# Cardinal Tank Issues



## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

I started up a Cardinal Tetra tank up about a month ago, It is a 10 gallon tank with Black Fluorite substrate, a standard light, an aqueon filter for 15 gallons, and a heater.
It is a planted tank with: 1 Java Fern mat, Java Moss on a piece of wood, 4 stalks of Cabomba, 2 Cardinal plants, 4 Bronze Wendtii bushes, 1 Banana plant, and 3 of another plant which I can't remember right now... think its another crypt 
Water Parameters:
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10-20
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: Ideal
Hardness: Soft
pH: 6.8-7.0
Ammonia: very little
Temperature: 74-76 degree F

So far in the tank I have 3 Kuli Loaches, 2 Silver Hatchet Fish, 4 Oto Cats, 8 - 10 Cherry Shrimp, and 2 Amano Shrimp

All of these fish are doing fine, yet every single time i put Cardinal Tetras in, normally 5 or 6 at a time, they all die off within the week! I think my water is what it should be.. The only problem I can think of is that maybe my filter isn't breaking the water enough, but I have a hard time talking myself into that since there are so many plants in the tank and every other fish is fine... Im about ready to give up... PLEASE HELP!!!


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## SouthernBelle23 (Mar 24, 2009)

The Cardinals you've been trying.....have you bought them all from the same store? If so, I'd try another store.

Also, how do you acclimate them?


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

I work at a local pet store so i normally got them there but I did also try Petsmart (as much as I HATED to do that!) I tried acclimating them by just leaving them in the bag till the water was same temp and I also tried drip acclimating them..


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

Ammonia: very little
Temperature: 74-76 degree F

ammonia should read zero. no ifs, ands, or buts about it. cardinals are VERY succeptable to this.

They also thrive in higher temps. In my shop, we keep them between 84 and 86, and while they live fine at lower temps, they really thrive in higher temps.

Sounds like you're using test strips? I recommend using some liquid tests. You may have more ammonia than you think.


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

I do use strips for the ammonia, hardness, chlorine and alkalinity, but I use drip tests for the rest
I will take your advice on the ammonia test
So your answer leads me to another question, how will my plants and other fish do in a tank thats 84-86 degrees?
And also since I have already spent so much money on Cardinal Tetras, I was thinking of supplementing some neons with them assuming they will shoal together, and saving some money too, am I wrong?
And one more thing, you say they thrive at higher temperatures and live in lower ones, well mine aren't thriving or living lol so is the temp really the problem or do you think its the ammonia being higher than it looks? And what can i do about that?


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## SouthernBelle23 (Mar 24, 2009)

I saw the ammonia part of your post, but IME shrimp are very susceptible to ammonia as well so if that was the issue with the Cardinals, the shrimp should be dying too. Just my thoughts. 

Maybe the temp is an issue. I don't think shrimp (atleast RCS) like that high of temps.


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## COM (Mar 15, 2008)

I would chalk it up to the unfortunate state of the common fish available at retail. Overbreeding has resulted in some crappy fish. Think puppy mill dogs but in big tubs of water. This situation is particularly acute in common tetras like Neons, Serpaes, Black Widows, and Cardinals, IMO.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

not sure how your shrimp would do as i have never kept them... as for the other fish and plants;they will be fine...
at one time i had a 20 long cardinal tank..50 cardinals... 5 otocinclus and 4 cories...kept the temp at 82.. also ran a peat filter to give them good PH levels..
that tanks did beautifully until a drunk friend poured his beer into it... that was over 20 years ago..the friendship ended then and i have not set up another cardinal tank since... but i am thinking of it...this time in a 46 gallon bowfront.


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

Justintrask? Any answers to my questions? Is the overall consensus that I need to up the temp and that oxygen deprivation isn't the problem and ammonia just needs to be checked out?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Those are the first things I'd check. You might also try letting the tank mature more before trying again with cardinals.


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## adrianng1996 (Nov 23, 2009)

my cardinals used to die for no reason too....but now i think theyre settled in...none are dying..but i wasted alot of money on them..i mean alot!


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

Yo Adrian, you need to check the dates on the posts ur commenting on, I started this one over 8 months ago.
since its been dug back up though ill go ahead and give an update, the same 10 gallon is still up, but i decided to go a whole different route with it. All the plants are gone and have been replaced with sword and anubias (the other plants got ravaged by string algae i think because so many cardinals were dying lol) 
As far as the stock is going i decided to so south american, it now has a south american puffer, 3 celebese rainbows, 3 bronze corey cats, and one goby. 
The tank has been running for 4 months now with no problems.
As for the cardinals, I now have 25 of them thriving in my discus tank, not one has died in probably 6 months and they are the fattest healthiest cardinals I have ever seen.


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## adrianng1996 (Nov 23, 2009)

ooo...well good for you man


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