Harlequin Tetras Dropping Like Flies

[stoneagedinosaur]

Morning all

I've been losing my Quins steadily over the last month. Have lost 7 of my 13. Just came down to see one lying upside down on the bottom - now swimming with small fast movements erratically, very fast breathing - obviously distressed. Whether to euthanise?

Stats are fine Ammomnia = >0.1 Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = 50 PH = 8.2 (ish) These are the tanks normal parameters

They were all bought around the same time - my first fish at around 2 years. Are they just old and coming to the end of their natural life or is something more sinister happening? There have been no additions to the tank and the other fish all appear fine: Both Harlequins and non-harlequins

 

[KittyKat]

Why do you have ammonia? If those are the normal stats, as you say, long term ammonia exposure is causing the deaths.

 

[willowstwin]

+1 with Kittykat... any level of ammonia over prolonged periods will reduce lifespan. Also, was your tank fully cycled when you put them in? As high toxicity levels at the start can damage fish long term even if it doesn't kill them Harlequins live 4 yrs minimum (I rescued some recently that were 4 years old).

Do a large water change with dechlorinated water to get that level down.

Do the fish have any marks on them? Are they bloated? Is their poo normal?

 

[Rickzayne]

Sounds like you did a fish in cycle as well

Could just be their time, since fish in cycle reduces life span.

 

[KittyKat]

Do a large water change with dechlorinated water to get that level down.

(Unless the water is chloraminated, in which case the dechlorinator will convert the chloramine into ammonia, so that would be worse, or the tap water contains ammonia or the tap water and tank water parameters are different, which can shock the fish to death.)

 

[willowstwin]

ack I never thought about that Kat... hmmm this is a tricky one

 

[KittyKat]

It's not so bad we just need some more info from the other person.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Hi folks

The ammonia is flagging up as less than 0.1 parts per million as that's the lowest reading my tetra testing kit shows. To this end, I use this as 0 Ammonia. The indicator barely changes the tint of the water!

None bloated, water always dechlorinated - normal, happy looking fish, good colouration, good feeding and pooping habits.

They were my first fish and (uneducated at the time) I was in a fish in cycle. No doubt I caused the fish stress at the beginning of their time in the tank. This could have had long term effects?

Also - tap water / tank water parameters are pretty much the same. Slightly more Nitrate in the tap water due to all the farming round here.

 

[KittyKat]

They were my first fish and (uneducated at the time) I was in a fish in cycle. No doubt I caused the fish stress at the beginning of their time in the tank. This could have had long term effects?

I would put it down to fish-in cycling then. Another member on here had every tiger barb which went through the cycle die within a week of each other some time after the cycle was finished. Harlequin rasboras are great fish, I hope this won't put you off of them.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Hell no - they are great characters. May replace with a mix of quins and cardinal tetras. Lost my neons to neon tetra disease but love the little beggars. I have read that the cardinals are resistant to neon tetra disease. Any truth there?

 

[KittyKat]

Any truth there?

I found green neons, normal neons and cardinals to be equally hardy: never had a problem with any of them. Most of them lived to around 11-13 years old, then died of what I put down as old age.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

Haven't seen my big male BN plec so I reckon he's in the cave egg sitting - but came home to @100+ apple snail babies!

 

[willowstwin]

o..o.o.one hundred snail babies?? how do you cope with so many?

I really do think that the initial fish in cycling will have had something to do with it. Don't worry about it, we all make mistakes.

neon tetra disease?? how does this manefest? as I've got one neon tetra at the moment that doesn't seem to recover from (what I now call) the night time sleepy fading (where they go really pale overnight while they rest)...

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

I have 6 hungry assassin snails!

From my reading, many neons carry the disease - rotting of fins that doesn't recover, as you mentioned - the pale colouration, bending of the spine, bloating. It can be passed to some other members of the tetra family as well as some other smaller fish.

Have a look at neon tetra disease

 

[KittyKat]

came home to @100+ apple snail babies!

I have 6 hungry assassin snails!

I'd happily take some of those babies off of you! What are you letting them get eaten for?