Cardinal Tetras - Aquarium Advice

SupraRacer · 07-20-2003, 11:41 PM

I have a 20 gallon tank with about 50 Cardinal Tetras. A lot of them seem to keep dieing on me. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

tkos · 07-21-2003, 12:03 AM

That seems to be way too many fish in a 20 gallon tank. Cardinals seem to be quite sensitive fish so I might guess that there are ammonia or nitrite problems.

Is this tank cycled? Do you know the parameters of your water - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, [acronym:aa3f19d465="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:aa3f19d465], [acronym:aa3f19d465="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:aa3f19d465].

Is it a planted tank?

littlelouie · 07-21-2003, 12:46 AM

Parameters would be helpful, also what are the symptoms of the dieing fish.

How long have you had the tank and the cardinals for?

Louise

SupraRacer · 07-21-2003, 01:59 PM

My tank has been cycle, no plans, Ph 7.0, 0 Ammonia, 0 [acronym:60046c5383="Nitrite"]no2[/acronym:60046c5383],0no3, Kh 7. The 50 cardinals are the only fish in my tank. I have had fish in the tank for more than a year. What are some guidelines for keeping cardinals?

shawmutt · 07-21-2003, 05:29 PM

That's over 100 inches of fish in a 20 gallon tank. I understand they are schooling fish, but that is way too many fish for that tank. If you bought them at the same price as my [acronym:b971c2adcd="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:b971c2adcd], that's also over $175 of livestock!. If there are no symptoms of obvious sickness, they are most likely dying from constant stress. I have not lost any of my cardinals since they were established in my tank, but I only have 9 in a 30 gallon. Most cardinals are caught in the wild, and fare better in their natural habitat--soft, acid water, dark substrate and background, low lighting, very little current. They also appreciate a lot of dark hiding places.

07-20-2003, 11:41 PM	#1
SupraRacer Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 2	Cardinal Tetras I have a 20 gallon tank with about 50 Cardinal Tetras. A lot of them seem to keep dieing on me. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

07-21-2003, 12:46 AM	#3
littlelouie Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: May 2003 Location: AUSTRALIA Posts: 225 Images: 9	Parameters would be helpful, also what are the symptoms of the dieing fish. How long have you had the tank and the cardinals for? Louise __________________ >)))> Knowledge = Keeping my fish alive<(((<

07-21-2003, 05:29 PM	#5
shawmutt Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Greencastle, PA Posts: 2,050 Images: 6	That's over 100 inches of fish in a 20 gallon tank. I understand they are schooling fish, but that is way too many fish for that tank. If you bought them at the same price as my [acronym:b971c2adcd="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:b971c2adcd], that's also over $175 of livestock!. If there are no symptoms of obvious sickness, they are most likely dying from constant stress. I have not lost any of my cardinals since they were established in my tank, but I only have 9 in a 30 gallon. Most cardinals are caught in the wild, and fare better in their natural habitat--soft, acid water, dark substrate and background, low lighting, very little current. They also appreciate a lot of dark hiding places. __________________ ~Mike Shaw Shawmutt.com. Blogs and Pictures of the Massively Multiplayer Offline game, Real Life.

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07-21-2003, 12:03 AM	#2
tkos Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 1,423	That seems to be way too many fish in a 20 gallon tank. Cardinals seem to be quite sensitive fish so I might guess that there are ammonia or nitrite problems. Is this tank cycled? Do you know the parameters of your water - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, [acronym:aa3f19d465="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:aa3f19d465], [acronym:aa3f19d465="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:aa3f19d465]. Is it a planted tank?

07-21-2003, 01:59 PM	#4
SupraRacer Aquarium Advice Newbie Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 2	My tank has been cycle, no plans, Ph 7.0, 0 Ammonia, 0 [acronym:60046c5383="Nitrite"]no2[/acronym:60046c5383],0no3, Kh 7. The 50 cardinals are the only fish in my tank. I have had fish in the tank for more than a year. What are some guidelines for keeping cardinals?