madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi Guys,
I know, and have noticed, that little fish can be very sensitive to change. My experience with neon tetras has borne this observation out. Despite having cycled my tank properly, and having made sure that the pH and other fish were compatible with the neons, I found myself losing about 2/3 of the neons within the first week of purchase.
Some of you are cringing at that stat... Believe me, this made me feel like a murderer. But is this perhaps just a slightly extreme case of what other people have experienced?? I know that AlliV lost some Cardinals (more sensitive) recently after purchase, but have any other of you lost such an overwhelming number of small fish, and just not had the courage to mention it?
The remaining 5 neons have settled down nicely, and they've now survived about 3-4 weeks longer than the others. This is good news--obviously the tank conditions have settled, and the fish have lost any semblance of stress.
Well, this is a two-part post, I suppose. I wondered if there is any other preventative you can suggest for this problem. When I introduce new fish, I put them on a drip from my main tank, to acclimatize them slowly (air hose drips water into smaller container gradually over about 1-2 hours. I try to get the water temp about even, then add a dechlor/stress reducer, salt and some "cycle," and gently pour the fish into the tank. (This was before I QT-ed my fish, which I now do...)
Any comiserations and suggestions are appreciated!
Jonathan
I know, and have noticed, that little fish can be very sensitive to change. My experience with neon tetras has borne this observation out. Despite having cycled my tank properly, and having made sure that the pH and other fish were compatible with the neons, I found myself losing about 2/3 of the neons within the first week of purchase.
Some of you are cringing at that stat... Believe me, this made me feel like a murderer. But is this perhaps just a slightly extreme case of what other people have experienced?? I know that AlliV lost some Cardinals (more sensitive) recently after purchase, but have any other of you lost such an overwhelming number of small fish, and just not had the courage to mention it?
The remaining 5 neons have settled down nicely, and they've now survived about 3-4 weeks longer than the others. This is good news--obviously the tank conditions have settled, and the fish have lost any semblance of stress.
Well, this is a two-part post, I suppose. I wondered if there is any other preventative you can suggest for this problem. When I introduce new fish, I put them on a drip from my main tank, to acclimatize them slowly (air hose drips water into smaller container gradually over about 1-2 hours. I try to get the water temp about even, then add a dechlor/stress reducer, salt and some "cycle," and gently pour the fish into the tank. (This was before I QT-ed my fish, which I now do...)
Any comiserations and suggestions are appreciated!
Jonathan