I think someones killing my Neon's

TL1000RSquid · Oct 2, 2011

For the last couple weeks I've been losing neons like crazy, I should note I just started trying to keep them a couple weeks ago also. I believe I've lost 9 total now. When I lost the first few I chalked it up to crappy quality fish from the store(but now I've bought from 2 different LFS) after getting them the next day I had to ditch one due to NTD, the rest never showed any signs of NTD but I'd keep finding 1 or 2 stuck to the filter intake dead in the morning or after work. Yesterday the remaining 3 were all swimming around happily then with in an hour one was dead on the intake. I don't think its natural anymore. Can't be my cories, snails, ghost shrimp, or otto's which leaves me with 4 suspects, 1 female betta who I've never observed showing any aggression towards them, and 3 black kuhli loaches who are suppose to be peaceful but I've observed one kill shrimp. The 2 survivors are from the first group of them I bought and full grown, all the others weren't quite full size yet.

Water tests have all been good, ph around 7.3

Thoughts, sucky fish or murder?

stephcps · Oct 2, 2011

I actually think it still may be natural. Generally speaking....anywhere you go the stock is crappy. I had to buy prob 25 to get a good school of 10. One of the reasons they are so cheap!

PumpkinPie · Oct 2, 2011

I was looking at buying some neons before getting the fish that I have now and was reading that they are extremely hard to keep alive once you get them home from the store. So sorry yours are dying like crazy.

nerdyrcdriver · Oct 2, 2011

I was amazed to find that neons are hard to keep. I remember my great grandmother had a neon tetra (soul servivor, he was pretty old too) in a 10ish gallon tank with a pp and j sandwich from my little cousin, way too much food, underpowered filter, and it only got cleaned once a year. That fish was tough. But I was told they used to be really hardy until they were bread from popularity. But I have 3 neon tetras and two guppies in a 5g tank. We bought two at first, one died on the intake. We bought two more for the total of three. Been living fine now for a month. Im not saying im lasy and dont care for my fish, but im not the best caretaker. I am a total newb to all of this. I also have two larger species of neons (idk what they are) in my 10g tank to help cycle it. They seem to be very hardy.

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with neons. I beleive that they are possibly dying from natural causes. what size are they when you get them? Do you notice them swimming like straight down? (my most common sign of a dying fish) There is no reason that a healty neon (even my little tetras) couldnt outswim a filter. I have seen my neons go very slowly and leisurly past my filter with no problems. Granted mine is only 45gph for the 5g tank.

sorry this is so rambly and such. I hope that I left you something good in there.

oo7genie · Oct 2, 2011

None of your fish are known for aggression towards other peaceful community fish. When you say water tests have been good, do you mean no ammonia, no nitrite, and low nitrate? How big is the tank?

nerdyrcdriver · Oct 2, 2011

If one had ntd, then odds are any from the same store were in a tank with that one for some time. If any more die and you go to replace them I would try a different store if you have another one other than the two you already went to. Or at least not the one that fish came from.

TL1000RSquid · Oct 2, 2011

nerdyrcdriver said:
I was amazed to find that neons are hard to keep. I remember my great grandmother had a neon tetra (soul servivor, he was pretty old too) in a 10ish gallon tank with a pp and j sandwich from my little cousin, way too much food, underpowered filter, and it only got cleaned once a year. That fish was tough. But I was told they used to be really hardy until they were bread from popularity. But I have 3 neon tetras and two guppies in a 5g tank. We bought two at first, one died on the intake. We bought two more for the total of three. Been living fine now for a month. Im not saying im lasy and dont care for my fish, but im not the best caretaker. I am a total newb to all of this. I also have two larger species of neons (idk what they are) in my 10g tank to help cycle it. They seem to be very hardy.

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with neons. I beleive that they are possibly dying from natural causes. what size are they when you get them? Do you notice them swimming like straight down? (my most common sign of a dying fish) There is no reason that a healty neon (even my little tetras) couldnt outswim a filter. I have seen my neons go very slowly and leisurly past my filter with no problems. Granted mine is only 45gph for the 5g tank.

sorry this is so rambly and such. I hope that I left you something good in there.

Yes I've read they' can be difficult. Back when I was young I dont recall having any real problems I remember having a school of them in an overstocked 10g. Other then the single one who I removed that appeared to have NTD I saw no signs the fish were having problems, the rest swam fine and the colors looked good.

My main reason I began to suspect it wasn't natural was the single one who went from swimming happily with the others to dead in about an hour, that just seemed as little odd to me. All the ones who died were around 1"-1.25" the 2 who have made it since the begining are maybe a hair under 2"

Do yours school with the guppies? If these 2 guys keep living I'll need to get them some friends I know neons are suppose to be kept 5-6 minimum but I'm ready to throw in the towel and find a different small schooling breed.

TL1000RSquid · Oct 2, 2011

oo7genie said:
None of your fish are known for aggression towards other peaceful community fish. When you say water tests have been good, do you mean no ammonia, no nitrite, and low nitrate? How big is the tank?

Correct just the basic freshwater tests. Its a planted 40B thats been running since this past January. Current contents are the 2 neons, 1 female betta, 3 albino cories, 1 peppered cory, 3 black kuhli's, 3 otto's, unknown number of ghost shrimp, a couple mystery snails, a bunch of MTS.

TL1000RSquid · Oct 2, 2011

nerdyrcdriver said:
If one had ntd, then odds are any from the same store were in a tank with that one for some time. If any more die and you go to replace them I would try a different store if you have another one other than the two you already went to. Or at least not the one that fish came from.

I didn't see any signs of NTD on any of the other 2 that died from that batch, and 2 are still alive out of that group, my 2nd batch came from another store, none survived from the 2nd group.

nerdyrcdriver · Oct 2, 2011

Ok, mine were really shy at first. (like the first month) They stayed at the bottom and hid behind a castle. Then two of them became social and started rising to the top and using the full space. One still stayed at the bottom behind the castle. Then about a week and a half ago he started to stay up at the top next to the powerhead. He seemed skinny and small. Now within the last few days he began schooling well with the other two neons and he is a good size now. Kind of funny the guppies used to always be first to the top of the tank for food. Now the neons are

I think part of my situation was I had a zebra danio in with them. He picked on them a lot. The guppies and neons seem to get along just fine. Once in a while I will see a guppy chase a neon around then the neon turns back and chases the guppy. They seem to be playing as they dont ever hit each other or get close enough to bite each other. I know that the neons are plenty fast to do it. One sec they are here the next sec they are somewhere else.

Now that I have re-read it, yours does seam to be odd. I know my single guy who died seemed fine at about 5, then at about 8 I realized he died. But my neons seem to take no effort to get past the intake. So he must of died and got stuck to it. he could have been killed by the danio though. I would suspect someone in your tank to be doing it then.


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I think someones killing my Neon's

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