Neon Tetra Dying Mysteriously?

I set up a new tank (20g) about a month ago and have been letting it cycle since. I went to test the water and all of the parameters for adding fish seemed to be fine. The same day I decided to add 4 neon tetra (I know neon tetra are delicate, but I couldn't find another fish I liked at that point). The Next day, one of the neon tetras were dead. The rest of the neons were fine and swimming happily above their moss tree. I got another neon the next day and again, it died. I have not seen any symptoms in any of the other tetras or the two that died. Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this?

 

I set up a new tank (20g) about a month ago and have been letting it cycle since. I went to test the water and all of the parameters for adding fish seemed to be fine. The same day I decided to add 4 neon tetra (I know neon tetra are delicate, but I couldn't find another fish I liked at that point). The Next day, one of the neon tetras were dead. The rest of the neons were fine and swimming happily above their moss tree. I got another neon the next day and again, it died. I have not seen any symptoms in any of the other tetras or the two that died. Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this?

Do you know exactly what your perimeters where? How did you acclimate them?

 

What did you do to acclimate the fish to the new tank? Neon tetras are very delicate and if the nitrates are higher in the store you got them from and lower in your tank not using a slow method of accumulation can shock them.

 

Ph-shock ?

 

What did you do to acclimate the fish to the new tank? Neon tetras are very delicate and if the nitrates are higher in the store you got them from and lower in your tank not using a slow method of accumulation can shock them.

I sat the bag in the water for an hour and a half. The nitrates were about the same in their previous tank. Also, wouldn't all of the fish act the same if they came from the same tank (all of them, including the one I got later)? Only one of the fish died after a few hours while the rest of them were fine.

 

Not really all fish are different and with delicate fish some are much more delicate than others. It could also be what double Dutch said ph shock. In the future I would use the bucket method when adding very delicate fish. Getting extra store water putting the water and fish in a bucket then every 20 minutes addin in 1 cup of your tank water into the bucket until it’s mostly your tank water. This way they are adjusted to your tank conditions completely.

 

Could stress kill a fish?

Not really all fish are different and with delicate fish some are much more delicate than others. It could also be what double Dutch said ph shock. In the future I would use the bucket method when adding very delicate fish. Getting extra store water putting the water and fish in a bucket then every 20 minutes addin in 1 cup of your tank water into the bucket until it’s mostly your tank water. This way they are adjusted to your tank conditions completely.

Ok, good to know. Since I'm setting up a small community tank, I will do that with future fish

 

Sometimes if it is great enough it can cause a shock reaction that overloads their body. But it also makes them much more prone to disease and with neon tetras they are already prone to some disease.