Done with neon tetras, can you recommend other tankmates?

[outofwater]

So, I've got a 29g tank, already running for 4 months. Couple of months ago I bought a dozen neon tetras and within 2 days 5 died. Columnaris, NTD, or too much stress, never found out for sure.
Fast forward to yesterday. I've had a planted and cycled "quarantine" tank running for 3 weeks now. Parameters are perfect and I decide to get a cory (yes, single one, already have a good gang going but one passed away a couple of weeks ago and wanted to bring the gang back to its original number, half a dozen), and get 5 neons to also bring those to a dozen, again.
Cory is doing well, no issues there. The neons look good, but WITHIN THE HOUR 2 die. I saw them starting to break from the others, slow down, and literally in the time I go to the kitchen to grab a drink and I come back, they're both dead. I already am thinking here we effin' go again.

The other 3 continue to swim together nicely, no issues, eat a little and stay grouped.

Last check of the night just a few moments ago, one is dead, and I see the other 2 are looking iffy, they're not together anymore and just don't look "right".

I'm pissed off.
If those 2 make it thru the night, great. If not, I guess I'll be staying with these 7 neons and go with other fish to finish stocking my tank.

All I want for now is a couple more ottos (I've got a loner and I know he needs company) but I'll be damned, I just don't trust the neons rhe stores around me are getting anymore.

So, the current inhabitants are 6 corys, 1 otto, 7 (hopefully 9) neon tetras, 2 mystery snails, one assassin snail.

I've been thinking of 2 or 3 more ottos, and I'm open to suggestions for another type of schooling fish or a "centerpiece" fish.

Thank you...

 

[Alice B]

Neon tetra disease? don't put any other tetras in that tank for 6 weeks. no gouramis either. 6 weeks to get the bacteria out.

 

[Sgooosh]

So, I've got a 29g tank, already running for 4 months. Couple of months ago I bought a dozen neon tetras and within 2 days 5 died. Columnaris, NTD, or too much stress, never found out for sure.
Fast forward to yesterday. I've had a planted and cycled "quarantine" tank running for 3 weeks now. Parameters are perfect and I decide to get a cory (yes, single one, already have a good gang going but one passed away a couple of weeks ago and wanted to bring the gang back to its original number, half a dozen), and get 5 neons to also bring those to a dozen, again.
Cory is doing well, no issues there. The neons look good, but WITHIN THE HOUR 2 die. I saw them starting to break from the others, slow down, and literally in the time I go to the kitchen to grab a drink and I come back, they're both dead. I already am thinking here we effin' go again.

The other 3 continue to swim together nicely, no issues, eat a little and stay grouped.

Last check of the night just a few moments ago, one is dead, and I see the other 2 are looking iffy, they're not together anymore and just don't look "right".

I'm pissed off.
If those 2 make it thru the night, great. If not, I guess I'll be staying with these 7 neons and go with other fish to finish stocking my tank.

All I want for now is a couple more ottos (I've got a loner and I know he needs company) but I'll be damned, I just don't trust the neons rhe stores around me are getting anymore.

So, the current inhabitants are 6 corys, 1 otto, 7 (hopefully 9) neon tetras, 2 mystery snails, one assassin snail.

I've been thinking of 2 or 3 more ottos, and I'm open to suggestions for another type of schooling fish or a "centerpiece" fish.

Thank you...

get at least 5 more otos to a total of 6. they are more comfortable that way
the neons might just be wayyy too overbred or just not acclimated properly it seems
how do you acclimate?

 

[itiwhetu]

What is the pH of the tank please?

 

[outofwater]

Neon tetra disease? don't put any other tetras in that tank for 6 weeks. no gouramis either. 6 weeks to get the bacteria out.

The main tank, 29g, is doing fine, nothing being added to it yet. The 10g quarantine tank only had plants until now that I decided to add these fish, and they'll be there for another 8 days before I move them to the 29g

get at least 5 more otos to a total of 6. they are more comfortable that way
the neons might just be wayyy too overbred or just not acclimated properly it seems
how do you acclimate?

