Hey guys, I just got a group of 6 neon tetras, and added them into my 26 gallon tank. I just set it up, and its heavily planted, with ammonia at .25, nitrite at 0, and nitrate at 20-30. I have 2 sponge filters going on as well, with seeded gravel and filter media. When I added them into the tank, they were all grouped together and swimming together, but now one seems to have broken off from the group and is isolated. I also read up on neon tetra disease, and it mentions that one of the symptoms would be isolation. Should I be worried, or is it normal for some neon tetra to break away from the group and hang out by itself for some time? Thanks!

hey there,

I would be worried too how do you measure your water parameters? your ammonia should be at zero and your nitrates little bellow 20 ppm. You have to be careful with neons whats your temperature? did you cycle your aquarium? how did you cycle if you did?

have you checked the tropical fish profiles above?

 

Your neons won't school unless they're stressed.. Like being in a new environment, or a perceived predator in the tank...

 

Agree. Most characins are "shoaling" fish which means they live in large groups, and a group in an aquarium is necessary for security and frequently social interactions of various sorts. They are within eyesight of each other, and that is all that matters. They will from time to time swim together, but often not, or in pairs, a trio, etc., whatever suits their whim.

I agree the nitrates are high but with plants this should resolve itself; it is probably the newness of the tank. However, have you tested your tap water? It may contain ammonia, nitrite or nitrate, so you should test it once to see. If the ammonia or nitrate is from the tap water, we can discuss how to manage it.

Byron.

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replies! Yes, the ammonia and nitrate are from the water, so I'll be upping the dosage of Seachem prime when I start doing water changes. I guess I freaked out a little bit after reading up on neon tetra disease, as I actually found a tetra at a local petsmart that was suffering from NTD. I told the workers, and they promptly removed the fish. So needless to say, I'm a little paranoid. At least for now. Hahaha

 

Hey guys, thanks for the replies! Yes, the ammonia and nitrate are from the water, so I'll be upping the dosage of Seachem prime when I start doing water changes. I guess I freaked out a little bit after reading up on neon tetra disease, as I actually found a tetra at a local petsmart that was suffering from NTD. I told the workers, and they promptly removed the fish. So needless to say, I'm a little paranoid. At least for now. Hahaha

To be safe, never acquire fish from a store tank that has an obvious problem. Many of these diseases are communicable and other apparently unaffected fish can be carrying it. I have fallen prey to this in the past and learned the lesson the hard way.

Good that the water issues are solved. The Prime will handle the initial influx of ammonia/nitrate at a water change, and by the time it wears off (around 24 hours) the plants and bacteria will have kicked in.

 

Oh, I was just browsing at the petsmart and I noticed the fish. I bought my neon tetras from a LFS; didn't see any dead/dieing neon tetras from that place, so fingers crossed. The one that isn't really shoaling is just hiding behind a bunch of wisteria and driftwood 85% of the time; its color is duller than the rest, and isn't swimming around like the others. Its just hiding most of the time. Is this a symptom of a disease, or just stress? I want to say its just stress for the fish to get acclimated, but just want to double check.

 

Oh, I was just browsing at the petsmart and I noticed the fish. I bought my neon tetras from a LFS; didn't see any dead/dieing neon tetras from that place, so fingers crossed. The one that isn't really shoaling is just hiding behind a bunch of wisteria and driftwood 85% of the time; its color is duller than the rest, and isn't swimming around like the others. Its just hiding most of the time. Is this a symptom of a disease, or just stress? I want to say its just stress for the fish to get acclimated, but just want to double check.

Could be either. I would just wait and see.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, it seems that all my tetras are adjusted and shoaling together now. And all have regained their bright colors.