I Just Give Up On Neons?

[HYJ]

Hi, I have a 5 gallon aquarium.. and I set it up more than a month ago.

According to the different water testings I've done at different pet stores, there seems to be no problem with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The ph is 7.0

the two male guppies in the tank are doing fine.. no problem at all.

However, the neons... they just die and die. I added 3 and then another 3 to make the number 6, but they die, so I replace them, they die again... it goes over and over again.

Yet I don't have any problem with the water condition according to the water test. Now I am left with 2 neons and 2 male guppies in the tank

I don't know why I have this problem..because few years ago, I had 9 neons in a different 5 gallon tank, and I had no problem with them.

I really wanted to stock my tank with 6 neons and 2 male guppies.. but I think I might have to give up on this..

In this case, what other small fish can I keep?

Are glowlights and harlequen rasboras hardier than neons?

If so, which ones are more hardier? Do they also need to be in groups of 6? Will 4 of them be ok too? I heard they get bigger than neons.

 

[bagu]

have the neons acted wierd before they died?

mine did, they would almost go "blind" and then just fail to swim =(

after a week or so, after fully stablisied, they were fine =D

 

[HYJ]

have the neons acted wierd before they died?

mine did, they would almost go "blind" and then just fail to swim =(

after a week or so, after fully stablisied, they were fine =D

Nope they didn't act weird before dying. They were fine, but then when I looked at the tank few hours later I would see a dead neon..

 

[Christi_22]

Hi, I have a 5 gallon aquarium.. and I set it up more than a month ago.

According to the different water testings I've done at different pet stores, there seems to be no problem with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The ph is 7.0

the two male guppies in the tank are doing fine.. no problem at all.

However, the neons... they just die and die. I added 3 and then another 3 to make the number 6, but they die, so I replace them, they die again... it goes over and over again.

Yet I don't have any problem with the water condition according to the water test. Now I am left with 2 neons and 2 male guppies in the tank

I don't know why I have this problem..because few years ago, I had 9 neons in a different 5 gallon tank, and I had no problem with them.

I really wanted to stock my tank with 6 neons and 2 male guppies.. but I think I might have to give up on this..

In this case, what other small fish can I keep?

Are glowlights and harlequen rasboras hardier than neons?

If so, which ones are more hardier? Do they also need to be in groups of 6? Will 4 of them be ok too? I heard they get bigger than neons.

Hi there

I think a 5 gallon is too small for a shoal of Tetras and 2 Guppies. I have 1 Betta in mine (and I still think its a bit on the small size)

Also, did you cycle the tank? I would get a home testing kit and double check the water parameters. What is the water temperature?

C

 

[petertr]

The LFS say your water is ok. But what, EXACTLY were the readings?

 

[cooldude]

The fish tank may not have finished cycling. Note that Ammonia and Nitrite should be 0ppm. Nitrate close to 0 if having a planted aquarium.
Neons can survive only in a fully cycled aquarium.

See the following link to see how I setup my aquarium.

[URL="http/aquarium-setup.blogspot.com/"]http/aquarium-setup.blogspot.com/[/URL]

 

[Gilli]

Neons should onlybe added to a fully mature tank - if your tank is only 1 month old its probably not cycled yet.

If you are going to keep fish you will need to get yourself a water testing kit then you will know where you are going wrong.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, I agree with many of the above comments. Its really two separate problems. First is the cycling problem and second is the tank age problem.

I'll take the second one first. Neon tetras and Cardinal tetras are among a small group of tropicals that hobbyists have pretty definatively decided need to be introduced to a tank that's been running for a while. The typical advice here on the forum is to wait a full 6 months (!) after the tank has been cycled before you introduce them. The reason(s) for this is not known, its doesn't necessarily have to do with cycling. There are untold numbers of organic and trace element things going on in a tank that we find too difficult or expensive to measure.

The first problem is more fundamental. You might think you are getting good professional advice when you take your water in to be tested by your LFS, but unfortunately, while the test kit they use may be good, the randomness and whims of the people reporting the results to you can take away the most essential information. Often results will be reported as "fine" when in fact they would warrant serious action if reported here in our forum.

