New tank, dead tetra... Suggestions?

[lanoit]

We just started a 45 gallon tank. The first week we had 3 neon tetras and an algae eater. Within a couple of days the algae eater and one tetra died. We replaced those with 3 green fire tetras. When I put one of the tertas in the tank I noticed that he had a damaged lower tail fin, and he always had troubles swimming. He lived for 2 days and this morning I found him dead against the filter suction. I had the water tested and it's fine. A little high on pH but nothing dangerous. (I treated to lower the pH.) I feed them flake food, and I break it up into tiny pieces before putting it in.

Here's my problems:

1. Don't tetras ever eat from the surface? I thought they did. Mine never do.

2. The neon tetras have gotten pretty good at getting food, but I'm concerned because I've never seen the green fire tetras eat. I've had them for about 3 days.

3. The green fire tetras spend an awful lot of time at the surface. Not gasping, just floating around at the very top.

4. The green fire tetras keep fluttering their tail and top fins, all the time, even when they're sitting there. Is this normal.

Help! It's really depressing to lose fish.

Thanks.

 

[tomm10]

Is the tank cycled? You say the water is "fine" but that doesn't give us much. What are the ammonia, nitrite, ph levels and temp of the water?

I'd recommend against using ph altering products. They are very temporary and will expose your fish to ph fluctuations that will be far more stressful than a constant high or low ph.

 

[OrionGirl]

Have you read the threads on cycling? Can you test for ammonia/nitrite? Right now, these are much more important than the pH. Attempting to modify the pH isn't a great idea--the fish can acclimate to a high/low pH, but one that is fluctuating wildly from chemical additions is very bad for them. Also, those chemicals don't result in water that is similar to the 'wild' conditions of the fish, no matter what the pH might be. How often are you doing maintenance and water changes?

So--

1. No, they tend to eat from the water column, not the surface. Look at their mouth--it's out in front of them, not angled upwards like a surface feeders.

2. Do the green fire's try to eat? Are they chased away? The cycling that's happening is pretty rough on fish, and this could be reducing their appetite significantly as well.

3. Do you have lots of cover for them?

4. Moving fins to remain in one spot in a current is perfectly normal.

 

[lanoit]

It should be cycled by now. Nil on chlorine. Ammonia and nitrite levels were very low, the temp is about 74-76. pH was pushing 7.8. Alkaline levels were high, but probably because we have hard water.

 

[lanoit]

Ok, thanks. I should get some more cover for them, I think. I've got a large fake log int there and a few fake plants, but I imagine they would like a few more things. Maybe a floating plant?

The green fires don't even seem interested in eating... They don't go for the food when it floats down at all. The neons zip all over the place getting everything they can.

 

[tomm10]

It should be cycled by now. Nil on chlorine. Ammonia and nitrite levels were very low, the temp is about 74-76. pH was pushing 7.8. Alkaline levels were high, but probably because we have hard water.

7.8 is fine for ph.

How did you cycle the tank? How long? I ask because there really aren't any acceptable levels of ammonia or nitrites. Zero is pretty much the only number you want.

 

[lanoit]

Well, first I let the thing run before adding any fish for about a week to remove the chlorine from the water. I've added the stress zyme stuff according to specification, and I've been testing the water frequently. Only added a few fish right up front. The ammonia and nitirites were non existant according to the test kit.

Am I missing something?

 

[lanoit]

Mental note, by the way - don't listen to the high school kid at Petsmart. He's the one who panicked about the pH level.

I'm a chemical engineer and I should have known better.

 

[tomm10]

Am I missing something?

Yup. A cycle

Cycling refers to the establishment of a bacterial colony in the tank that converts the fish waste (ammonia) into nitrites and then into the less harmful nitrates. Ammonia and nitrites are both poisonous to fish in small amounts. If this colony does not exist to convert these poisons into the less dangerous nitrates, you'll get dead fish.

Cycling occurs naturally with fish in the tank but it takes time (4-6 weeks with fish in the tank). Do a search on the site for cycling and you'l learn all about it.

My guess would be your fish are stressed due to the levels of ammonia and/or nitrites in the tank.

 

[tomm10]

Mental note, by the way - don't listen to the high school kid at Petsmart. He's the one who panicked about the pH level.

I'm a chemical engineer and I should have known better.

Yeah, if you haven't already, buy a test kit. They're not too expensive and you'll use it. I'd recommend tests for ammonia, nitrite, ph, nitrate and gh and kh.