Aquarium headcount- should I worry?

[insecurity]

Just woke up today, turned on the light for the 36g, and started my head-count. (Don't tell me you guys don't....)
Anyways, I'm only counting 6 neon tetras! Should I be worrying? I checked both the top and bottom, and I can't seem to find them!
I know I really shouldn't be freaking out as much as I am, but I just got these guys yesterday, after waiting 4 weeks for the LFS to get them in!

Also- I did check the water chemistry last night and put it in my log book:
pH: 7.6 / Ammonia: 0.25ppm / Nitrite: 0ppm / Nitrate: 5ppm. I was concerned about the pH, so I put in a half dose of pH minus.

 

[LyndaB]

Please don't use anything in a bottle to adjust your pH. It can crash your cycle.

I wouldn't be concerned, only because if you do your headcount at "lights on", I know that's when my first are like "whoa, the sun came out!" and they start darting all over the tank as they adjust to it. Probably not the ideal time to do the head count.

That said, if you didn't do QT and just popped them directly into your main tank, that's a slightly different scenario. I'd check after they've adjusted to the light though. New fish can be more skittish as they get used to their new environment.

 

[TankGirl]

I'm WAY more concerned that you have ammonia. All my tanks run pH 7.4-7.6 so don't worry a bit about that.

Neons are not the hardiest of tetras so I'd do a PWC and keep that ammonia low. You're going through a cycle so you'll have to watch things closely.

 

[tamtam]

I agree with the above comments.

If you dropped them into a cycling tank then it's possible the ammonia or stress of the move may have killed them. I would do a PWC and recount. See if you can find them. If they have died you don't need that adding to your ammonia level right now either. Keep testing and keeping doing water changes as needed.

 

[insecurity]

Thanks for the help. My sister found one of them- right in a cluster of fake boxwood. Poor thing.

As for the tank itself- Its been completely cycled for 2 and half weeks. When I got the Ammonia readings last night, I was a bit concerned, but I likened it to the fact that I added 8 fish, which stressed the bio-load. I just finished testing it again, and the ammonia is safe at 0ppm, and the pH is back to normal.

 

[insecurity]

Well last night at work my sister tested me saying she could only count five. When I got home, I was too tired to go fish hunting. Anyways, this morning, did a count and still have six. Lifted up the driftwood to see if a deceased neon was under it- nothing.

 

[tamtam]

have yo figured out where the other 2 are? I thought you said you had 8

 

[insecurity]

have yo figured out where the other 2 are? I thought you said you had 8

One was located but the other is MIA. I felt like uprooting everything but I had to leave.