Tetras won't eat

[fishiedave]

Hello everyone-

I recently bought 4 neon tetras to go in a 10 gallon tank. I've had the tank for a week or so, so the temp was set properly, and the filter was running. My problem is that the fish won't eat anything. The pet shop recommended Wardley Total Tropical Flake Blend. We crumbled it up and put it in, and it was like the fish didn't see it...when the food sank, though, they ate it.

Well, apparently not enough of the food sank. All 4 of them are dead. I can't find one of them, and one of them looks half-eaten. The poor things were obviously starving, but nothing I did would get them to eat. Has anyone else had this happen? How did you get them to eat? We tried light on and off, flicking the water to get their attention, using the lid to get their attention....we just couldn't get the guys to eat. Any help would be appreciated, as we'd like to get more fish, but not if they're going to die again.

THanks,
-Dave

 

[ChicoRaton]

Was your tank cycled? If the fish were eating anything at all, they weren't starving. 4 neon tetras would consume a VERY small amount of food and stay healthy. They can go a week without eating a thing and be fine.

My guess is you may have been overfeeding and decomposing food led to an ammonia spike which killed your fish.

If you're not sure if your tank was cycled or not, read the "cycle" sticky at the top of this forum. Cycling is a MUST when starting any new tank.

Hope that helps. It might seem like there's a lot of information to get down at first, but it's pretty simple once you get it figured out.

Good luck!

 

[Copper]

Yeah, if you have only had the tank for a week, then the dietary habits of your tetras are the least of your worries. the tank should be cyled and prepared first (see stickies on cycling for details). IMO, tetras are notoriously fragile fish and will belly up easily if conditions aren't right.

Improperly conditioned water would be my bid for the cause of death.