Tetra Not Dying

[kevarms]

Yes, I know...the idea is they don't die but something happened I've never seen before.

One of my 3 neons died earlier in the week after spending a couple of days swimming listlessly on it's side. Another one seemed to be going the same way yesterday, except it was swimming like a corkscrew and quite quickly. I checked just before I went to bed and it was like the first one... on it's side and just about moving. I fully expected it to have died during the night but, miraculously, this morning it seems to have made a full recovery.

Can anybody shed any light? I've just moved house and the fish are temporarily in a much smaller aquarium than normal, along with 5 redeyes, a flying fox and a small pleco. All the other fish seem quite normal. I have had the neons for close on 2 years. What is their lifespan?

TIA
Kevin

 

[n3ont3tra]

It sounds like the neons were suffering from swim bladder. Try feeding them a pea or two. It helps clear their digestive track, which is one of the causes of swimbladder issues. Neons should live about 3-4 years, maybe longer.

 

[fearce]

Stressed due to the move and change?

 

[kevarms]

Thanks for the suggestions. The fish turned their noses up at the pea I put in, in fact I thought I was going to lose both my neons. I put them all back in the big aquarium as soon as it was ready and they are now all doing well. The flying fox seems to be quite traumatised by the moving around though. He spends all the time hiding in his little cave. He was always extremely active before.