Why can’t we keep tetras alive?!

I can’t even remember when we started our 29 gallon anymore because it’s been such a process. We have harlequin rasboras that happily zip around the tank together.
We had initially moved the remaining 2 tetras out of a betta tank because they were actually terrorizing the betta. Got some more to school them and a few would die. We’d wait and then try to replace them, then more would die after a few days. Did this about 3 times before I gave up on those guys. I thought maybe it’s because we kept buying 3-4 a time so they never felt safe enough.

Yesterday we went and bought 10 little neon tetras and acclimated them, all that good stuff. One died in the bag before he even made it home. Another soon after.

THIS MORNING ALL THE TETRAS ARE DEAD. I cannot believe this. What could we possibly be doing wrong that these poor fish can’t stay alive???


Levels yesterday, I cleaned up some food and waste and the ground before getting the new fish...
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: Just barely above 0

 

I can’t even remember when we started our 29 gallon anymore because it’s been such a process. We have harlequin rasboras that happily zip around the tank together.
We had initially moved the remaining 2 tetras out of a betta tank because they were actually terrorizing the betta. Got some more to school them and a few would die. We’d wait and then try to replace them, then more would die after a few days. Did this about 3 times before I gave up on those guys. I thought maybe it’s because we kept buying 3-4 a time so they never felt safe enough.

Yesterday we went and bought 10 little neon tetras and acclimated them, all that good stuff. One died in the bag before he even made it home. Another soon after.

THIS MORNING ALL THE TETRAS ARE DEAD. I cannot believe this. What could we possibly be doing wrong that these poor fish can’t stay alive???


Levels yesterday, I cleaned up some food and waste and the ground before getting the new fish...
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: Just barely above 0

Hm, personally I keep my tetras with my baby guppy fishes. Since tetras have a more docile behavior, I recommend not keeping them with playful/aggressive tank mates. After I moved my tetras from my big guppy tank to my baby guppy tank, none of them have died in the past half a year or so. I had six, now I have 4. There never seems to be any new tetras bred, but yeah//the tetras you got may have been already in stressful situations where they were neglected, or they were too stressed. So in conclusion, I definitely recommend putting your tetras with same size docile fishes, or raising them alone!

 

I have the same issue with guppies. My water is perfect for livebearers but they all die within a week or 2.

It might just be a case of you getting a bad stock.

 

Neon tetras just arent that hardy - their popularity has led to years of overbreeding etc. They do better in an established tank where parameters are stable. And as ghelfaire mentions, could be some bad stock too.

There are plenty of other tetras you could try that you would likely have more success with.

 

I have the same issue with guppies. My water is perfect for livebearers but they all die within a week or 2.

It might just be a case of you getting a bad stock.

I agree. I'd suggest trying a hardier tetra. I've had excellent luck with black neon tetras, but there are many hardy tetras out there (just about all of them except for the regular neons, as a matter of fact, though I didn't have good luck with cardinal tetras either).

 

Neon tetras are one of the most massproduced fish of them all. The likelyhood to get a bad batch is high and due to the cramped conditions professional breeders, wholesalers and retailers keep them mostly in medicated water.
Try to find out where your LFS gets them from, compare with the sources of other retailers in your area. If they all come from the same wholesaler, you can expect the stock to be bad all the time.

Get the tank to establish and maybe try again in a few months or go for other tetras. Stay clear of the other neon species (cardinals and green neons), instead Ember Tetras might be a more hardy alternative.

 

. . . Get the tank to establish and maybe try again in a few months or go for other tetras. Stay clear of the other neon species (cardinals and green neons), instead Ember Tetras might be a more hardy alternative.

Hello MacZ,

Are you including black neon tetras in that? I'm asking because I've found them to be very hardy. I think I've lost one from a total of 16 or so.

 

I have bought in total 40 lemon tetras, and 6 have survived. (I only have 3, because the other 3 died when my tank exploded) There are just some fish that inexplicably just die in certain people's water.

 

Wow. The worst.
I had to admit to my husband that he was right . He wanted to give up on them prior to our purchase last night but I was “certain” they’d be great.

I got them from Pet Supermarket. Previous tetras have been from Petsmart and Petco, which I believe all get their fish from the same place.

Also, I checked the ammonia quickly before I left to work and it had creeped up to .25-.5. I’m sure this is from all the dead fish. Will a water change clear this up?

 

Yes.

 

. . . Also, I checked the ammonia quickly before I left to work and it had creeped up to .25-.5. I’m sure this is from all the dead fish. Will a water change clear this up?

Yes, a water change will lower ammonia (assuming your source water doesn't have ammonia, and it probably doesn't).

 

Good tetras are getting hard to find. Neons have been bad for years. Same with cardinals. Even black phantoms died out on me. I ended up with rummie noses. Also I qt’d them for around a month before adding to main tank. The ones I got looked terrible and I wasn’t expecting them to live. But in a 15g by themselves they came to life and colored up. 6 months later they are doing fine.

 

So far....finds wood and grabs it....my experience with Tetras has been pretty good. If anything the blighters outgrow their "average size". I have had a few Tetras that are more like multicoloured cruise missiles than fish, including Neons and Cardinals over the years.

(My axolotl also grew way over normal length/girth before he passed away at just over two years old.....so might be something in the bottled water that supersizes everything...not sure)

 

Are you including black neon tetras in that? I'm asking because I've found them to be very hardy. I think I've lost one from a total of 16 or so.

No, they are not a Paracheirodon-species.

 

I can’t even remember when we started our 29 gallon anymore because it’s been such a process. We have harlequin rasboras that happily zip around the tank together.
We had initially moved the remaining 2 tetras out of a betta tank because they were actually terrorizing the betta. Got some more to school them and a few would die. We’d wait and then try to replace them, then more would die after a few days. Did this about 3 times before I gave up on those guys. I thought maybe it’s because we kept buying 3-4 a time so they never felt safe enough.

Yesterday we went and bought 10 little neon tetras and acclimated them, all that good stuff. One died in the bag before he even made it home. Another soon after.

THIS MORNING ALL THE TETRAS ARE DEAD. I cannot believe this. What could we possibly be doing wrong that these poor fish can’t stay alive???


Levels yesterday, I cleaned up some food and waste and the ground before getting the new fish...
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: Just barely above 0

First, sorry for my poor English.

Let me share with you 2 true experiences I had with neon tetras. I know this will sound crazy, but I am genuinely sharing them, because maybe it will help in the future.

I bought 100 neons tetras. Yes I know, It sounds insane, but I did. But when you have a big tank, 100 is not too much. Anyway, the seller brought them to me in that huge plastic bag. I had prepared a quarantine tank, absolutely clean, with 0 nitrates, all new water from osmosis with Preis mineral salt. I took time to acclimate the neons to the water. Yet, they were falling/dying like flies in the span of a few hours. It was insane, I did that previously, with my rasobras, and had zero problem.

I was confused, horrified, and I felt powerless. What did I do wrong? As more and more neon tetras were dying, I instinctively caught the still living ones in a net, and put them in my 2 years old big tank (a lot of plants, root, leaves, tanins) and you know what, only 2 or 3 died there (surely the ones already dying anyway)

I realized that the neons need a really mature tank. This was my first experience.

A few months later, I drove miles away to visit some fish stores in the north of the country where I live (I am French but I live in Morocco. Yes, I know). One of the shops had just received a huge quantity of neon tetras. The seller was a new employee and he was struggling with the neons. He had put them in a bare tank, and they were all dying. I asked him what was happening, and he said he did not understand, that the water was 100% good and new, and that he had changed the water especially for the neons, with good parameters. He told me he also put some of them in their "demo tank" with roots and plants, and they were just doing fine. So I shared my first experience with him, and he immediately transferred the neons to the "demo tank". He was so relieved, that we stayed in touch, and now he has become a friend of mine.

Anyway, my experiences don't explain all, as it seems your tank was not new, but it explains a very important point I guess : neon tetras need mature tank (I think more than 6 months. The more the better) and you shouldn't do big water changes before you put them in.

 

First, sorry for my poor English. . .

You have nothing to apologize for. If I wanted to quibble I could find a few minor grammar issues, but overall your English is better than that of many native speakers.

 

You have nothing to apologize for. If I wanted to quibble I could find a few minor grammar issues, but overall your English is better than that of many native speakers.

Thank you! It's really nice, and I am happy my English didn't give you a headache lol

 

First, sorry for my poor English.

Let me share with you 2 true experiences I had with neon tetras. I know this will sound crazy, but I am genuinely sharing them, because maybe it will help in the future.

