Neon Tetra help

[Evi1twin]

I introduced 6 Neon Tetras 2 days ago. However, they are not acting right. They are starting to look disoriented when they swim. They swim with no direction and sometimes in a corkscrew type pattern. After, they look exhausted and settle on the bottom of the tank not moving . I am a newbie to freshwater tanks and need help. Thanks!

[psalm18.2]

Are they in a QT tank? They should be to prevent the spread of disease. Sounds like they are diseased and will most likely die. Sorry to give you bad news. I just lost most of the new neons I bought.

[DaveK]

I would suspect Neon Tetra Disease. Here is a link to an article on it (offsite) - http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com...a-disease.html

This is a difficult disease to cure, and is somewhat common. Sometimes the best course of action is to destroy the infected fish.

[OVT]

What is your ammonia at?

[bpb]

I have seen that all too many times from neons and cardinal tetras. Once it reaches that point they will usually be dead within a day. That is the problem with neon and cardinal tetras. They're very sensitive and are prone to disease.

Best advice I can give is next time purchase from a different supplier, make sure they have had their stock at least a week. I would find out what day they get their shipments in, and go buy your fish from their EXISTING stock the morning of, or night before the new group arrives. That way you can at least know the store has experienced the initial die off and the remaining fish are healthier.

Other points you must consider is that neons love soft acidic water. It isnt TOTALLY necessary, but will help. What IS totally necessary is that your tank is mature, and has zero traces of ammonia or nitrite. If your tank isn't cycled fully, it is a death sentence for just about any fish.

[OVT]

Another small trick: popular fish like neons are usually split between several tanks at LFS. Befriend your seller and when the new shipment arrives they will combine the the 'older' fish in one tank for you and then put the new fish in other tanks (not such a bad practice anyways). That way you can buy popular fish that have already spent 2-4 weeks at LFS as opposed to the new arrivals.

~ make friends, it pays ~

[NWA-Planted]

Also, suprised no one asked, but how new is your tank? Has it been fully cycled??

[OVT]

Originally Posted by NWA-Planted

Also, suprised no one asked, but how new is your tank? Has it been fully cycled??

Originally Posted by OVT

What is your ammonia at?

--^

[bsmith]

I agree with all the above posts.

Unfortunately if you purchased them from one of the bigger pet/co/smart stores the simple fact that they buy thousands of them at a time for pennies and have no real care to take the proper steps to assure a healthy fish to the consumer there is nothing you can do to help the situation.

Really, the best advice I can give someone buying from the above mentioned retailers is just to try to buy them when they are on sale and buy 2-3 x's as many as you really want because its likely if you do that you MAY end up with the actual amount you want that are healthy after two weeks.

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by bsmith

Really, the best advice I can give someone buying from the above mentioned retailers is just to try to buy them when they are on sale and buy 2-3 x's as many as you really want because its likely if you do that you MAY end up with the actual amount you want that are healthy after two weeks.

I agree completely. And would like to add that these fish must be put in a quarantine tank (QT) for at least 2 weeks so the sick fish won't infect all the fish in your main tank. Only after you have not had any illnesses, oddities, growths, or deaths for 2 weeks in the QT would I consider it safe to add the fish to the main tank.