Keeping Our Cardinals Alive!

[nicoleandthebee]

I'm after some advice about our Cardinals We bought 6 last weekend, 2 died within 48 hours but then all was ok until and one died this morning. We didn't replace the first 2 as we wanted to see if things settled down. Now I'm wondering whether being in a small group might have stressed them out?

We're not entirely sure why they've died but we know they're quite sensitive so I guess we're hoping it's "one of those things" but we'd like to try and keep the rest happy!

I've got some info on our tank, I don't generally do much more than look at them, it's my other half who does all that!

1. Water parameters.
ammonia = 0
nitrate = 5-10
nitrite = 0
PH = about 6.6 - 6.8
temp = 25[sup]0[/sup]
Hardness = softwater area

2. A full description of the fishes symptoms.
The first two cardinals that died showed no symptoms
Todays death we noticed he was on the bottom, swimming to the side and I thought his belly looked contorted but when we removed him after dying it looked ok

We didn't notice when we bought them but their tail fins were quite damaged but these did seem to repair. We've noticed that our glowlights also occasionally get bits out of their top fins so I think there's been some nipping going on. It doesn't look like how I've seen fin rot described but I wouldn't rule it out.

3. How often you do water changes and how much.
Weekly change

4. Any chemicals and treatments you add to the water.
Add Prime to tap water during water changes

5. What tank mates are in the tank.
6 Glowlight tetra - all much more active since the cardinals arrived

6. Tank size.
54l

7. Finally Have you recently added any new fish?
The glowlights came first after we'd cycled our tank for a few weeks (fishless cycle) and then we got the cardinals. We also bought 2 new plants at the same time. The glowlights all seem fine.

We also have bog wood!

Thanks in advance if you're able to offer any advice, help or sympathy!!

 

[KittyKat]

Can't see anything wrong with what you have there.. the tank is on the smaller-than-I-like-'em side, but the water parameters are good, so it does sound like you just got a bad batch. How are the other three doing?

The fish would, of course, benefit from a larger group, but that shouldn't have caused any problems.. it may just be a better idea for you to stick to glowlights.

 

[nicoleandthebee]

Two of the others seem ok but the third is at the top of the tank, it doesn't look it has much energy. We've just seen it get pulled towards the filter and then pushed away in the current. The others don't have any problems swimming. I think he might be on his way out!

 

[nicoleandthebee]

Just updating that the little fella died a couple of hours ago

 

[hillmar77]

I usually think the first 4 weeks on any new fish determines the health and personality of it. Thats why its always recommended that the quarantine time is around that mark. During that time you can determine how active he/she is, diseases, and personality. So don't put yourself down, these cardinals probly had issues with it when you got them.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Cardinals tend to be flakey and don't travel real well, even when its from the store to your tank. One thing that seems to help with the survival rate is for the first 7-10 days feed them newly hatched bbs. I am wondering if you saw yours eating much since you got them?

Your rummys will like the bbs also.

 

[nicoleandthebee]

I am wondering if you saw yours eating much since you got them?

Now that you've mentioned it no, they don't seem to eat much at all. I hope they aren't starving I'm going to look up where we can get some bbs but I think it might be too late (Cardinal #5 is showing the same symptoms as 3 & 4!)

Are rummies easier to care for? I quite like those and I think we could do with some easy to care for fish right now!

Thanks for all the feedback & advice all

 

[Aqua Tom]

I feed my cardinals on flake, just crush it up real fine betwwen your fingers before you give it to them & they go mad for it.

Sounds as if you may have had a bad batch of them. I have Cardinals & they are a lot tougher than people give them credit. Neons however are very fragile.


A~T

 

[KittyKat]

Are rummies easier to care for? I quite like those and I think we could do with some easy to care for fish right now!

Yes and no.. there is no difference between healthy rummy noses, healthy glowlights and healthy cardinals, but cardinals tend to normally be less healthy than the other two (as shown by your own experience).

I think the glowlights would benefit from being in a larger group.

 

[waterdrop]

I feed my cardinals on flake, just crush it up real fine betwwen your fingers before you give it to them & they go mad for it.

Sounds as if you may have had a bad batch of them. I have Cardinals & they are a lot tougher than people give them credit. Neons however are very fragile.


A~T

I basically agree. I find that crushing flake just small enough but not too small makes a bigger difference with cardinals and neons than one might think. They resist biting in to larger flakes more than some other tetras do.

While I agree that cardinals do seem to have an edge on neons in hardiness, I find that neons can be quite hardy and I really now think of them as about the same level of trouble in this area. I think of both of them as being poor travelers, but it's odd, sometimes I can look at them in stores and almost have a hunch about whether I'm likely to have some acclimation casualties or not.

Unlike a few other recent comments I still find myself in agreement with a lot of other TFF comments I saw when I first joined here that a really mature tank seems to greatly increase the ease with which groups can be brought in successfully.

So I think one is really pretty free to choose between the two looks: red and blue, a little longer and more torpedo and maybe slightly more staid in movement (the cardinals) or red, blue and silver, a little smaller and slightly less slim at times and a little more erratic in movement perhaps (the neons.)

~~waterdrop~~