Hi everyone,
I am a newbie and also the owner of a 10 Gallon Freshwater tank for about 6-8 months now. I purchased 2 Serpae Tetras and 2 Neon Tetras all young males from my local Petco store. They all have been coexisting well together, I clean the tank once per month, test the water regularly, feed them as recommended, keep the water at the temperature suggested and filtered. They all seemed healthy and happy fish. I then wanted to buy a algae eater and with the advice from the Aquarium Specialist a spotted Bristlenose Pleco was recommended for me to get. It was also a male, around 3.5" and appeared healthy. The Serpae tetras were not bothered by this fish but the Neon Tetras started to hide a lot. Two weeks later with no warning both Neon Tetras died within a week of each other. There were no visible discoloring of the fish or cloudy eyes, bloating or lack of appetite to indicate my fish were sick. I changed and treated the water immediately just in case of contamination in the water. My Pleco is now 8" long and I think my tank is too small for him, I was not informed he would keep growing so big when I asked if my size tank would be alright he said yes.
Is there a chance my Tetras died of shock with introducing a larger species than them? My tetras are around 3"-4" long. Is there a possibility my Pleco is sick and infecting the water? I spent hours researching compatibility of the two species and some sites say yes they are fine, some say no they are not compatible. I feel I need to take back my Pleco so someone with a bigger gallon tank can give him a good home, perhaps someone can suggest a smaller breed of algae eater that is more compatible with my tetras and also shed some light on what has happened in my case. I do not want my other Tetras dying. Thank you in advance.
I am a newbie and also the owner of a 10 Gallon Freshwater tank for about 6-8 months now. I purchased 2 Serpae Tetras and 2 Neon Tetras all young males from my local Petco store. They all have been coexisting well together, I clean the tank once per month, test the water regularly, feed them as recommended, keep the water at the temperature suggested and filtered. They all seemed healthy and happy fish. I then wanted to buy a algae eater and with the advice from the Aquarium Specialist a spotted Bristlenose Pleco was recommended for me to get. It was also a male, around 3.5" and appeared healthy. The Serpae tetras were not bothered by this fish but the Neon Tetras started to hide a lot. Two weeks later with no warning both Neon Tetras died within a week of each other. There were no visible discoloring of the fish or cloudy eyes, bloating or lack of appetite to indicate my fish were sick. I changed and treated the water immediately just in case of contamination in the water. My Pleco is now 8" long and I think my tank is too small for him, I was not informed he would keep growing so big when I asked if my size tank would be alright he said yes.
Is there a chance my Tetras died of shock with introducing a larger species than them? My tetras are around 3"-4" long. Is there a possibility my Pleco is sick and infecting the water? I spent hours researching compatibility of the two species and some sites say yes they are fine, some say no they are not compatible. I feel I need to take back my Pleco so someone with a bigger gallon tank can give him a good home, perhaps someone can suggest a smaller breed of algae eater that is more compatible with my tetras and also shed some light on what has happened in my case. I do not want my other Tetras dying. Thank you in advance.
Excellent advice (as ever!!)
