Neon Tetras Aren't Eating

[timolol]

I recently added 5 neon tetras to my newly-cycled 20L tank. 3 of them look very healthy and eat fine. However, 2 of them are very skinny and don't seem to eat much if at all! They came from the LFS in this skinny state and have not gained any mass since I got them 3 days ago. When I feed the fish, the 3 healthy ones consume all of the flakes, while the skinny 2 just hang down near the bottom of the tank and don't seem interested. I'm concerned that they are/will become malnourished very quickly and might become weak and eventually die. Does anybody have any idea what could be wrong with them, or any tips as to how I can get them to eat? Perhaps it's because the 3 healthy ones are "stealing" all their food before they can even get to it, because all the food goes pretty quickly. I don't want to put too much food in the tank because the 3 healthy ones get bloated very quickly, but still continue to eat whereas the 2 skinny ones don't even get a sniff!

Thanks in advance!
Tim

 

[drobbyb]

Welcome to TFF Tim!


You could try soaking their food in garlic (here there is a product called garlic guard). Sometimes this entices fish to eat.

Another point comes to mind: It is generally accepted that neon tetras are not a good choice for a newly cycled tank. A tank that has been set up 6 months or longer would be suitable, provided that the other water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are OK.


At this point I would recommend that you take the neons back and trade them for something more suitable.

Hope that helps!