neon tetra help

thanks for all your help!
should i get more tetras?
what other fish would be ok to put in with them (if any)?

i also have a 10g tank and plan to set that one up again too. only thing is..i had one fish in there for about 8 years. he died one month ago. im really not sure what kind of fish it was, i was young and was told it was a feeder goldfish and wont last too long. my father was with me (he hates pets and didnt want to be there) so he said that was fine and we left. i kept the 2 i got in a bowl and the other one died a couple weeks after we got him. when i read up about tanks i set up that 10g and had it for a very long time. i just think it was his time to go. what should i clean the tank with to make sure its ok for new fish?
 
kerrid said:
i bought "API freshwater master test kit"
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
ph 7.6 (is this ok?)
nitrate about 5 (should it be higher?)
temp is 74
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with your water parameters, however the temperature is too low. For the fish you have you want the temperature between 76-79.
Your PH is just fine for most fish.
Nitrates should be kept as low as possible once your tank is cycled.


Fish can die weeks or even a couple months after cycling, even while appearing fine during the cycle. Cycling can drastically shorten their lifespan while showing no immediate effects. Between the stress of cycling and low temps it may have gotten to them.

Disease is a possibility, but unless they were showing outward signs before death there's no way of telling what it was.

Someone else mentioned aggression from one of your other fish, that's also a possibility.

Just a note: You mentioned you bought a pleco. If it's a common pleco they can reach 3 feet in length.
 
the heater i bought is automatically set to 78 and says its ok for a 20g tank, but oviously its not because the water always stays at 74. what should i do about this?
 
kerrid said:
the heater i bought is automatically set to 78 and says its ok for a 20g tank, but oviously its not because the water always stays at 74. what should i do about this?
Click to expand...

I would get a heater that is adjustable.

The best bet is a subermsible. Visitherm Stealth heaters are a good choice. They're plastic and can't shatter like glass.
They also seem to be fairly accurate, though you will have to watch the temperature closely and make adjustments because almost no heater is spot on.

I have one of those automatic heaters like you have in my turtle tank. It's only in around 5 gallons of water since the tank isn't full of water and it only keeps it at 75. I definately wouldn't suggest these for tropical fish.
 
I had the same thing happen to all of my neon tetras - they ended up "stuck" to the filter. Several people I have talked to said that this was quite common and had happened to them as well. I was going to replace them in my bigger tank, but was persuaded not to for the time being by the PetSmart guy. They need to be drip acclimated, and are apparently quite difficult to keep. They (the PetSmart fish people) all agreed that they shouldn't be labelled as for beginners (which I am!), and should wait until I had more experience and an older tank. I must admit, as my LFS, they are great, and have given me invaluable advice, even steering my away from buying products and fish.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom