Why do my fish keep dying D:

[Edgar 6]

I don't understand what is happening w/ my fish. I bought 5 neon tetras from petco last week and they all died, I returned them and got black neon tetras and now they are dying ( I did a 100% water chance to the qt tank before adding the new fish). Two have died already and the last 3 don't seem to be doing very well. I just don't understand what is happening with them . At this point I feel like just giving up on tropicals. My water parameters are perfect. I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and about 5.0 Nitrate. My pH is high, it's around 8.4. When I add them I give them plenty of time to adjust to the water . I float the bag, for 1 hr, after that hr. I pour half a cup of tank water and continue to do so every 30 min. for about 3-4 hrs. After the 3 or 4 hrs of acclimating them I scoop them out of the bag and put them in the QT tank. Could the problem be with the fish from the specific petco I got them from and not with my tank. FIY I got both batches of fish from the same petco.

Any help/ suggestions would be very appreciated.

Thanks

[Mr.B 2,535]

How long has the tank been set up? I had the same problem at first. I read somewhere that tetras do better in a mature tank. I had tetras dying right and left. I stopped buying new fish for my tank for six-eight months, then I got some Colombians about three months ago and some neons last month and haven't lost one yet. This might be pure rubbish, but then again maybe there's something to it. I'm not sure I'm even making any sense. I have a history of that. Good luck. Hope someone else has some input.

[Edgar 6]

How long has the tank been set up? I had the same problem at first. I read somewhere that tetras do better in a mature tank. I had tetras dying right and left. I stopped buying new fish for my tank for six-eight months, then I got some Colombians about three months ago and some neons last month and haven't lost one yet. This might be pure rubbish, but then again maybe there's something to it. I'm not sure I'm even making any sense. I have a history of that. Good luck. Hope someone else has some input.

Yea I've read about mature tanks being better for neon tetras. The qt tank has been running for 5 weeks (i'm not sure if it would be considered mature).

[Edgar 6]

I forgot to add that 4 weeks ago I bought 4 neon tetras from a local fish shop. I had them in qt for 4 weeks and all but one made it. Because of that i'm starting to think that the problem might be with the fish purchased from petco being sick and not with my tank.

[Neil D 3]

It seems that way. Try another shop and see if it makes a difference. Maybe the water is different from the Petco and your house? Even so different acclimation doesnt work...

I've heard Cardinal tetras are hardier, but a little bigger too. They look almost the same though.

[Sharkbait3 310]

I have heard also that neons like a mature tank. Neons are delicate fish and are tricky to get established. I tried cardnial tetras after I got tired of the neons dying on me and had great results with them. They look like a neon only a little bigger. Good luck.

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

It's a good thing no one told me that neons were supposed to be tricky, or I might have killed mine accidentally. However, mine have survived with no special attention. I got six at Petsmart maybe 6 months ago.

[Mr.B 2,535]

You should ask what day their fish shipment is arriving. My pet co gets their fish every thursday. If you buy fish on the day of their arrival and then move them to your tank on the same day, they might just be getting too stressed?? Just a thought. I have been buying my neons from a mom and pop shop. They are more expensive, but they have been in the tank for a while. Might help.

[Monkey87 3]

first thing that comesto mind is that NEONS are not hardy at all.. and actually take it really hard when changing tanks.. the thing ive learned about neons is that they need a mature cycle/tank and pristine water conditions. once they have survived the first week they are usually pretty good but VERY susceptible to many diseases.. sadly i gave up on neons.. too much stress..

[Calamity 418]

Your ph is a bit high for tetras.

Tetras, especially with neons I find, they are delicate fish.

Plus that seems like an aweful long time for them to spend on the bag in a really stressful situation. Especially for delicate little fish, try to aim for around 1-2hours and use the drip method, its much less stressfull then having a thing of water poored on them.

IMHO I dont think its the store. Could be something happening in the tank, I'm not a fan of 100% water changes, especially for more deliate fish, nice to have some established water in the tank.

[Edgar 6]

Your ph is a bit high for tetras.

Tetras, especially with neons I find, they are delicate fish.

Plus that seems like an aweful long time for them to spend on the bag in a really stressful situation. Especially for delicate little fish, try to aim for around 1-2hours and use the drip method, its much less stressfull then having a thing of water poored on them.

IMHO I dont think its the store. Could be something happening in the tank, I'm not a fan of 100% water changes, especially for more deliate fish, nice to have some established water in the tank.

The thing is I have 4 neon tetras in my tropical tank and they are doing great. Those I got from a local pet store.

[Edgar 6]

first thing that comesto mind is that NEONS are not hardy at all.. and actually take it really hard when changing tanks.. the thing ive learned about neons is that they need a mature cycle/tank and pristine water conditions. once they have survived the first week they are usually pretty good but VERY susceptible to many diseases.. sadly i gave up on neons.. too much stress..

