Tetra Fish :(

[BlackberryBetta]

Yesterday I just finished setting up my 10g and got 5 Glowlight Tetras to put in. When I woke up this morning, they all died! :( I feel horrible. I am so sad right now because of my stupidity. Do you need a heater for tetras? I only have 1 heater and I am using it foy my betta. The old tank was from my hermit crabs and I washed it out with salt and vinegar water and my filter was my old goldfish filter. I decided to use it because I already had it right? I am like super stressed out right now. I don't know what to do! I don't have money for another heater. Please don't get mad at me for not thinking this through. I know I was being an idiot. I am just so stressed out with school and fish right now that I can't think straight. Sorry that I am dumping this all on you guys......What should I do? In the 10g, I currently don't have any fish, but it is full of water and decor. Should I let the filter cycle it for a new days? Rinse everything? Thanks guys, you are amazing.

[small fry]

If the temp didn't drop far below 70, I doubt it was the temp. Glowlights, as well as bettas, are tropical fish.

Sometimes filters can be an issue with small school fish such as glowlights, neons, and cardinals. Were they stuck in the filter? If not it probably wasn't the filter.

I could have just simply been stress moving to an entirely different inviroment. Alot of fish get stressed when making transitions. I use a bacterial suppliment that is supposed to help reduce that, and from all my expirience, it has worked wonders.

Did you use any new chemicals? Do you have any decor that wasn't pruchased for aquatic fish?

It could have been the water chemistry. Glowfish prefer soft to slightly basic water. If you have a very alkiline water, and your lfs kept them in water in their prefered range, the shock of sudden chemistry change might have done something like that.

If the tank that they were in wasn't cycled, the sudden rise in ammonia may have injured them, but I doubt that the ammonia would have raised that high overnight.

Not that this has anything to do with what happend to the fish, but glowlights and other small school fish should be kept in groups of 6, minimally. That way they will all feel safer and live longer, happier lives.

Very sorry for your loss.

[BlackberryBetta]

Thank you for replying. I was going to get 10 but the guy at the pet store said to only get 5 and then introduce 5 next week so there will be some natural algae growth and stuff like that. I might have been the water, I only added some bio stuff and all purpose water conditioner.

[small fry]

I am sorry, 5 and 5 is good. My 10g amazon QT has a nearly unlimited bio-load because of all the plants I have in it. I keep forgetting about bio-load lol.

If it was chemicals (which I guess we don't really know) then I would take out the decor, emtpy the tank, rinse the tank, and put it out in a safe place in the sun if you can.

If the tank isn't cycled you could do a fish-less cycle and get it ready for a betta or maybe give small school fish another try. Some lfs will let you know what the water chemistry in the fish tank you get the fish from. I wasn't sure how they kept some lemon tetras, so I ask and they tested the water and it was close enough to what mine was.

[PewPewPew]

It couldve been neon tetra disease.

Theyre REALLY sensitive to water params...If the tank wasnt cycled right, it may have been that.

[BlackberryBetta]

Ok well the tank wasn't cycled. I went to the fish store where I bought them last night and got my money back. The lady was great, she told me about the cycle. I am doing a water change tonight and add some live bacteria and bring in some samples to my LFS. I will add fish when the testing comes out right. They also said that I could have a betta with tetras, is that true?

[tsoto80]

yes you can but depends on the temperment of the betta. I have neon tetras and they do just fine in my sorority

[BlackberryBetta]

Ya, I started another thread about it...