Tetra question..........

sazash

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i was under the impression that Neon Tetra were hardy fish but within 4 days of buying them, 2 have died. :(

we are 'cycling' the tank at the mo and are on day 3 of treating for white spot... could the tetra have succumbed to the white spot??? -_-

the gourami which looked like suffering from W.S is looking much better ;)


Sara

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:
 
Neon tetras are not at all as hardy as they're often made out to be. They're quite demanding about water quality and are not suited for cycling a tank. Don't get any more of them until the tank is cycled, they'll probably not survive it.

Hope you get the white spot under control.
 
Neons are not hardy fish. They drop like flies even in a cycled tank. In an uncycled tank they are most likely going to die. If you are treating the tank for Ich (white spot) than the tank isn't cycling at all so the neons are under even more stress. The medication for Ich kills off the good bacteria that cycle the tank.
 
so where am i upto with 'cycling' then -_-

tank has been filled for 2 weeks, 4 Danio went in, 1 died and 1 returned. :(

after 1 week, shop tested a water sample; OK, :thumbs: so then bought the shrimp. platy, gourami and tetra. also did a 10 % water change on same day.

Noticed the white spot on Wednesday, so have treated the water since Thursday, 1 more treatment due on Tuesday then course complete. 2 tetra have died since Wednesday the last being yesterday. :(

so using the treatment has messed up the 'cycling', has it??? :sad:


Sara

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:
 
HI, I think i read somewhere that the nitrite levels would peak at week three
i, personnally am going to add only one sort of fish at a time, although i don't know whether this makes a difference or not, then once settled will add more,with a 3 week break inbetween, this might help me to determine which fish was diseased and how long i had it so that i can return it to shop and start demanding stuff!!?
Whether any of this will work or not???
Love Mollie x x x
 
Mollie, that depends on whether you're doing a fishless cycle or not. After a fishless cycle it's best to add the full stock immediately, so that the bacteria you already have will get enough ammonia and nitrite for them to survive. After cycling with fish you should add a few fish at a time and let the bacteria grow to sufficient amounts in between. I won't recommend cycling with fish, and besides, I'm not sure if you get a refund after buying diseased fish. The staff can't be sure if it's their fish or a disease you already had in your tank (or they can at least claim that).
 
sazash said:
so using the treatment has messed up the 'cycling', has it??? :sad:
depends what you use
some claim not to harm the benficial bacteria - the one i used said that and my water stayed stable throughout treatment - my tetra also died after the white spot cleared up :-(

only way to know for sure where you are in the cycle is to get a water test done - either buy your own kit or pay/ask an lfs to test it

if ammonia, and nitrite are at 0, and nitrate is low then you should be ok
ammonia & nitrite at zero with a hight nitrate (>40 mg/l) you should maybe wait a while or add more plants - they can use the nitrates up

if you are waiting, remember to keep adding a source of ammonia to keep the cycle going
 
I just wanted to add that with Tetras, you have to be very careful to read the instructions on the meds that you put in your tanks. Most meds say to half dose for scaless fish, and for tetras. I have found that the skirt tetras are pretty hardy, i have 1 that is now 6 yrs old, but when adding any meds to the water, I have to cut the dose in half. Hope I have been some help.
Sandy
 

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