Would neon tetras work here?

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Jan 13, 2004
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55g planted tank
all water parameters stable. Nitrates < 5ppm, pH varies from 7.6 to 8.0 during the photo-period.

I currently have 6 zebra danios and 8 rasboras. I would love to add a school of neon tetras but I am not quite sure if the zebra danios would drive the neons crazy.

Have any of you had bad experiences with putting zebra danios and neon tetras together?

Also would the neons get acclimated to the pH of my tank, considering they are local raised?

If the above combo is a no-no, any interesting/colorful companions for my current fish are most welcome.

Thanks!

:) :) :) :)
 
same here. Other than feeding, they prettymuch stay in different areas of the tank anyway. Kyle
 
Thanks for your replies. :)

A couple more questions:

- The LFS where I buy fish from said that some neons are bound to die...'you buy a dozen and you will end up with 8 or you buy 8 and you will end with 4 etc'. Do you guys also face this unavoidable dying off with neons?

- my pH is stable though it varies from 7.6 to 8.0 due to photo synthesis in the day. Is that a problem?
 
neon's can be weak, mainly due to stress related issues. I've lost most of mine due to ich medication that is not safe for tetras. So far, the only ich medication I trust with tetras is either Jungle Ick guard II or jungle ick fizzing tablets used at half the dose like it says on the package. Kyle
 
See if you can put a down payment on the fish, and have the store hold them for a week. If the fish live in their tank for a week, and you acclimate them slowly to your tank, they should be fine.

I probably would be reluctant to purchase ANY fish from a store that thinks high numbers fish death are inevitable with every batch.
 
Maybe a tetra or two out of 10... 4/8 or even 4/10 is kind of absurd if you accilimate them right, they are healthy, and you have good water quality.

However, if I were you, I think I would go with cardinals. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but it alway seemed that I would lose a neon every month or two without any real cause.

HTH
 
Thanks again for all your answers. I like Oriongirl's suggestion to ask the LFS to hold the fish for a week before I purchase.
About the last bit from Pumaward... the cardinal vs neon hardiness seems to be the subject of many a debate here on this forum; but if cardinals are wild caught from really soft water of 6-6.5 ph, are they hardy enough to get acclimated to a high pH of 7.6-8.0?

The LFS here has a display tank with full grown cardinals and they apparently keep theirs in water of 7.0-7.2 pH

Pumaward, what is you pH?
 
Cardinals are accually hardier and adapt better than neons. My brother bought 9 very small cardnicals (~.5'') 3 months ago and hasn't lost one yet.

My pH is 7.8 (that's my brothers tank pH as well as our tap). My tank pH is lower, 7.3-7.4 in my tank with glowlights (which are also good options to neons but aren't quite as colorful). I previously had neons in this tank before the glowlights and lost one mysteriously. The second loss came when one got lethargic and my angel ate him :rolleyes:.

HTH
 
I don't know about the water quality and all that, and it is one of my first tanks, but temperment-wise; I've got a 10g tank with 4 zebra danios and 7 neon tetras, and they seem to get along great. No chasing, fin-nipping, or anything. They even feed well together.
 
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