Thanks, can't seem to find ANY ottos anytime I visit the stores. Acclimation process: float bag in destination tank for 30 minutes. Add a cup or so of tank water, wait another 30 minutes or so. Move fish to tank, discard transport water.

What is the pH of the tank please?

gH, 30 ppm, kH, 80 ppm. Same results across all 3 of my tanks. Just tested the quarantine tank again to confirm, these are consistent results I keep a log of. Water temp may range from 72 to 76 F depending on when and for how long the apt heat kicks on. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and about 10 ppm nitrates (on this quarantine tank).

Just checked, all 3 fish seem fine. Cory doing his thing, the 2 neons still there and swimming together. I'm thinking of adding melafix, and wonder if doing a 50% water change would help any? I had done one just a couple of hours before I brought in the new guys 2 days ago.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

2 mystery snails, one assassin snail.

just asking why these are allowed to live together?

 

[outofwater]

The assassin keeps tabs on pest snails. The mystery ones are too big for him to try to tackle at this point. It's only one of them, so it's not like they can get jumped on by a band of marauding assassins. He tried once when they were all the same size, the mysteries are total units now and they sure can zip around quick when they feel like it, the assassin stalks under the sand and only occasionally resurfaces to scavenge food if the hunt isn't going well for him.

just asking why these are allowed to live together?

 

[Slaphppy7]

just asking why these are allowed to live together?

A single assassin snail *usually* will not go after the much larger MS.

I have heard of assassins "ganging up" on MS, but have no experience with it.

 

[outofwater]

A single assassin snail *usually* will not go after the much larger MS.

I have heard of assassins "ganging up" on MS, but have no experience with it.

Size is might. Might is right

the two MS I have are probably 5 times as big as the assassin at this point, he won't bother, and he has enough grub with the pests (which he has brought under control, mostly) and the occasional scavenging of leftover food at surface level. Not that the fat female cories I have leave much, God, those girls can eat!

 

[Sgooosh]

The main tank, 29g, is doing fine, nothing being added to it yet. The 10g quarantine tank only had plants until now that I decided to add these fish, and they'll be there for another 8 days before I move them to the 29g

Thanks, can't seem to find ANY ottos anytime I visit the stores. Acclimation process: float bag in destination tank for 30 minutes. Add a cup or so of tank water, wait another 30 minutes or so. Move fish to tank, discard transport water.

gH, 30 ppm, kH, 80 ppm. Same results across all 3 of my tanks. Just tested the quarantine tank again to confirm, these are consistent results I keep a log of. Water temp may range from 72 to 76 F depending on when and for how long the apt heat kicks on. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and about 10 ppm nitrates (on this quarantine tank).

Just checked, all 3 fish seem fine. Cory doing his thing, the 2 neons still there and swimming together. I'm thinking of adding melafix, and wonder if doing a 50% water change would help any? I had done one just a couple of hours before I brought in the new guys 2 days ago.

hm, your acclimation seems to be ok
perhaps some other fish are bullying him?

 

[outofwater]

hm, your acclimation seems to be ok
perhaps some other fish are bullying him?

The neons and the cory are in the quarantine tank, no bullying, they just were sickly/inbred/stressed fish, unfortunately

 

[FishNturt808]

Was the batch at the store just shipped in? Could have just been from all the time in transit. Fish stores should wait a few days at least before selling new fish.

 

[itiwhetu]

How heavily planted is your tank? and I'm still interested in knowing the pH.

 

[outofwater]

Yeah, that. Forgot to add it. 7 to 7.2 across all tanks. This quarantine tank specifically is at 7 right now and since I had to be up early to pick up my mom from the airport I checked and the last 2 neons are gone. The cory remains in there for another few days then I'll move him to the main tank. I'm going back to bed now to catch a couple more hours of sleep, then time to go bitching at the lfs to get my money back or other fish, we'll see

 

[itiwhetu]

These guys like acid water and lots and lots of plants. They are weaker now than though were and so you need to treat them with care, wrap them in cotton wool blankets