I bought 100 neons tetras. Yes I know, It sounds insane, but I did. But when you have a big tank, 100 is not too much. Anyway, the seller brought them to me in that huge plastic bag. I had prepared a quarantine tank, absolutely clean, with 0 nitrates, all new water from osmosis with Preis mineral salt. I took time to acclimate the neons to the water. Yet, they were falling/dying like flies in the span of a few hours. It was insane, I did that previously, with my rasobras, and had zero problem.

I was confused, horrified, and I felt powerless. What did I do wrong? As more and more neon tetras were dying, I instinctively caught the still living ones in a net, and put them in my 2 years old big tank (a lot of plants, root, leaves, tanins) and you know what, only 2 or 3 died there (surely the ones already dying anyway)

I realized that the neons need a really mature tank. This was my first experience.

A few months later, I drove miles away to visit some fish stores in the north of the country where I live (I am French but I live in Morocco. Yes, I know). One of the shops had just received a huge quantity of neon tetras. The seller was a new employee and he was struggling with the neons. He had put them in a bare tank, and they were all dying. I asked him what was happening, and he said he did not understand, that the water was 100% good and new, and that he had changed the water especially for the neons, with good parameters. He told me he also put some of them in their "demo tank" with roots and plants, and they were just doing fine. So I shared my first experience with him, and he immediately transferred the neons to the "demo tank". He was so relieved, that we stayed in touch, and now he has become a friend of mine.

Anyway, my experiences don't explain all, as it seems your tank was not new, but it explains a very important point I guess : neon tetras need mature tank (I think more than 6 months. The more the better) and you shouldn't do big water changes before you put them in.

Wow! What a mission! The employee, the “fish expert” who bagged the fish for us was very sloppy. I was stressed just watching her. It’s hard to find legitimate fish stores in my area with educated employees.
P.S. I’m a teacher and I found your writing to be just fine

 

Wow! What a mission! The employee, the “fish expert” who bagged the fish for us was very sloppy. I was stressed just watching her. It’s hard to find legitimate fish stores in my area with educated employees.
P.S. I’m a teacher and I found your writing to be just fine

I am afraid it's the same thing almost everywhere : employees don't know that much about fishes. Here, I have only one real expert seller, who is genuinely passionated.
(Thanks for the nice words!)

 

Always problems with Neons on this forum lol

The ones from pet stores are all juveniles and probably already half-dead from shipping. They simply get sold before problems start appearing.

A shaded/dark low pH tank is best for them.

 

First, sorry for my poor English.

Let me share with you 2 true experiences I had with neon tetras. I know this will sound crazy, but I am genuinely sharing them, because maybe it will help in the future.

I bought 100 neons tetras. Yes I know, It sounds insane, but I did. But when you have a big tank, 100 is not too much. Anyway, the seller brought them to me in that huge plastic bag. I had prepared a quarantine tank, absolutely clean, with 0 nitrates, all new water from osmosis with Preis mineral salt. I took time to acclimate the neons to the water. Yet, they were falling/dying like flies in the span of a few hours. It was insane, I did that previously, with my rasobras, and had zero problem.

I was confused, horrified, and I felt powerless. What did I do wrong? As more and more neon tetras were dying, I instinctively caught the still living ones in a net, and put them in my 2 years old big tank (a lot of plants, root, leaves, tanins) and you know what, only 2 or 3 died there (surely the ones already dying anyway)

I realized that the neons need a really mature tank. This was my first experience.

A few months later, I drove miles away to visit some fish stores in the north of the country where I live (I am French but I live in Morocco. Yes, I know). One of the shops had just received a huge quantity of neon tetras. The seller was a new employee and he was struggling with the neons. He had put them in a bare tank, and they were all dying. I asked him what was happening, and he said he did not understand, that the water was 100% good and new, and that he had changed the water especially for the neons, with good parameters. He told me he also put some of them in their "demo tank" with roots and plants, and they were just doing fine. So I shared my first experience with him, and he immediately transferred the neons to the "demo tank". He was so relieved, that we stayed in touch, and now he has become a friend of mine.

Anyway, my experiences don't explain all, as it seems your tank was not new, but it explains a very important point I guess : neon tetras need mature tank (I think more than 6 months. The more the better) and you shouldn't do big water changes before you put them in.

Tu parles bien l'anglais. J'ai le cour francais un ca annee, est-ce que je parle bien le francais?

