# 2 of my Tiny Neon Tetra's DIED!! Another is somewhere in my tank! CLICK IN!!!



## ~AquariumChic~ (Dec 14, 2010)

Ok we purchased 3 neon tetras along with a Black Molly, White Skirt, and a Red fish....anyhoo after purchasing the fish we put them in our tank 37 gallon tank and realized our tank was very very empty still needless to say and the 3 t-tiny tetras was a waste of money because you have to get all close to look for them well this afternoon I couldn't find any of the small neon tetras I looked and looked but nothing finally tonight I looked at the black pipe that goes to the filter and found TWO stuck to the suction part of it =( and I can't find the 3rd one ANYWHERE I even kinda shook our big main ornament thinking it was stuck in there but nothing....will it harm my water? I mean its less than an inch in size but still its dead somewhere in my tank. 

BTW: its a lesson learned because we were going to get some more neon fish that were more expensive but they were small just like these guys but we were going to get a BUNCH but now lesson learned cause they will just die in the suction part =( so not TINY fish for us.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Red fish?Do you know what it was?Some fish are incompatible with others.Could you get a pic of the fish?What type of filter do you have?It could have been too strong,or the red fish could have killed the neons and the filter was just doing its job.Hard to say without knowing certain things.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Neon tetras are delicate fish. Some will die and decompose and you'll be none the wiser for it. Some questions for you, to diagnose your problems:

How long did you set up your tank before adding fish? If the nitrogen cycle hasn't started, then your fish died from ammonia or nitrite overdose. Read the following article to learn more on why your fish died:

The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle

Secondly, have you invested in a water testing kit to make sure your cycle has started? If not, buy an API Master Freshwater Test Kit, in my opinion (IMO), it is the best out there, albeit time consuming and involved. Determine if there are ammonia or nitrite spikes, and consult us further, if you have any further questions.

Welcome to the hobby!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The nitrogen cycle would have had to started in order to get ammonia or nitrites to begin with.

Some more info would be helpful and we can help you make better decisions before you buy anymore fish.

Can you tell us how long the tank has been set up and when did you first put fish in it? Do you have a test kit of any type to test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph? You really do need to read up on the nitrogen cycle so you know what it is your tank goes through when starting and further on. The nitrogen cycle started the day you put fish in it.

Noens are not the fish to try and cycle a tank with. Once your tank goes through the initial phase they'll probably do fine in there.


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

off question but whats your water temp at? I just changed mine from 78-82 and my neon tetras are loving it right now..I havent seen them brighter. I would def check your levels tho to.


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## ~AquariumChic~ (Dec 14, 2010)

majerah1 said:


> Red fish?Do you know what it was?Some fish are incompatible with others.Could you get a pic of the fish?What type of filter do you have?It could have been too strong,or the red fish could have killed the neons and the filter was just doing its job.Hard to say without knowing certain things.


Its a Red Platy.....


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## ~AquariumChic~ (Dec 14, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Neon tetras are delicate fish. Some will die and decompose and you'll be none the wiser for it. Some questions for you, to diagnose your problems:
> 
> How long did you set up your tank before adding fish? If the nitrogen cycle hasn't started, then your fish died from ammonia or nitrite overdose. Read the following article to learn more on why your fish died:
> 
> ...


We had the tank a good 1 1/2 weeks I wanted to make sure the water was right before I added the fish...I test the water at my hom with the API kits then I bought some water to Petco for them to test it and even they said it was safe and I added the fish in and they have not been in there a good 2 whole days and the tetras died well 2 I know the cause they got stuck to the suction but the other one I can't find so I know he is died. 

Don't know if this has anything to do with it but now my water is CLOUDY.... =(


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

gtm and jrman are probably right. You probably are going through the nitrogen cycle, which takes a month or two and is toxic to fish. Don't buy new fish until you're through it (unless all your fish die.. you have to have something in there producing ammonia). If you can get a test kit, you can test for ammonia and nitrite, and do water changes (30-50% depending on how high levels are) to bring those down below 1ppm each. If you can't buy a test kit, do water changes every day or two to keep the toxins down. It will get easier after the cycle.. Then you can add about 2-3 fish a week, and cardinals or tetras will probably do well.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

~AquariumChic~ said:


> We had the tank a good 1 1/2 weeks I wanted to make sure the water was right before I added the fish...I test the water at my hom with the API kits then I bought some water to Petco for them to test it and even they said it was safe and I added the fish in and they have not been in there a good 2 whole days and the tetras died well 2 I know the cause they got stuck to the suction but the other one I can't find so I know he is died.
> 
> Don't know if this has anything to do with it but now my water is CLOUDY.... =(


If they knew you didn't have any fish in there, they misled you, or are clueless (which is bad for someone selling live animals). The bacteria needed to convert ammonia->nitrite and nitrite->nitrate cannot colonize unless there is something in the tank producing the ammonia in the first place. It can be done with fish, or without.. but in adding that many fish up front, it probably caused a huge jump in ammonia, which poisoned the delicate neons. Sorry for your loss. 

If it was petco or petsmart, take the little fish bodies back to them and demand credit. They need to eat the cost for giving bad advice, and they have guarantees on fish. 

As for the remaining fish, do the water changes.. test the water often, and if ammonia or nitrite get higher than about 1ppm, change more water. It just takes time. You can try one of the products that add bacteria to a tank like tetra safestart.. people have mixed results with them, or you can buy an ornament or more gravel straight out of a tank in the fishstore (maybe with the credit from the victims) which will have the bacteria to start a good colony on it already. Make sure it is bagged with water though, to keep the bacteria alive.

edit: Forgot to answer a couple of things. Neons are often consumed by other fish if they die. Also, cloudy is good right now. If it is a white cloudiness, it is a bacterial bloom from the beneficial bacteria you need starting to consume the ammonia. (green would be algae, which is bad and means to cut the lights a few days)


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

~AquariumChic~ said:


> We had the tank a good 1 1/2 weeks I wanted to make sure the water was right before I added the fish...I test the water at my hom with the API kits then I bought some water to Petco for them to test it and even they said it was safe and I added the fish in and they have not been in there a good 2 whole days and the tetras died well 2 I know the cause they got stuck to the suction but the other one I can't find so I know he is died.
> 
> Don't know if this has anything to do with it but now my water is CLOUDY.... =(


Since you're new to this, I'd like to point you towards this article that I wrote a few months ago. It'll help explain the nitrogen cycle (through the handy first link) and why the things in your tank are bad.

Also, check inside your filter. Small neons have a bad habit of getting sucked up into power filters. :fish-in-a-bag:


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