Neons keep dying

[sallyjano]

I've seen people say they have a problem keeping neons alive. I had them before and had no issue. Bought a new school of 6 - all dead within 1 week! Bought a new school. All but 2 gone again!!

What the?

It's a mature 10g. Params all good. Regular pwc schedule. Temp 76. Other stock a Molly and a dwarf gourami (which will move to the 60g soon).

I got them from the same store as previously (when I had no issues).

Introduced them by floating the bag and putting a cup of tank water in every 10 mins.

Did I just get unlucky? Any tips?




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[briemol12]

To be honest I think it's just unlucky. I started with a group of 5 while cycling my tank. when I saw I was close to ending cycling I bought another 5 and since then none have die. Knock on wood just in case hehehe.

 

[friscuba]

OK, this goes about 20 years back when I owned a fish store (I just got back into the hobby), so there may be a complete change of thought in the hobby these days. Neons often were prone to just giving up the ghost those days. Some kind of neon wasting disease. Tetra even made something called "tetrid" for it (I think it was like nalagram but in liquid form). After getting frustrated with shipment after shipment getting pale in the mid-section then slowly wasting away I started doing a half dose of the stuff with every new shipment for a day or two, then doing a lot of WC's and adding a bit of salt and holding on to my neons for 4 or 5 days before selling them. It seemed to do the trick and I never had that issue again. Now realistically, it may have been a supplier issue, or my own issue, but neons seemed to be touchier than a lot of the other species of tetra.

 

[ScotJudd]

Neons are definitely tricky. I personally put it down to years of intensive 'farming'. I think there are many weak strains of neons in the system.
Six months ago I bought 15 diamond neons (blue head, red tail) and I think I still have 15. They are plumping up and growing when my standard neons never did. This is in the same tank with no change of parameters.


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[ScaryFatKidGT]

Yeah I have found glowlights to be more hardy, they lived for 4-5 years then all died one by one, I assumed old age

 

[sallyjano]

Ok thanks. I will keep trying. I just love those little blue guys! I will try a different store with different stock.


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[treemanone2003]

I've wasted about $15 on neons. Switched over to cardinals instead and haven't looked back. Much hardier fish IMO.


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