 

Always problems with Neons on this forum lol

Yeah, them and bettas.

 

Tu parles bien l'anglais. J'ai le cour francais un ca annee, est-ce que je parle bien le francais?

Thanks you !! Your French is pretty fine! Just this part "un ca" that Ian not sure to understand in the context.

 

Yeah, them and bettas.

The usual suspects for bad husbandry, bad stock and/or both:
Domestic forms of bettas, dwarf gourami, rams or apistos. And of course guppies, platies, tetras, danios and all forms of glo-fish.
But I'd say bettas are in 1st place, followed by guppies and neons.

 

The usual suspects for bad husbandry, bad stock and/or both:
Domestic forms of bettas, dwarf gourami, rams or apistos. And of course guppies, platies, tetras, danios and all forms of glo-fish.
But I'd say bettas are in 1st place, followed by guppies and neons.

Some "industrial" parts of this hobby are quite ugly. I know I should be open minded, but the other issue, imo, is breeders pushing the short body/balloon morph in some fishes. Not only I think it's not natural, but it's ugly imo. And worst: it's bad for the fishes themselves. Some have more difficulties to swim and eat, than normal fishes. Their organs are compressed in those short bodies, creating health issues...

Anyway, I try to chose private breeders over shops, but here there is so little personal breeders. Once, I bought red cherry shrimps from a shop, and they died so quickly (less than 2 weeks). I bought some from a breeder and they lived for years, even breeding, ...

 

Fish are far too genetically weak thesedays.

Bred for unnatural colours and fin shape/size, hybrid breeding to gain size/colour that would be impossible in the wild.

At the end of the day, we the fish buying public are to blame or at the very least hold a significant amount of the guilt here. If the market was for wild type fish, a choice of red or blue Betta, non hybrid variants then the breeders would be forced to stop the genetic mixing. They only do it to satisfy the people who buy these fish.

The trade off on a Betta with over sized finnage and totally unnatural colouration is a short lifespan and whereas the wild counterparts might have caught an illness or disease and gotten over it without anything more than basic husbandry, these fish nowadays are dying from things that should be survivable. And it is all down to the customer (us) demanding more and more exotic variation of fish.

These fish are bred and genetically messed with to within an inch of their lives......it is our fault cos if we did not demand them, breeders would not keep thinning and blurring the what is humane breeding line. And there is far too much dependency on medications and chemicals so as with human illness becoming non-reactive to antibiotics and medications that used to work, the exact same is happening to fish (and other animals too).

It's a vicious circle......keep diluting the bloodlines, you will get less hardy and healthy animals with shorter lifespans.

 

Fish are far too genetically weak thesedays.

Bred for unnatural colours and fin shape/size, hybrid breeding to gain size/colour that would be impossible in the wild.

At the end of the day, we the fish buying public are to blame or at the very least hold a significant amount of the guilt here. If the market was for wild type fish, a choice of red or blue Betta, non hybrid variants then the breeders would be forced to stop the genetic mixing. They only do it to satisfy the people who buy these fish.

The trade off on a Betta with over sized finnage and totally unnatural colouration is a short lifespan and whereas the wild counterparts might have caught an illness or disease and gotten over it without anything more than basic husbandry, these fish nowadays are dying from things that should be survivable. And it is all down to the customer (us) demanding more and more exotic variation of fish.

These fish are bred and genetically messed with to within an inch of their lives......it is our fault cos if we did not demand them, breeders would not keep thinning and blurring the what is humane breeding line. And there is far too much dependency on medications and chemicals so as with human illness becoming non-reactive to antibiotics and medications that used to work, the exact same is happening to fish (and other animals too).

It's a vicious circle......keep diluting the bloodlines, you will get less hardy and healthy animals with shorter lifespans.

I agree when you say that breeders respond to a demand. But they can count me out : no way I will buy a short body/balloon fish... But I can see people here craving for the short body type. It pains me. One seller I know told me the same : he buys balloon fishes to breeders because people want them. He also told me that here, in Agadir (the city where I live) the situation is very bad : people want big fishes in very small aquarium. Once a man bought 3 goldfish types of fishes and a tiny nano aquarium for his daughter. Actually, he was buying the fishes's coffin... As long as people are not educated, as long as they don't care about the fishes needs, many fishes will suffer and die. And there is not much we can, except being good fishes keepers ourselves, and inform people who actually are looking for answers.

