Any advice from a keeper?I've been a fan of neons but it seems like the mortality rate is very high,any experiences to share?
Neon tetras : Advice from a succesful keeper
- Thread starter mercury904
- Start date
What temperature is your tank normally? They thrive best in temperature not exceeding 26 degrees Celsius. There is a possibility mass productions have allowed inbreeding thus the quality of most neons diminish. Why not try cardinal tetras? They're a little hardier compared to most batches of neons.
Tc = (5/9)*(Tf-32);
Tc = temperature in degrees Celsius
Tf = temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
26°C is approx 79°F.
Not sure if that helps. But I think he was mentioning that they thrive at THAT temperature, he wasn't saying to raise or lower it.
Tc = temperature in degrees Celsius
Tf = temperature in degrees Fahrenheit
26°C is approx 79°F.
Not sure if that helps. But I think he was mentioning that they thrive at THAT temperature, he wasn't saying to raise or lower it.
What I've heard from more experienced fishkeepers than myself- Don't bother with neons, they have been overbred and weakened and that's why so many are dying. Try seeing if you can get wild caught neons or even better ,cardinal tetras(looks like a neon but bigger and fuller reds and blues) are even more vibrant. Cardinals are wild caught and they are great fish but they really appreciate the softer water, they may cost you more, but you get what you pay for.
Try researching them and see if you would be willing to try them.
Try researching them and see if you would be willing to try them.
Ah just like Japes said, inbreeding, over and over instead of introducing new fresh lines of fish.
Do a google search for Neon Tetra Disease or Pleistophora, you'll get a lot of information on that problem. Here's an quick excerpt:
"Caused by the sporozoan, Pleistophora hyphessobryconis, the disease is known for its rapid and high mortality rate among neons. To date there is no known cure, the only 'treatment' being the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish."
Wild caught cardinals are definitely a better choice as they are resistant to this sporozoan.
"Caused by the sporozoan, Pleistophora hyphessobryconis, the disease is known for its rapid and high mortality rate among neons. To date there is no known cure, the only 'treatment' being the immediate removal of diseased fish to preserve the remaining fish."
Wild caught cardinals are definitely a better choice as they are resistant to this sporozoan.
I had some neons before. They seemed pretty easy to keep. All I did was keep the temp at 80 and did weekly water changes. I had a dozen with 3 Oto, 3 Female Bettas, and 6 Cories in a 10g.
My neons are just as brightly coloured as the two cardinals I got by mistake when buying my neons (here neons cost $2 and cardinals cost $7). I lost one cardinal because the tank was still cycling but then I lost 3 neons in a 5 hour power cut. I also had neons in another tank before these ones and I had five. Only one survived to go into the new tank. One got squashed the first day I got it!
