10 Gallon Tank Cardinal tetras with a short lifespan

Hello mates. I had 6 cardinal tetras, however about 8 months before that I had 2, so I bought 4 like a month ago. Anyway, now I have 3. One of the original 2 died and 2 new ones died, I will buy more, also, in related or unrelated news but I also still need help with, I have no bottom feeders right now and all the excess weight is building up and turning the water mucky. I have done multiple sweeps and this thing is hard to beat. How can I get ride of this, does it relate to the untimely deaths, if not why are they dying?

 

Hello mates. I had 6 cardinal tetras, however about 8 months before that I had 2, so I bought 4 like a month ago. Anyway, now I have 3. One of the original 2 died and 2 new ones died, I will buy more, also, in related or unrelated news but I also still need help with, I have no bottom feeders right now and all the excess weight is building up and turning the water mucky. I have done multiple sweeps and this thing is hard to beat. How can I get ride of this, does it relate to the untimely deaths, if not why are they dying?

It may just be a bad source of fish. They(whoever you are buying it from) may just have low quality cardinals.

 

It may just be a bad source of fish. They(whoever you are buying it from) may just have low quality cardinals.

That may be true, none of their stuff ever lasts more than a couple months. You know any good places on Manhattan that sell captive bred fish?

 

That may be true, none of their stuff ever lasts more than a couple months. You know any good places on Manhattan that sell captive bred fish?

No, but ebay/online may be the best of buying fish if none of you lfs have high quality fish.

 

Hello mates. I had 6 cardinal tetras, however about 8 months before that I had 2, so I bought 4 like a month ago. Anyway, now I have 3. One of the original 2 died and 2 new ones died, I will buy more, also, in related or unrelated news but I also still need help with, I have no bottom feeders right now and all the excess weight is building up and turning the water mucky. I have done multiple sweeps and this thing is hard to beat. How can I get ride of this, does it relate to the untimely deaths, if not why are they dying?

Cardinal tetras are one of the more difficult tetra species to breed in captivity. There are some captive bred fish available. The advantage of these is that they are more accustomed to typical aquarium water conditions. The disadvantage is that the gene pool is rather restricted, so they may have genetic defects that are exacerbated through inbreeding.

There are still fish in the hobby that are wild caught in their native rivers. The wild caught fish may have more hardy genetics due to the larger gene pool. However, these fish come from the blackwater tributaries to the Amazon basin such as the Rio Negro and Rio Orinoco where the pH is quite low compared to most aquariums. Thus, they have to go through a process of acclimation as they are transported from the river and eventually to your home.

Which is better? I do not know. Here is a video that discusses the pros and cons.

I have heard some people say that cardinals can be kept in hard, alkaline water and perhaps farm raised fish can. However, wild caught fish are likely to do better in soft, slightly acidic water.

 

Hey! Super important questions- What is the temp of your tank? Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings? pH? Hardness? Diet? This will help figure out if it's a tank problem, or possibly a source problem. If the vast majority of fish you buy are dying in a couple of months, it is more likely to be a tank problem.

 

Temp: 79, pH 6.8, diet: pellets, the rest I don’t have the rescources for.

 

It's incredibly important that you get test kits. There's no way for us to help you otherwise. At least for now, take your water into a pet store, most will test your water for you. If you do that make sure you ask for the acutal numbers, not just "good" or "safe". Most of us here will recommend the API freshwater master test kit- it's a little pricey at $30-40 but the most important investment you can make into your fishkeeping. You can get strips too, but they are less accurate, and most don't come with an ammonia reading, and that's probably the most important one.

 

If you have a lot of buildup on top of your substrate I have to think you are either feeding too much and/or you filter isn't strong enough to do its job. What kind of filter are you running? (HOB, Sponge, Canister?) What size filter is it?

I am assuming we are talking about the 10 gallon you have listed in your aquarium details. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It should be fairly easy to gravel vac a tank this size with each water change. Are you doing so? How much water do you change each time you do a water change? How often are you doing it.

Without the numbers it is going to be difficult for us to figure out why you are losing fish and none seem to live longer than a few months. I have to think something in the water isn't agreeing with them. My first advice is always going to be to give your water pets fresh clean water. Without knowing the numbers of both tank and source water we can't know if that is the best advice. Normally it is but there are exceptions.

 

I have a bio wheel filter and I empty about a third of the water per change. I do not have a gravel vac, but I’m making a list here of the things I need to do or buy. I need a test kit, a gravel vac, and test my water at the pet store. Thank you all so much, once I have results I will post back

 

I have a bio wheel filter and I empty about a third of the water per change. I do not have a gravel vac, but I’m making a list here of the things I need to do or buy. I need a test kit, a gravel vac, and test my water at the pet store. Thank you all so much, once I have results I will post back

A gravel vac is a must have piece of equipment. This is one of the least expensive and most needed things we can buy for our tanks. You can buy one for less than $5.00 at most places. It is simply a rigid tube with a piece of flexible tubing connected to it. I am thinking even Wal-Mart carries them for less than 5 dollars.

I would be changing out no less than 50% of the water at least once a week. Fresh clean water is the very best thing we can do for our water pets to keep them healthy.

The water testing kit will give you an idea as to what kinds of fish will do well in your water. Without knowing the numbers you may be getting fish that won't do well. Maybe your water is hard and that is why the Cardinals don't do well. The numbers will help us help you.

 

It's incredibly important that you get test kits. There's no way for us to help you otherwise. At least for now, take your water into a pet store, most will test your water for you. If you do that make sure you ask for the acutal numbers, not just "good" or "safe". Most of us here will recommend the API freshwater master test kit- it's a little pricey at $30-40 but the most important investment you can make into your fishkeeping. You can get strips too, but they are less accurate, and most don't come with an ammonia reading, and that's probably the most important one.

The price of an API test kit will depend upon where you live. In the States, you can purchase the API Master Freshwater test kit from Amazon for $22.22. I consider that to be a bargain. Unfortunately, the test kit does not contain two very important test: GH and KH. To measure them, you have to purchase the GH/KH combo test kit for an additional $9.79.
The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate tests are critical during the cycling of a new tank and should be tested daily. Once the tank is stable, I test pH and nitrates weekly. If your tap water is stable throughout the year, it might not be necessary to test GH and KH routinely, but many people have water that changes seasonally due to heavy rails, snow melt, or drought. Testing GH and KH will help you know what is going on. If you use RO water as your source water (as I do), you have to add minerals to control GH and KH, so testing those parameters is an absolute necessity.

 

Thanks guys