Yea I have noticed that also. If they make it through the week they usually survive for a while. I'm thinking of giving up on neon tetras also.

[alistairw 89]

When your neons died were they losing their colour ? Did they have white/pink patches on them ?

[Edgar 6]

When your neons died were they losing their colour ? Did they have white/pink patches on them ?

No, there color was bright and they had no patches. They would begin to spiral while swimming though.

[Narny105 1,992]

I've never had luck with tetras at all. They all died within months of having them, and all at once. None of my other fish got ill, they just suddenly came down with something. Because they are so small and sensitive, they can be difficult to treat.

When you mean spiralling, kind of like swimming in circles? Were they clamped at all?

EDIT: Also, do you have activated carbon in your filters? And you also didn't mention the tank size? (Unless I missed it)

Edited June 1, 2012 by Narny105

[Edgar 6]

I've never had luck with tetras at all. They all died within months of having them, and all at once. None of my other fish got ill, they just suddenly came down with something. Because they are so small and sensitive, they can be difficult to treat.

When you mean spiralling, kind of like swimming in circles? Were they clamped at all?

EDIT: Also, do you have activated carbon in your filters? And you also didn't mention the tank size? (Unless I missed it)

The tank is a 5 gal. qt tank and it has no carbon in the filter. By spiraling I mean they would just begin to spin while swimming. They would lose balance and just spiral up and down the tank.

Yea I've never had much luck with neon tetras either. I thought I would try black neon tetras since I have read they are hardier fish, but it seems like they are just as fragile as neons.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Espectroundead

[Narny105 1,992]

To me that doesn't sound like disease. It sounds more like an environmental/ introduced toxins issue. Anything that enters the water will be breathed, swallowed, or even penetrate the skin, causing poisoning. Because they are all being affected, it could be a possibility that you might want to explore.

Any metals, pvc products, cleaning products, contaminated equipment, fumes etc can cause issues like that, and from my experience, the only time I have encountered erratic swimming before dying was due to environmental issues. It can definitely be caused by disease, but it is never a bad idea to explore environmental issues if it is happening even with 100% water changes and new fish.

EDIT: 2-3 hours is a very long time to be in a bag. I acclimatise over 40 minutes, maybe 60 minutes with fish that are more sensitive.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Narny105

[number20121 2,663]

Dumb question, but are you floating the bag still tied close or open? Open is bad.

What else lives in the tank? Are there enough hiding places for the fish? Neons like having at least some foliage to give them cover. I wonder if yours could be all stressed out, and then the high pH jump might not help. Have you ever tested the water from the bag they came in? I wonder if there is a really big difference in pH. I remember when I first bought ghost shrimp (at Walmart though) the water in their tanks has a pH of about 6.2, while my tap water is 7.8. Luckily my shrimp made it, but I can see that neons would have a much harder time adjusting to such a high difference.

Have you left the lights of the tank dimmed to keep them a bit more stress free?

[Hidr 4,961]

When I first started keeping fish I never had any luck keeping neons. I have not even tried since then.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[happysnapper 454]

You

Tapataljk makes mre tipe badd

[happysnapper 454]

You don't happen to have a large angel fish in there, do you? That's what happened to my neons. Maybe try larger schools and more hiding places, and don't get them from that store anymore.

Tapataljk makes mre tipe badd

[alistairw 89]

If I was a betting man I would say it was NTD.

[Helen 8,511]

i agree with fang, i believe it's a PH issue, try to drop the PH by putting natrual things in there, i am not 100% sure if this works as i've always tried to keep a higher PH for my goldies and don't own tropicals. but i hear driftwood consumes PH? can someone correct me on this if i am wrong and if you know what helps keep a PH down, please share the info.

[Hidr 4,961]

Yes driftwood would lower the ph.

[Edgar 6]

Dumb question, but are you floating the bag still tied close or open? Open is bad.

What else lives in the tank? Are there enough hiding places for the fish? Neons like having at least some foliage to give them cover. I wonder if yours could be all stressed out, and then the high pH jump might not help. Have you ever tested the water from the bag they came in? I wonder if there is a really big difference in pH. I remember when I first bought ghost shrimp (at Walmart though) the water in their tanks has a pH of about 6.2, while my tap water is 7.8. Luckily my shrimp made it, but I can see that neons would have a much harder time adjusting to such a high difference.

Have you left the lights of the tank dimmed to keep them a bit more stress free?

I always keep the bag closed while I float them and keep the lights off. They do have places to hide ( they have a cave and lots of plants- plastic plants that is). When I tested the pH in the bag I got a test result of 7.8 so it wasn't a huge change in pH.