Gwenz

I've noticed resently that 1 of my neons isn't eating at all, and the other 4 (I have 5 in total) aren't eating as much as they used to and just put some in their mouths and then spit it back out again. A couple of weeks ago one neon died (I did have 6), but I'm not sure how. Since then they have been acting quite sluggish, and hide a lot, and like I said before not eating very well. I don't think it helps that the danios usualy get the food before them (I have 8 danios in the tank), but they did used go up to the surface to get the food when they were quite hungary, but then just ate what sank when they couldn't get to it, or weren't hungary, but now they are not bothered by the food. Like I said 4 of them will eat a little, but not much, but one of them has not eaten anything, for a couple of days and has been hiding a lot behind the air stone the last couple of weeks since the other one died.

What is wrong?
I have noticed also that the danios are not quite themselves any more either. They used to be quite active and play chased each other constantly around the tank, even at night. But now they too are acting a little sluggish. I'm quite confused as too what is wrong with my fish.

Test results are normal :

ammonia : 0
nitrate : 10
nitrite : 0
pH : 7.0

What do you think? Is there something wrong?

I have been thing for a while to maybe put in another neon to make their group back up to 6, but am worried as all the ones I see at my LFS' are much, much smaller than the ones I have, and don't wan't to put a smaller one in with the others and the danios in case it will get bullied or something by the others that are bigger than him. Do you think I should get another neon?

The ones I see at my lfs are about this big : ........
And the ones I already have are about this big : .................

What do you think?

Thanks

Gwenz

Gwenz

Any ideas what might be wrong?

I noticed that the 4 I said that were only eating a little ate quite a lot today when I got home from school, and got to the food faster than the danios. So I'm not so worried about them any more, but the other neon is just hiding behind the air stone and not eating. I don't know what to do. He was swimming with the others last night at about 10:00pm, after lights out (lights go off at 8:00pm), and seemed to be fine, but he never come out during the day, and I never see him and it gets me worried. What do you think is wrong?

Thanks

Gwenz

Isabella

The only thing I can think of - since your water quality is good - is that if you have bought any of the fish you have right now quite recently, they could have had some disease of which the symptoms manifested themselves later on. And so, whatever the new fish was sick, it infected all the others. It's generally not a good sign when a fish doesn't eat for days. I suggest frequent water changes, and maybe try to lower that nitrate to at least 5? And certainly, keep observing the fish. Besides, what is the temperature of your tank and th pH of your tap water?

Gwenz

I have not bought any new fish resently for that tank since back in May, and they have all been very healthy. The temperature of the tank is 26 - 27 'C (78 - 80 'F). My Ph of tap water is 6.8, but is always 7.0 in all my tanks.

I will try more frquent water changes, but now I'm back to school, I have loads of homework and coursework to do, so I won't have much time, so I will only be able to do a water change twice a week, sometimes maybe 3. Should this be OK?

What I'm confused about is that when the lights are off in the morning and I'm feeding them, before I go to school, the one neon that hides is always swimming about with the others. But when the lights are on during the day, he is hiding. Could he be affraid of the light, like some people are afraid of the dark?

Anyway, he ate a little this morning. YAY! This has to mean he is getting a little better from whtever was wrong with him, doesn't it? What do you think? He didn't eat much, but it's got to be good that he ate something, hasn't it?

Thanks for the reply Isabella.

Gwenz

Isabella

I'm glad to hear the neon is doing better And since your water is very good, you don't "have to" perform that many water changes, UNLESS nitrate goes too high. Just do your weekly water changes of, say, 30%. You could do smaller water changes every 2-3 days as well - it's up to you. As long as nitrate stays low, all should be OK (hopefully). But since you had this strange incident, maybe try to make nitrate stay at most at 5.

Besides, fish CAN get scared of light IF it's relatively dark in your room and the tank lights suddenly go on. The transition from dark to light may be too quick and that is why it scares off the fish. The way I turn my tank lights on is this: if it is still dark outside in the morning, or if it's a cloudy morning, I turn my room lights on first for a few minutes. Then, I turn the tank lights on. This way the fish are not going from total darkness to total light. In nature, they have sun rise and sun set gradually, right?

chipster55

My 3 cents worth.....Maybe your tank water is perfect but your neon became timid for some reason...Just a thought

Gwenz

Ok thanks. The tank lights come on at 10:00am - it is on a timer. I get up at 7:30am for school, and it is usualy quite dark, and my room light is quite bright. Could I or Should I put my small lamp on first then after 5-10 minutes put the room light on?

I leave the house at about 8:10am every day, so the light go off then, but it usualy quite light outside at about 10:00am so I should think they would be ok by then,also my room faces where the sun rises so my room gradualy lights up anyway (It's a bit of a pain when I'm trying to have a lie-in on the weekend and it wakes me up ) but like I sid I think by this time they should be fine.

Should I add another neon to the tank to make their group back up to 6 or maybe have 2 more to make seven? I read that they do best in groups of seven. What do you think? They would be a lot smaller than the ones I already have, but should be OK if there are 2 that are smaller, right?

Thanks

Gwenz

Gwenz

Well today, I got home from school to find them all swimming together. The one that usualy hides is now swimming around with the others. YAY! He was also a very hungry fishy, and got to the food befroe them all. Hehe. I'm so glad he's better.

Gwenz

0morrokh

Monitor your fish carefully. Does there appear to be anything wrong with any of them?
I'm glad they seem to be better.

Gwenz

The one that was hiding seems much skinnier than the others, but I'm expecting that because he hasn't been eating. He is eating a bit more now, not always in the afternoon, but he is alwys eating in the morning, so I am not too woried. I think he is gradualy getting better.

Gwenz