For that reason, its recommended that one of the first and most important items a beginner needs is a good liquid-reagent test kit. Most of us here like and use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. We learn how to take the tests and interpret the results by interacting here with the members. The whole subject of the Nitrogen Cycle is quite fascinating and we have some really good pinned articles at the top of the forum here to get you into this.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[HYJ]

Yes, I agree with many of the above comments. Its really two separate problems. First is the cycling problem and second is the tank age problem.

I'll take the second one first. Neon tetras and Cardinal tetras are among a small group of tropicals that hobbyists have pretty definatively decided need to be introduced to a tank that's been running for a while. The typical advice here on the forum is to wait a full 6 months (!) after the tank has been cycled before you introduce them. The reason(s) for this is not known, its doesn't necessarily have to do with cycling. There are untold numbers of organic and trace element things going on in a tank that we find too difficult or expensive to measure.

The first problem is more fundamental. You might think you are getting good professional advice when you take your water in to be tested by your LFS, but unfortunately, while the test kit they use may be good, the randomness and whims of the people reporting the results to you can take away the most essential information. Often results will be reported as "fine" when in fact they would warrant serious action if reported here in our forum.

For that reason, its recommended that one of the first and most important items a beginner needs is a good liquid-reagent test kit. Most of us here like and use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. We learn how to take the tests and interpret the results by interacting here with the members. The whole subject of the Nitrogen Cycle is quite fascinating and we have some really good pinned articles at the top of the forum here to get you into this.

~~waterdrop~~

Thnks for all the reply. But according to the test results from different pet stores, both ammonia and nitrite was 0.. so I thought the tank was fully cycled..

 

[waterdrop]

Well after a month it might indeed be cycled, but its just not a thing you usually want to trust in my opinion. Did you fishless cycle with ammonia or were the neons providing the ammonia?

 

[HYJ]

Well after a month it might indeed be cycled, but its just not a thing you usually want to trust in my opinion. Did you fishless cycle with ammonia or were the neons providing the ammonia?

I used two male guppies to provide the ammonia. I had them for 3 weeks or so before introducing the neons.

I introduced the neons after I checked that both ammoni and nitrite were 0

BTW the temperature is set for 26 Celcius

 

[waterdrop]

Any idea of your water hardness? neons like very soft water, low pH

 

[HYJ]

Any idea of your water hardness? neons like very soft water, low pH

I don't know about water hardiness.. but the PH was around 6.8 when I tested the water today

 

[waterdrop]

I hate to say it but I'd put it down to the tank needing to be more mature for these fish. My first tank was a 5.5 gallon in the late 1950's and I have a soft spot for that size and I love neons so I feel for ya! Having somewhat more experience now I tend to agree with one of the earlier comments that these tetras feel more comfortable with a minimum school of 6 or 8, and could use more room. But on the other hand, what the heck are you going to put in a 5 if not neons? They certainly aren't going to grow too much on you! Maybe you could get interested in plants for a while and just have the 2 guppies until the tank has aged for more months. I suppose its also possible your LFS source is just getting bad neons for now, so maybe that would change over time or you could use a different LFS some months from now.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[vinylman]

Well after a month it might indeed be cycled, but its just not a thing you usually want to trust in my opinion. Did you fishless cycle with ammonia or were the neons providing the ammonia?

I used two male guppies to provide the ammonia. I had them for 3 weeks or so before introducing the neons.

I introduced the neons after I checked that both ammoni and nitrite were 0

BTW the temperature is set for 26 Celcius

You need to bear in mind, too, that any fish used to cycle a tank will be exposed to Ammonia, and will have permanent gill damage, shortening their lives. As has been said, both Cardinal and Neon Tetras shouldn't be added to a tank until at least 4 months AFTER the cycle has finished. 5G isn't really big enough to give any group of fish decent swimming space, which is what most fish need. Have you room for at least a 10G?. You could then use the 5G for either a single Betta, or a selection of Shrimp.