View Full Version : Lemon tetra death
Hi, Lemon tetras just started dying in my tank. I had 8 healthy adult tetras, I bought another 10 young tetras, after the first night 6 of the new tetras died, the next day the last 4 died, now the 3 third day my adult tetras are dying which I have had for almost a year. The tank is a 50 G. The 3 zebra daninos are fine. Some sort of disease?
KarlTh
06-08-2010, 5:57 AM
Most likely. Quarantine.
tanker
06-08-2010, 4:37 PM
Strange. My initial guess was weak stock, but now your adults are dying?? was there any symtoms?? Did only one adult die?? Any other fish beside the danios??
cobfreak
06-08-2010, 9:58 PM
So you had just 8 tetras in the tank prior to adding the new ones? Couldn't that many additional fish have caused a mini cycle? Have you checked your readings?
jm1212
06-08-2010, 10:53 PM
Adding that many fish a once probably caused a mini cycle, depending on the size of your tank. What are your water parameters?
I dont have a test kit, there is no market for fish here, I have to order everything from South Africa.
There are only 3 adult lemons left now, I only have two khuli's and 3 daninos, its just the lemons that are dying, one at a time they go hide by the filter then later die, while the other lemons sim around undisturbed then suddenly the next one goes to hide, ect... I put the fish in on sat now only three fish left on wed. I think the tank is big enough for 10 young tetras not to cause sudden death, there is also alot of hornwort floating in the tank.
jbradt
06-09-2010, 3:33 AM
I agree with a probable mini-cycle. If you can't get a test kit, you can't go wrong with some extra water changes for a little bit until things get back under control. You could also smell the tank... an amonia smell coming from the water column is a bad sign.
Tank smells fine, other fish fine, just lemons affected
Fishfriend1
06-09-2010, 7:25 AM
Well, did you check behind the filter for potentially bad things/critters/other that could be there. Do the Lemons look in any way unhealthy? Don't try to make it seem better then it is, that won't help (i don't think you did/are doing that, just being sure). Also, put the fish in a bucket to see if they make it, and to keep the other fish safe from anything that could come from the dead fish.
Fish have stopped dying just 3 tetras left of 18 :( Tank is critter free. The lemons showed no signs of illness other than waiting by the filter, the upper eye was bright ruby like it should be and the fins yellow and black, they just died in their tracks. Before I try again I will get hold of a test kit and quarantine tank so his does not happen again
tanker
06-10-2010, 11:01 AM
Yes, Sorry and GOOD LUCK.
PS--Test kits needed--Ammonia, Nitrite, PH, and Nitrate
IMO--The order of importance.
iam2thecrowe
06-21-2010, 3:44 AM
I just had a similar thing happen in my tank. Its a 180 litre tank. I had changed the water, cleaned the sponge filter (not in tap water just in a bucket with tank water) and added some plants later that day. Later that night, the lemon tetras started to swim funny and die, one at a time. By the morning i had 4 dead lemon tetras. All the other fish seem ok (neons, glowlights, goramis, cory's, bristlenose, plattys). A mini cycle you think? are lemon tetras more delicate than the other fish perhaps?
Also, the tetras have been in there for a year, no new fish have been added for a while.
Cerianthus
06-21-2010, 8:49 AM
Mini-Cycle in 50G after adding 10 new tetras? If this tank were well matured tank, I stongly doubt that!
However, I will suspect your tank water condition at the time of introducing new Lemon's even though you have/had same fish in same condition for a while. Because you have same fish living in it doesnt necessary mean that water is in optimal/ideal condition new incoming fish.
Stress out new fish, due to exposure to unideal water, can promote population explosion of pathogens that maybe already present in the tank, yielding many complications/deaths in very short time.
FIsh that are already accustomed to your water condition are probably healthy enough to withstand any invaders but weakend/stress fish( new fish) may not have such high immune ability.
And as new fish become infectious, they themselves become pathogen producers and carriers, spreading more pathogens Yielding higher mortality of entire populations, sometimes in matter of hours.
No different from pathogens which affect any other living organisms, including us.