What To Do When Your School Of Fish Starts Passing?

What do you do when your school starts to pass but you don't want to continue keeping that species of fish? As an example say I love my HR and I hope they reach a nice old age but I don't want to continue keeping them forever. What do I do when they start to pass? It seems silly to donate old fish to a lfs but being without the min of 6 would just stress them out wouldn't it? What do you guys do?

 

I put them in a separate tank. I wait until the school gets too small, and then they go in with my big guppy tank, because my guppies will keep them stimulated enough.

 

I haven't had that issue yet but am getting green neons as soon as my nitrate issues are fixed, so thought I would hop onto this thread so I can find out

 

Unless I'm tearing down the tank I tend to just leave the old school remnants in there to pass of old age. They have been in the same tank for years. They are used to it. Why uproot them and send them off elsewhere? If anything that is what would give them anxiety. Even without the minimum school size by that age they are usually mellow enough they just hang around until its their time.
I've had the odd cherry barb in a tank with no other cherries for years. Same with old rosy barbs, skirt tetras and the odd neon that just wouldnt die. I leave the smaller geoup or single individual unless I start seeing behavoir that indicates stress - constant pacing/glass surfing, swimming into a corner and continued frantic swimming into the corner, spastic sharp motions away from any other approaching fish often resulting in slamming into the side of the aquarium or a decoration etc. When I see that sort of thing I know the fish isn't taking it well. If I don't plan on keeping the species this is when I euthanize.

 

I am running in to this with some black neons right now. They were my first inhabitants and have been warriors. Down to 4 from eight over the last 6 months or so and I am sure it is just age. The remaining fish seem happy to just chill out and often hang out with my cherry barbs. No signs of stress , eat well , pretty active so I will let them live it out in their home unless I see a reason not to.

 

I agree with those that say just let them live out their lives in the home they are used to. I have 1 columbian tetra in that situation. She/he spends most of the time hanging out with the black skirts.