No, glow light Tetras are different. Google them. They have really cool orange glowing eyes when the light hits right. I have some.Do you have a picture of the Tetras? Do you mean like, “glow fish”.
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Stocking options?
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The first pic is a glow light tetra and the 2nd is a green neon tetra but they are a little harder to find sometimes. (Ignore the guppy in first pic, he’s just nosey).Do you have a picture of the Tetras? Do you mean like, “glow fish”.
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As the green neon tetra (also known as false neon tetra, though genetically it is much closer to the cardinal tetra), Paracheirodon simulans, has been mentioned, we really need to know the GH. This species is highly sensitive to everything. It will always be wild caught, and it is a blackwater fish. I have 24 in my Amazon blackwater stream tank but the GH and KH are zero and the pH is at or below 5.0 and this is what this species requires. If the parameters match, it could be OK in a planted 10g, or a true biotope 10g with lots of wood and branches, leaves, and just floating plants. This helps because it further dims the light and the fish really "glows" under such conditions (water and lighting).
Gosh, I got lucky with mine. Bought them in error a couple years ago and they are still going strong. None of my parameters meet their requirements according to your information. Bought 6 and still have 6.
If we are both still here three or four years from now, I would venture to say you will not have them then. This is the thing with species that need very soft acidic water, they "manage" but never achieve the expected lifespan. This is the same with the cardinal tetra; Gery wrote that in very soft water they (cardinals) will live over ten years, but the harder the water the shorter this becomes. Of the last P. simulans I had which I bought five years ago, I still have three; two weeks ago I acquired 21.
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/paracheirodon-simulans/
I thought they were already passed their life expectancy. Wonder why they were selling them as freshwater fish?
Your question has confused me...these are freshwater fish.
Yes, reading on them now. Interesting! I can’t believe I have had no problems with them. My PH alone is 7.6. Thanks for the info!
The problems hard water causes are all internal and you cannot see any external signs, unless of course it is really off but more likely then to be conditions rather than just parameters (conditions like ammonia/nitrite/nitrate). The parameters along with other environmental issues will just wear fish down to the point where they die, and necropsy can show the internal cause (calcium blockage of the kidneys for example).
Here's my shoal in the 29g Amazon blackwater tank, photo taken a few minutes ago. Camera is not much, cheap to begin with and several years old. This tank has 24 P. simulans, 7 Hyphessobrycon amandae (Ember Tetras), 10 Nannostomus eques (rocket pencilfish), the last five hatchetfish which are long past their lifespan but living out their final days comfortably (I hope), and seven Corydoras pygmaeus which are all fry hatched and raised in the 10g. The cories got moved over last Sunday, and on Monday two females each with 2-3 males encouraging them, were depositing eggs on the underside of leaves of the floating plants.
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What a beautiful tank!
Thank you very much. I moved the end of May so knowing I would have less space and only wanting my smaller tanks, I gave away/sold my larger tanks along with the fish requiring larger spaces and kept five tanks. I put this tank together with what I had to hand on June 13 and the fish I already had that were intended for this tank went in the next day, and the shoal of P. simulans I acquired the following week. There are other fish I want in this tank, when (if) I see them locally; being wild caught they are seasonal so usually once or twice a year is the window of opportunity. Patience is a virtue in this hobby.
@Byron I have seen you refer to 0 GH & KH several times. Is this an indication that plain RO water would be a good thing, or is that too "sterile" for my blackwater tank. I currently make it up to 2dGH / 1dKH but when I try to breed my tetras and pencilfish I will be using pure RO based on advice seen elsewhere.
Apologies for the diversion @PheonixKingZ
Yes, me too. But we are here to learn and it is all related.
I use my tap water "as is" because it is basically zero GH and KH. The GH according to the water authority is 7 ppm, less than half of 1 dGH. Not sure about the KH but as there is no mineral in this water I doubt it is above zero.
The pH of the reservoir water is at or below 5. Prior to 2001 this is what came out of the tap. In 2001 they began adding soda ash to raise the pH to 7.0 or 7.2 to combat corrosion of the pipes which can occur with acidic water. The GH/KH remained the same. I hadn't been aware of this, and literally overnight my crypts all melted a day following the water change. The soda ash is not permanent, and the pH in my tanks is acidic, ranging from below 5 (can't test lower so no idea what it might be) to low 6's depending upon the tank. This is natural, I add nothing to impact parameters.
RO I have never had to use, but I cannot see why it would be problematic on its own. I would certainly use wood, dried leaves, with or without lower plants (always have floating). The substances (not just tannins, but bacterial too) released by wood and leaves are beneficial to these fish (characins and such). Left alone, each aquarium will establish its biological system and be stable, provided you do not mess with it. I do 70-75% water changes once a week with pure tap water using just the APIU Tap Water Conditioner. The GH and KH obviously remain zero, and the pH rises a couple decimal points initially but within a few hours is back where it otherwise remains depending upon that tank.
In these conditions, most of my fish spawn regularly; most eggs get eaten of course, but now and then one escapes and hatches and a fry will appear under a chunk of wood or among the floating plants. To my knowledgee the false neons and hatchetfish have not spawned, but I certainly have seen interactions that could be related to the act. I know the pencilfish, Ember Tetras, cories have spawned because fry of these have survived periodically.
I stay with fish suited to such water, and most of mine are wild caught. I also only feed prepared foods, but I use the best quality so the absence of live food may or may not be the catalyst that would trigger spawning in the species that haveen't, if in fact they haven't done it un-noticed.
Thank you @Byron. Interesting as always. I already have 100 litres of water prepared for this weekend so I will start introducing "pure" water next week.
If I knew 15 years ago what I know now I would not have a tank full of tetras, corydoras and pencilfish today. But then I would have missed the pleasure of experiencing these wonderful species and I'm not giving them up now.
OP
OP
So you think that neon tetras are a good option?
Also, will some of you please “check” this website, and see if it is correct?
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Stocking_a_10_Gallon_Tank
Also, will some of you please “check” this website, and see if it is correct?
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Stocking_a_10_Gallon_Tank
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