Rummy nose tetra died after 2 days in a new cycled tank

I'm 14 years old and I have a 15 gallon tank that I had cycled for around a month. the water parameters have all been good, been using dechlorinator. I recently brought home 1 female plakat betta and 4 rummy nose tetras (the guy at the fish store said to start with 4 and add a couple more later). 2 days in and one of the rummy nose tetras died. the betta was chasing all of the tetras around a little bit but no biting...the one that died had been swimming around frantically and not schooling with the other three. I acclimated all the fish in the bags for at least 30 minutes but did not drip acclimate. could the tetra have died from stress?? it didn't show any signs of disease, no white spots, no missing fins, no nothing. all the fish are doing fine now, the betta (I named her Minnie) isn't chasing the tetras around anymore. this is my first aquarium since I was 5 years old with a 5 gallon tank. any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

Sorry but Rummies die when you look at them In my experience. Not super hardy IMO.

Bettas can be not hospitable to tank mates. Some just need to be by themselves.

How did you "cycle" the tank for a month?

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

Sorry but Rummies die when you look at them In my experience. Not super hardy IMO.

Bettas can be not hospitable to tank mates. Some just need to be by themselves.

How did you "cycle" the tank for a month?

to be more clear I had the tank without any fish for a month, the cycling process took around 2 weeks. I wanted to take it slow before adding any fish. I'm planning to add 3 more tetras and 1-2 ottos, should i stick with rummy nose or go with another species? will two species shoal together?

 

to be more clear I had the tank without any fish for a month, the cycling process took around 2 weeks. I wanted to take it slow before adding any fish. I'm planning to add 3 more tetras and 1-2 ottos, should i stick with rummy nose or go with another species? will two species shoal together?

Were you adding ammonia during that month? Or just letting the tank run? A cycle will take more than 2 weeks.

No, tetra species usually wont shoal or school together. Some people have good luck with Rummies just not me.

 

I think I would try something like ember or brass tetras in a 15g. Tougher and smaller for your tank size.

 

Were you adding ammonia during that month? Or just letting the tank run? A cycle will take more than 2 weeks.

No, tetra species usually wont shoal or school together. Some people have good luck with Rummies just not me.

I was adding some fish food every other day and letting the water do its thing...I was also testing the water every other day and after two weeks everything seemed to be fine so that's why I decided to introduce fish. thank you for the feedback!

I think I would try something like ember or brass tetras in a 15g. Tougher and smaller for your tank size.

I didn't see any of those at my local fish store, so I might have to try other stores. Would neon tetras work? I've heard they're not as hardy as they used to be, so I'm not sure.

 

I was adding some fish food every other day and letting the water do its thing...I was also testing the water every other day and after two weeks everything seemed to be fine so that's why I decided to introduce fish. thank you for the feedback!

Ahh. 2 weeks with fish food wont cycle a tank. Nitrites usually dont show up till around 3 weeks.

What is your ammonia and nitrite readings right now?

 

Ahh. 2 weeks with fish food wont cycle a tank. Nitrites usually dont show up till around 3 weeks.

What is your ammonia and nitrite readings right now?

ohh okay, good to know. won't make that mistake in the future haha.

ammonia is 0.25ppm and nitrite is 0ppm.

 

ohh okay, good to know. won't make that mistake in the future haha.

ammonia is 0.25ppm and nitrite is 0ppm.

Just make sure to change water if anything rises. Do you have a nitrate reading too?

 

Just make sure to change water if anything rises. Do you have a nitrate reading too?

nitrate is at 0ppm right now, I just tested the water today actually. Also will do! I did a 30% water change this morning and everything seems to be okay.

 

nitrate is at 0ppm right now, I just tested the water today actually. Also will do! I did a 30% water change this morning and everything seems to be okay.

Well with 0 nitrate I would say you are not cycled yet. Keep a good eye on the water and I wouldnt add any more fish until it is cycled. Dont clean a whole lot either. That will help.

 

Well with 0 nitrate I would say you are not cycled yet. Keep a good eye on the water and I wouldnt add any more fish until it is cycled. Dont clean a whole lot either. That will help.

okay sounds like a plan. thank you so much!

 

Thing with rummies is you need a big group. They are a true schooling fish. So 4 new fish into a tank with .25 ammonia you will have loses. New fish arrive stressed. So the ammonia wasn’t helping. Being you’ve got fish in the tank now you may have to do daily 30% water changes. Test your water daily. Once you get the tank cycled add 3 more rummies at 2 different times at least 4 days apart. Now you may have 7-9 left and they will school together nicely.

 

As stated, your tank is just at the beginning stages of cycling. You are now doing a fish-in cycle. Your fish will be the source of ammonia (from poop and respiration) to feed the cycle (bacteria), but you need to keep them safe. Test daily (ammonia and nitrite.) keep ammonia + nitrite below 0.5 ppm. This can involve one or more water changes per day (or not). It all depends on the daily test results. Water changes are simple math: For example, if your ammonia is 1.0, it will take a 75% water change to lower it to 0.25. It's ok to do multiple water changes in a day if needed.

Do not add any more fish until the tank is cycled.
Feed lightly
Do not clean anything. Do not gravel vac.
If you don't have plants there is no need for a light during cycling. It will only encourage algae to grow.