Regular Member El Pez Posted October 15, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2008 So i asked the girl at the lfs today to pick 5 neons for me to add to my 10 gal which already has 4 but she gave me 9 for what ever reason. So now thats 1 pearl gourami a guppy and 13 neons! a bit of a full house. I'm not worried though cause i have to change the water in my 55 twice a week so i change the 10 gal while i'm at it so water conditions won't be an issue. I was wondering if anyone here knows of how to house all these guys and keep them happy. I added some kosher salt to the tank to treat ick about a week ago and that seems to have been more than just a treatment. Their colours have brightened up a bit and they seem to be heathier. So this thread is to discuss winning meathods that have been used in the past to keep neons alive and healthy. I know a lot of people have problems with keeping them so i was hoping everyone could pitch in some ideas. I'll add a picture of the tank soon. I really like it becuase it has lots of big slate rocks, 1 live onion plant, and several small plastic grassy plants. Thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chrissy_Bee Posted October 15, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2008 Ohhhhhhhhh neons, they can be tricky hey? I'll admit, my luck with them hasn't been great. I always have a few, but tend to lose one or two every few months. One of mine right now has a big growth on his lower jaw, it actually looks like a deformity in the bone. The only thing I've found that seems to be good for them is keeping the pH on the low end. And like all tetras, they like to have plants to hide it 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member El Pez Posted October 15, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 15, 2008 (edited) Here are the pictures Edited October 15, 2008 by El Pez 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member jyoti411 Posted October 16, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 Oh wow...very pretty... keep neons alive..pH...very important factor...every water change needs to be exactly same as ur current tank water...I think all these guys do good between 6.4 and 6.8...and salt..is awesome..if you always have salt in there..it will help them to thrive better...other than that..temperatures of 78-82 will have bright colors..and keep everyone healthy... ..good luck.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chrissy_Bee Posted October 16, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 That's interesting about matching the pH. I try but my tap water is higher than my tank. What can I use to bring it down more? I have some 'pH down' that came with a drop kit, but I don't trust it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member El Pez Posted October 16, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 I'm not sure if this would work or not but you could try to stick a piece of drift wood in the water before you add it to the tank maybe over night or something... I'm not sure how fast or effective that would be? I don't trust chemicals or anything like that either. That's why i use kosher salt rather than meds for treating ick. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Chrissy_Bee Posted October 16, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 I actually have driftwood in my tank, thus the low pH But I don't think that woudl be the solution for lowering pH. I use a buffer to raise my pH in my goldie tank, I guess it's time I got something to do the opposite for my trop tank (as if waterchanges weren't complicated enough ) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Megan Steele Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 How DO you match the pH to the tank water?? Everyone talks about this but I have no Idea how! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member El Pez Posted October 16, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 I guess that it is simple matter of being consistent. You need to find a way to measure your PH level and plan your water changes so it is at that same PH each week or bi-weekly when you plan to change the water. Secondly you need to measure the PH of your tap water and use what ever method you prefere to raise or lower its PH to match the PHs and use the same method on the same amount of water for each water change. I guess if you get into a rhythm then you will be able to match the PHs on a regular basis. It just seems like it would be a lot of work otherwise to measure the PHs over and over. Being consistent with what you do just makes it possible to match PHs without testing every time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member El Pez Posted October 16, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2008 BTW i don't think it would be a huge deal unless you are changing more than 25% at a time. When adding the new water the change in PH of your tank shouldn't be affected by more than .2 or .3 nothing thats going to really harm your fish. UNLESS your tap water is totally different than your tank (as in your tank PH is 6 and your tap is 8). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kissy Posted November 5, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted November 5, 2008 First, get rid of the salt. I don't like the idea of salt as a preventative in any freshwater tank but tetras are really sensitive to it and it will do more harm than good. You can't really bring down your tap pH safely and effectively. Don't use pH down, its usually sulfuric acid and that can be really dangerous to your fish. How big is the difference in pH? I would probably just do small very frequent water changes (maybe 1.5 gallons two-three times a week) and add water back very slowly and evenly around the tank. I really would reccomend a bigger tank, not only because its overstocked, but because frequent waterchanges in a small tank where the fish feel like they can't hide could really stress them. Regularly test your kH. This is what buffers your pH to protect against a pH crash which will surely kill your fish. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member jody Posted November 10, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted November 10, 2008 (edited) I am thinking of getting several Neon Tetras for my 10 gallon. I have been reading: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/tetrafish/neontetra.php I was reading though that min tanks size is 24 inches. What is that? 10 gallon? I read in another thread they need 20+ gallons... I am unsure at this point. edit: I think I get it - they need min 24 inches long, probably the length they need to swim before turning around to go the other way. They seem to do that at the lfs. Edited November 10, 2008 by jody 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kissy Posted November 11, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted November 11, 2008 A ten gallon will be okay for a small school (~6-9) but if they are sharing the tank with other fish it will be cramped and probably dirty depending on the fish you already have. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member jody Posted November 11, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted November 11, 2008 Good to know thanks I am thinking of getting at least 5-6 for the schooling purpose, with no other fish in the tank. Right now I am looking at filters and the possibility of maybe just converting the 10 gallon for qt for my goldies. Lots to think about. I am drawn to the tetras because of their vibrant colors. I need to learn a little more about ph and hardness before I get them though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.