Cardinal death

[Tenko]

So yesterday all my water parameters were fine (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate all 0, ph 8.3). My fish, 8 guppies, 9 cardinal tetras, 3 bristlenose catfish, were swimming around all happily.

Yesterday evening I added 6 black widow tetras, 2 female bettas and 2 dwarf neon gouramis. A couple of hours later I fed them and all seemed happy and hungy, especially the black widows who ate as if they were starving to death.

This morning I check the tank too find a dead cardinal. I fish him out, he had no eyes or tail. I'm assuming he died and had been picked at by the other fish over night, but I'm not 100% sure.

Are any of the fish in my tank likely to attack a small cardinal? I know the ph is high but it is the local level and the cardials have been in the tank for a couple of weeks already.

 

[superfish]

hi cardinals are not the hardiest tetra i had 8 cardinals they all fine for the first 2 weeks then they all slowley died off 1 each day .They are not for your average community tank but with the right conditions they will thrive. Check pH at least twice a month and keep it 6.4-6.8.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

hi cardinals are not the hardiest tetra i had 8 cardinals they all fine for the first 2 weeks then they all slowley died off 1 each day .They are not for your average community tank but with the right conditions they will thrive. Check pH at least twice a month and keep it 6.4-6.8.

Mine do great at 7-7.4

They are over an inc and are 6months +

 

[Tenko]

The local water is 8.2 around here and all the lfs keep cardinals in those conditions. I know it's not ideal, but they assured me they were used to it and would be fine.

Since I dumped the black widows back at the lfs, I've had no more mysterious mutilations in the tank and all the fish seem a lot happier. Yesterday when they were still in the tank virtually everything was hiding.

I'm keeping an eye on them though.