Tetra's and Angel Dying off

caymangolfer · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 2:05 am Post subject: Tetra's and Angel Dying off

Hello All

I have had no success keeping Tetra's of the Neon variety. I have had 6 die off in a very short time. The tank has been established for nearly a year. The ammonia is normal, the pH was a little alkaline 7.5, but I have read that they can survive more alkaline water though they prefer around neutral. Then an Angel died too, my other tetra's are fine (not sure the variety as my son got them for me as is another Angel and my Algae feeder Plecostomus (sp) is very fit.

Is there anything I should be specifically testing for? One thing that i noticed and this could very well be the problem the filter in my filtration system (Topfin 30) became clogged and the water was not circulating very well, but otherwise everything is well. I have no live plants at this time and there were no new fish.

Cheers

Hooben · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 2:15 am Post subject:

Hi,
Welcome to Auspet! Sorry about your loss...

Was the ammonia level at 0? We need to know the nitrate and nitrite levels as well. Also if you could please let us know the size of the tank that is in question. The tank was established for nearly a year with what type of fish?
You will be relieved to know that for some reason I find the neon tetra in general to a not so healthy choice. They tend to die off easily and require a very soft water only achieved through peat in you filters.
Your filter being clogged may have helped the demise of you little friends too!

Let us know the details!
Cool

arcticfox · Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2004 7:14 am Post subject:

Ive kept neon tetras for over 40 years along with other fish in community tanks,I find they live about 3 years,but if you buy them all the same age they will all die off about the same time,the best way to buy them I find is in batches of about a dozen and as small as possible,and do a water change the day before introducing them to the tank,there is nothing quite so attractive as a shoal of neons in my opinion,the cardinals too are a good option Smile

Hope your tank is quite sizeable those plecs grow very big in quite a short time,as for angels they are really best kept on their own I find because as they grow bigger they tend to become very cantankerous(bit like humans I suppose ) Wink

caymangolfer · Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 8:06 pm Post subject:

Hello All

I was having a problem with gettingon here. I tested the water for Chlorine, 0ppm, Nitrites 0ppm, and pH 7.5, I have since brought the pH back to neutral, replaced the filter, changed out the water, broke a heater and the one remaining Tetra that I have is now not looking like it is on death's door.

In fact my fish seem to be a lot more lively now than they were in the past. My consensus is that the water needed to have been changed out before adding those extra Neons, the filter clog caused their to be little water flow and stagnated the water, though it looks like the levels were normal for CH and Nitrites.

The tank is a 30 Gallon, the Pleco is a medium size one and is doing his job, should I buy an aerating stone or such like device to get the water aerated?

In the future I think i need to keep a better eye on the filter and rigorously change the water, I got a bit slack the last few months.

Thanks for your tips and suggestions.

Cheers

Paul

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3436

You also need to test the water for ammonia & nitrAte. Also, unless you pH is really extreme (ie less than 6 or greater than Cool

it's really best to just leave it alone. Fluctuating pH is a lot more harmful than a pH that is slightly off. When you "replaced the filter", did you replace all of the media at once? If you did, you just made your problems worse since the filter media contains a vast majority of your beneficial bacteria and the tank will have to cycle again which means you're going to get toxic levels of ammonia & nitrIte.

As for water changes, once the tank is cycled, just keep an eye on your nitrAte level. Anytime it gets above 20ppm do a water change (probably end up being once every week or two). And when the filter starts looking like it's clogged, don't throw away the media and replace it with new. Just swish it around in a bucket of tank water (NOT tap water) to get all the gunk off of it.

-Chelle

caymangolfer · Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 3:18 pm Post subject:

Ok, Nitrate as well eh? I will have to go buy a test for that today. Ammonia seems to be ok 0ppm in my every otherday test. I know I lost the bacteria, next time I will swish it, thats a good idea. I haven't been monkeying much with the pH, it is down to 7.0-7.2 and it never got over 7.6. I presume slightly alkaline is preferred over acidic?

Thanks for the help. I will let the tank cycle and get back to normal before adding any more.

Cheers