[pecosROB]

So I've been wanting to stock my 40 gallon with some RNTs and finally was able to get some from one of the LFS in my area. I was only able to get 7 and planned on having at least 16 in the tank with some Corys, Otos, and one of my King Bettas (less aggressive than the other one I have).

Well, after the first night, 2 of them died (this was yesterday). Took them out (one was dead in the morning, the other later in the evening) immediately and now I have 5. Wake up this morning and 3 more are dead. I've had them in my quarantine tank (10 gallons) which doesn't have much for decoration, just one decently sized silk plant, the water heater, a sponge filter, and a little ornament that I attached a little bit of hornwort to (it looks like a statue head used for a planter, I ripped out the fake plastic plant that was in it) to help a little with the ammonia. The tank has been running for weeks and has been cycled and I've use it prior on other fish to observe before placing in the 40 gallon. This morning I tested the water - 6.8 pH, 0.25 ppm ammonia (my water comes out around 0.25 by default), 0 ppm nitrites, 5 (maybe even 2.5) ppm nitrates. I went ahead and put in another sponge in the tank from one of my other tanks to help with more bacteria.

I know RNTs love to school, should I look hard for another small school of them or will they be OK for a week in the tank (assuming they live) without anymore RNTs? I'm afraid I'm going to wake up this week and those 2 are dead...

tldr: should I get more RNTs for the 2 survivors ASAP or will they not get too stressed and depressed if it takes another week to get more?

 

[Blacksheep101]

This is a notorious issue with rnt’s. I always loose at least one from each new batch.

One thing you didn’t mention is your temperature, what are you keeping the tank at? They like it a little warmer than what most sites / info says , like 27/28c.

As you know they are schoolers and will feel safer in a bigger group but a week shouldn’t affect them too much. Reduce stress and keeps lights dimmed or off where possible . Try and reduce foot traffic if possible around the tank too.

Personally if it were me I’d start looking for another healthy group from another vendor, if they don’t look healthy , don’t bother. They are sensitive little fish and in my experience don’t handle transitions well, if you do get more consider a slower acclimation , I found it helped a lot ! The newer group I got have a pretty green spot on the head and they have been a lot more robust.

 

[pecosROB]

tank is around 77, I have seen videos and people talking about temp ranges of 75-80F ish so good to know they like it closer to 80F. I'll take another temp reading and adjust the thermometer temp - the quarantine tank is the only one I have that has an adjustable heater in it.

yeah when the next batch comes in i'll take a look at them and if I get them I'll definitely do a very slow drip acclimation for them and not even touch the water unless a test says I need to.

 

[DebbieNY]

I bought 3 RNT at my local store because that was all they had. They did fine just the 3 of them. I liked them so much I ordered more online. I lost 2 out of 6 in the first 2 days but the other 4 joined right up to the first 3. I hope your two survive and you are able to enjoy them. They are so pretty.

 

[Blacksheep101]

They are glorious when they school tightly ! You won’t regret sourcing more

 

[pecosROB]

The next week can't come quick enough! Hopefully they have some more come in and these guys can hang on! I'm starting to think they'll all slowly die off but maybe these 2 survivors will make it. If I'm still in the market for some more RNTs the next time I go to Dallas or Houston I'll have to pick some up if they're a little bit bigger/older than these guys were. Hopefully the few plants I have in there will make it (due to getting less/no light)!

The second to last one was found dead just now 😭 the 3 pygmy corys (I wanted to get 6 or 8 but they only had 3) I picked up today are doing fine in the quarantine tank. I tried to leave the tank alone and not walk by much but just check from afar but then I saw the little guy dead at the bottom. I won't ever buy them this small again, I feel so bad, maybe I need to aquascape the quarantine tank so they feel more comfortable even if they're in a group since there would be more coverage. I just thought it wouldn't be a big deal since they were in there initially by themselves with nothing to disturb them. If the pygmy corys are fine and healthy then I will feel a little less bad and chalk it up to stressed out fish in transport. This tetra tank is going to end up being a Cory tank at this rate...

I know it's not my water parameters since it's been cycled and had other fish quarantined in this tank just fine prior to this. I have a feeling ill be updating the post with the least guy being dead in the morning. If he or she somehow lives through all this, I'll have to give it a name like Mercy or Hope or Miracle lol

 

[Blacksheep101]

My fingers are crossed for the little guy .

 

[pecosROB]

Well, I took a peak behind the towel this morning and all 3 pygmy corydoras are alive and well and the single RNT is swimming around like normal. I honestly thought he'd be dead this morning but he surprised me. Let's see if he stays alive the rest of the week!

 

[DebbieNY]

I’m pulling for him! Good luck. I hope he makes it.

