The Neon Decision

[PrairieSunflower]

I've had neons since September 2012.  My numbers have been steadily dropping since then with on and off bouts of neons tetra disease.  Well... I am down to 8 now and the trouble is.... half of them are having some sort of problem... no exactly the same NTD characteristic white patch going on.  A few have their eyes turning sort of shiny blue (the pupil), not cloudy eye (and my water parameters are reading spot on 0 where it should).  Also, 3 of them are becoming... I don't know lumpy/deformed... not in the way females get bumpy before eggs and their spines aren't bending.  You can only see the beginning of lumps at just the right angle.
 
My other fish in the tank are fine (guppies and platies).
 
So... the question is..l what to do with the neons.  I am pretty sure I will euthanize the 4.... but... what do I do with the other 4?  Will they be alright on their own?  I'm not replacing the numbers as neons have not done well for me (all down to NTD).  Is it kinder to also euthanize the 4 that seem fine so far or will they do alright in that small group?

 

[Zante]

Ph and hardness?

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I know my pH is 7.2, I haven't tested my hardness recently.

 

[Zante]

usually neons and livebearers live in waters that are quite opposite.
 
Hard and alkaline for livebearers, and soft and acid for neons.
Ph is not particularly high, very close to neutral, so that shouldn't be a big issue, I do wonder about the hardness though...

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Right, some more readings for you.
 
 
pH is still 7.2 as always.
 
KH  50
 
GH  about 250 ish, a bit hard to tell

 

[Zante]

KH 50?
GH 250?
 
What are you measuring them in?
If it's the standard hardness degrees you might want to have the water tested by someone else, as these values are well over the horizon of acceptable for any fish.
Heck, I'm not even sure they would be possible!

 

[KirkyArcher]

Results are most probably mg/L (ppm)
KH 50 ppm = 2.8 °dGH
GH 250 ppm = 13.9 °dGH

 

[Zante]

Ah...Yes, that looks more reasonable...

Kh seems a bit low TBH, it can lead to ph instability, and I'd say that gh is too high for neons.

If I were you I'd stabilise the ph with a buffer, which would rise the kh, and stick to hard water fish, leave the neons alone.

 

[ncguppy830]

if you lose all your neons i reccomend cardinals as they are hardier

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I don't think I can do anything about hardness as that is what comes from our tap.
 
My pH has been stable, except for just once which was unexplainable for about 2 months my tank went to 6.8.... Otherwise, my tank has set at 7.2 and 7.4 the entire time I've kept fish.

if you lose all your neons i reccomend cardinals as they are hardier

 
I am thinking about it... at the moment my tank has geriatric guppies (so I don't expect the youngest of those to live longer than a year, the older could die at any time) and I have some still young platies.  My plan is one day to have a few dwarf honey gourami and possibly nothing else.... all depends on those still young platies.