neons dying!!!!!

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#1
ok I've lost 8 neons in the past 3 days and not sure why. my mom bought me some harlquine rasboras and some guppies from petco and my neos started dying. I've had these neons for about a year now and they have survived my tank cycling but now I put in new fish and they die. Now when they die it's real sudden and no signs of ick or anything. they stay brilliantly colored and just start darting around and going nuts till they just stop. I've checked my ph and my nitrits amonia and everything. nothing is out of the ordinary. if u have any ideas what it might be I would like to know and i'd like to know if my other fish are at risk. cause I realy don't wanna loose my dojo loaches. thanks for any advice.
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#3
i don't have an extra tank to qt my fish and I though mine were invincible considering that they survived ti fisrt full cycle that I did on my tank when I first set it up. I keep telling my mom not to go to petco but she don't listen and every time so goes there something bad happens. but if it is a desise wheat could it possibly be?
 

Big Vine

Elite Fish
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
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Florida
#5
Could you please list the size of tank and what fish you have in that tank? Also...how have all the fish been getting along? Are any fish picking on any of their tankmates?

I'm highly doubtful that disease could have killed all those fish at once.

My guess is that the neons are getting picked on, and they likely died from stress as a result.

Your answers to the questions I asked above will help to determine whether or not this theory is the most likely explanation. Sorry for your losses.

Big Vine
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#6
I got a 10 gal with 3 zebra danios the neons 1 pleco 2 cory cats and 2 dojo loaches with 3 guppies. they got along just fine for bout a year I've had zero deseases in the tank. no fungus or anything and all the fish were getting along just fine. but a few days ago my mom thought she would suprise me by buying me some more fish. she don't know about how I stuggle to keep the water good and all that. but anyway she got me 6 baby guppies and 6 harliquen Rasboras. the day I put them in 2 neons died they show no signs of desease and the aint getting chased that I have seen and they don't have any scales missing. I hope this helps cause I don't wanna loose my loaches to something cause my LFS told me they aint going to get any more in ever besides the golden ones which I don't care for. Hope u can help big vine.
 

Big Vine

Elite Fish
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
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47
Florida
#7
From what I understand, you've got in the neighborhood of about 25+ fish in a 10 gallon tank---and half of them (i.e. 6 guppies, 6 rasboras) were added all at one time---is that right?

I'm all for pushing the envelope a little bit when it comes to stocking levels, but what you have on your hands is a severely crowded tank. This leads me to conclude that the neons likely died from a combination of crowding (including possibly being picked-on) and high toxin levels. In other words...stress.

Have you been taking readings of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?

My guess is that you will continue to experience fish losses---even with an extremely regimented water-changing/tank-maintenance schedule---until you are down to about 15 fish, total.

It's time to return some and/or find another tank, I'm afraid. :(

Big Vine
 

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exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#9
well I knew after my mom bought the fish it was way over crowded but I didn't think the lose of fish would be so fast and be limited to one type of fish. personally I could do without the rasboras and keep the neons myself. and I been checking the water conditions every day and they seem just fine. right in the desirable range ammonia between 0-0.25 mg/l nitrate 0-12.5 mg/l and nitrites are at 0-0.3 mg/l and I havn't done a water chance for over a week. I've done all these tests with tetra test kits.
 

Big Vine

Elite Fish
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#11
Ammonia and nitrites need to be zero...0
Not 0.4, not 0.3, not even 0.1---they need to be 0.0

Also---if you haven't changed water in a tank like that in over a week, then your fish are going to have a high death rate. You need to be doing at least 25% water changes about every other day in a tank that is so overstocked.

The neons died first because they're the weakest (read as "least hardy") fish in the tank. The next victims will be the next weakest fish, and then so on.

You say one of the guppies has fungus?

Rather than try to treat them and put the whole tank in jeopardy, you need to remove/relocate at least about half your fish so that you can salvage a few.

Make a list of the fish you like best---put them in order. Keep your top 12 fish and remove/relocate the rest.

Big Vine
 

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#12
I second this...WAY too many fish for such a small tank!!! I would suggest even more frequent water changes, like 25% every day. And take HALF of those fish back to the fish store ASAP. Not tomorrow, not next week, TODAY.
 

exhumed07

Superstar Fish
Apr 30, 2006
1,774
0
36
Illinois
#13
well I'm going to my lfs which has been realy helpful with my tank thus far. and when I had all the fish before the ones my mom bought me they were doing fine at those levels and I would do a 50% water change bout every 2-3 weeks and had no problems. I'm thinking of getting rid of the guppies and the Rasboras and getting more neons to get to the same level of fish that I had before. thanks for all your help and I hope I can get continued help from this site. every one is awsome thanks again :)