zoraida4370

I recently started a tank and put in three neons. They are doing great and seem very happy. I bought them because as a child, I had one in a bowl. I have been reading how they need to be in groups of six and how they aren't hardy, etc. etc. I didn't know this because I had "Ernie" for about three years. He lived in a large gold fish bowl with one zebra danio named "Bert." They were very happy and out of all the fish I had growing up, they lived the longest. When Ernie died, I bought a few more fish to keep Bert company but he kept leaping out of the bowl and finally died. He seemed to really miss Ernie. From what I have read, that neon shouldn't have lived that long in a bowl with just one fish of a different species as a friend. Were neons hardier fish back in the 70s?

Dino

Back then, they were wild caught fish.
Now, they are bred in Asia.
I do not think the fish themselves are less hardy.
I think the chemicals they are exposed to while being shipped from Asia to the national wholesalers, causes the majority of problems folks have with these fish.

A similar thing is going on with guppies as well.

Cody

isnt it also because they are being overbreed?

Dino

I do not believe so.

We lose very few adult guppies here.
I have talked to store owners who say it is not uncommon to lose 50% of most guppy or neon shipments.

These are folks who have been keeping fish for decades and know what they are doing.
No large farm here in the states is working with guppies, they are almost all imported from Asia.
No large farm here in the states is working with neons, they are almost all imported from Asia.

If it was fry, I might be inclined to believe it was genetics, but for seeming healthy adults to kill over, that inclines me to believe it is something from outside the fishes body.

Cody

hmm. its werid that no fish farms in the states are working with guppies do the the fact that there so easy to breed.maybe its becuase there to lazy to avoid in-breeding

Dino

Most farm bred egg scatterers or livebearers have little chance of inbreeding.

Several thousand guppies/neons are placed in an acre pond for 3-6 months.
At the end of that time, the fish are netted out and sorted as to sellable adults and juvies.
The juvies are returned to the pond they came from or another pond.
With that many fish involved, it is doubtful that the genetics are becoming too inbred.
This method is used with most livebearers and egg scatterers.

Cody

wow the would be fun to scuba dive in somthing liek that, idk maybe im just weird but hat would be AWESOME

swords3711

neons today still seem hardy I guess it just depends on what u get

Cody

the reason i ever lost my neons was because i tryed keeping them when i just started out. with an uncyled tank. it wasnt that long ago but from wha ti know now and whati know then iit sseems like so much longer