 

[LidijaPN]

Sending good vibes to your last little rummy!! Hope he can do it!!

I’ve heard rummies are delicate and don’t handle transitions superbly well... once they establish they should be ok though. Here’s hoping it will work out better with another batch

 

[Trying 2 Learn]

Sorry to hear that. They should be fine until you can get more. I had 8 in my 75 and several months later added 5 Buenos Aires tetras to the tank. The aries must of really stressed them out because 5 died within 2 days which left me with 3. They are doing fine together. My Lfs no longer has them and I am very hesitant on online ordering of live fish. They are by far my favorite so I am going to have no choice but to order them once I convert my 75 to a planted tank. I want at least 20!! Good luck!

 

[pecosROB]

Woke up this morning and somehow the one little guy is still holding on. I honestly thought he'd be dead by the morning before I went to bed last night. Not sure if anyone cares but I figure I would update his/her status lol

 

[LidijaPN]

Woke up this morning and somehow the one little guy is still holding on. I honestly thought he'd be dead by the morning before I went to bed last night. Not sure if anyone cares but I figure I would update his/her status lol

still keeping my fingers crossed for him! Definitely wanna hear updates if he makes it!!!

 

[pecosROB]

still keeping my fingers crossed for him! Definitely wanna hear updates if he makes it!!!

I'm just hoping if he does somehow stay alive I can get more in this Friday so he has friends again. The 3 pygmy corys in the quarantine tank with him are doing fine so I guess the 6 out of 7 RNTs just died from stress

I have to go pick up some sand I bought to put in the tank (yeah I know it's a quarantine tank and it's good to have no substrate but honestly I get OCD when I see the uneaten food and poop at the bottom and want to clean it, plus the substrate can help with more surface area for bacteria growth), I just don't know when I'll be able to put it in since I have the RNT and the pygmy corys in there. I'm not really worried about the corys getting stressed if I moved them to the larger tank or just added sand and a large (for the tank size) piece of drift wood but I don't want to shock the RNT. Guess it'll just have to wait until I'm done using the tank for quarantine/observation.

 

[LidijaPN]

some fish are just really fragile before they settle in..... I don't wanna tell you how many chili rasbora I lost before my population and my tank stabilized.

 

[pecosROB]

some fish are just really fragile before they settle in..... I don't wanna tell you how many chili rasbora I lost before my population and my tank stabilized.

awww at least I'm not alone! 6 out of 7 felt like an extermination, and I'm not going to assume the last guy is going to make it, but if he does he's definitely a fighter for sure!

 

[LidijaPN]

You’re definitely not alone. Certain species (neon tetra, rummynose, otocinclus) have this thing where sometimes you get a dozen and you lose them all....

Slower acclimation and getting from a safe source will help somewhat, but sometimes it’s just out of your hands. Of course you should still keep checking and rechecking all the parameters.

Still rooting for your little guy.

 

[Blacksheep101]

You’re Definitely not an exterminator !! I’ve mentioned I’ve lost some out of every batch and honestly I think it’s an acclimation / temperature thing, plus then just being so sensitive to change. Don’t blame yourself.

Everything you read online says 25c is good for them but it isn’t ! There’s a reason discus/ ram keepers have rummy’s too. They really do need that couple of degrees warmer to stop issues. So even if you acclimate well and they settle , a few months later down the line at that lower temp you’ll likely start to see some issues and lose a few more. It’s an all too common story.

I’m seriously rooting for the little guy . If you can find healthy , robust rnt then get them. Diamond back are even better if you can find them

 

[pecosROB]

so I just checked the tank about 30 minutes ago and when I removed the towel I saw the little guy upside down... trying to swim. He's at least the third I've got to see have SBD, the others that I found dead might have had it overnight and expired by the morning. I just gave him a concentrate epsom salt bath and he started to wiggle a bit but it looks like he's giving up. I'll try to do another bath in a little bit but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to euthanize him. :*(

on the other hand, the 3 pygmy corys are still doing very well, swimming around looking all cute. I tested my water and of course it's perfect as far as ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates go. If something miraculous happens, I'll let y'all know, otherwise, looks like I'm waiting until Friday for some new fish...

... so the last guy has passed on to the afterlife. well, I guess I'll tell the store if the next batch that comes in are just as small that I'll take a pass on them. Maybe I should try ordering online.

On the bright side, I don't have to go back to the store after this with bad news with the same batch...

 

[DebbieNY]

Sorry to hear it. The 6 I bought online were medium sized and 4 survived even though the shipping wasn’t overnight. One of the causalities was actually a lot smaller than the others. Maybe it’s worth a shot.