 

Another fish that has been messed about with...its not really a fish and more of a hybrid Frankenstein...Blood Parrot

Prior to 1986 they did not exist in their current form. They, like the Betta, have been genetically changed so much that they are severely prone to health issues, come in literally every colour under the rainbow and have a fraction of the lifespan that you might expect.

Fish are NOT fashion accessories, I have seen Blood Parrots in lilac, red, orange, neon green, blue, platinum......like the Glofish...its NOT natural, its NOT right...its cruel to genetically adapt any animal to suit the marketplace or the latest fad or craze.

I absolutely hate the way these poor animals are treated so inhumanely and all in the name of being fashionable......bring back normal fish with natural colourations that live healthier, stronger and longer lives. Half the problem with people starting in keeping fish who lose heart is down to the way fish have been genetically weakened so much that even in the very best hands they die far too soon and from illness that would normally be recoverable from.

Just makes me really angry....sorry..... <steps off soapbox>

 

Another fish that has been messed about with...its not really a fish and more of a hybrid Frankenstein...Blood Parrot

Prior to 1986 they did not exist in their current form. They, like the Betta, have been genetically changed so much that they are severely prone to health issues, come in literally every colour under the rainbow and have a fraction of the lifespan that you might expect.

Fish are NOT fashion accessories, I have seen Blood Parrots in lilac, red, orange, neon green, blue, platinum......like the Glofish...its NOT natural, its NOT right...its cruel to genetically adapt any animal to suit the marketplace or the latest fad or craze.

I absolutely hate the way these poor animals are treated so inhumanely and all in the name of being fashionable......bring back normal fish with natural colourations that live healthier, stronger and longer lives. Half the problem with people starting in keeping fish who lose heart is down to the way fish have been genetically weakened so much that even in the very best hands they die far too soon and from illness that would normally be recoverable from.

Just makes me really angry....sorry..... <steps off soapbox>

My friends don't get why I am all for natural. My fishes, my tanks, everything is about natural as much a possible : real plants, always, roots, driftwood, dead leaves, real sand or gravel...

My only "sin" is that I own (and love) my electric blue acaras : they're man made. But to be 100% honest I prefer their natural form (regular blue acara) but it's near impossible to find them in Morocco. So I compromised with the electric blue ones. And I love them even if they're man made.

I know many people love blood parrots. I never did. I didn't know they were human made. But for some reasons I can't explain, I really, deeply disliked their shapes. Something was odd, and not natural to me. Like if the fish had some deformities. It's just like the flower horn fishes. For some reasons it really hurts my eyes.

 

Neon are perfectly fine as are cardinals. I have about a 95% survival rate of both species over the past 3 years. The trick is the source. If you can find wild fishes they are almost guaranteed to be hardier providing they don't have parasites. Personally I would try a different source.

I would suggest aquahuna since they have cheap shipping. The fishes are probably tank raised but still hardier than most local stores. They will likely be very small so don't put them with something that might eat them like a betta until they get larger. Also check your local temp if you live in a hot region like parts of new mexico or arizona then it might be too warm for the package if it sits in a truck or similar. If you want to buy locally then look at a better store (difficult but if you chat with them they might give you a source of their fish or at the very min. wait till they have had the fishes for a couple of weeks (many lower quality stores will receive fishes in the morning and sell in the afternoon). Anyway good luck.

 

Thanks you !! Your French is pretty fine! Just this part "un ca" that Ian not sure to understand in the context.

I was trying to say french one this year.

Neon are perfectly fine as are cardinals. I have about a 95% survival rate of both species over the past 3 years. The trick is the source. If you can find wild fishes they are almost guaranteed to be hardier providing they don't have parasites. Personally I would try a different source.

I would suggest aquahuna since they have cheap shipping. The fishes are probably tank raised but still hardier than most local stores. They will likely be very small so don't put them with something that might eat them like a betta until they get larger. Also check your local temp if you live in a hot region like parts of new mexico or arizona then it might be too warm for the package if it sits in a truck or similar. If you want to buy locally then look at a better store (difficult but if you chat with them they might give you a source of their fish or at the very min. wait till they have had the fishes for a couple of weeks (many lower quality stores will receive fishes in the morning and sell in the afternoon). Anyway good luck.

While there are some, they're few and far between.