# What on Earth is wrong with my tetras?



## InuGirlTeen (Oct 26, 2008)

So I've been too busy lately to do full fish inventories and so it's been a while since I actually stopped to check out my fish. Four days ago I looked in to see that I'm down to only 2 neon tetra and I can't find any signs of the others. Then, about two days ago, one of my two neons was swimming awkwardly with his head pointed up and tail dragging behind him... it looked as if something heavy were tied to his tail. I can't find anything wrong with him beyond that. He's eating normally and playing with the other fish. He just can't seem to swim.

Today I noticed that my other neon is swimming oddly as well, but he isn't acting like the first. He is just looping all over the place whereas the first is in a constant vertical dive towards the surface.

Video of Tetra #2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn12p1qRlJY

Video of Tetra #1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Np8o9KhyoU


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

Are these new fish? It looks like they are dying. When they get sick or start to die that flip upside down. Have you tested your water lately? If they are new it could just be stress that is affecting them.


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## InuGirlTeen (Oct 26, 2008)

I've had them for about eight or nine months. I tested my water yesterday when I saw the first one weirding out and it's all fine.


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

InuGirlTeen said:


> I've had them for about eight or nine months. I tested my water yesterday when I saw the first one weirding out and it's all fine.


What are you feeding on a daily basis? Any type of fish will have swimming problems if you are feeding flakes and nothing else everyday.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

InuGirlTeen said:


> I looked in to see that I'm down to only 2 neon tetra and I can't find any signs of the others....


IGT: Welcome to the club and this is coming from a feller who has had significant success in keeping Oto's.

I believed that I had my Neon Tetra's "staying alive problem" under control when I acclimatized 13 young juvies in a 5G tank before placing them in my main tank.

All grew to full adult size but then began dying for some inexplicable reason(s) and I am now down to two also.

I do not intend to repopulate my main tank with Neon's again as this was not "my first rodeo" with them.

I do intend to populate my main tank with Cardinal Tetra's when I find some locally at a reasonable price.

BTW: 
*Glow Light Tetras* are only slightly hardier than are Neon Tetra's, but *Red Phantom Tetra's* are very hardy fish and add "a bunch of color" at mid-depth to my main tank.

How is your resumed endeavor into a planted tank going?

TR


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## Ghost Knife (Mar 12, 2008)

jones57742 said:


> IGT: Welcome to the club and this is coming from a feller who has had significant success in keeping Oto's.
> 
> I believed that I had my Neon Tetra's "staying alive problem" under control when I acclimatized 13 young juvies in a 5G tank before placing them in my main tank.
> 
> ...


I agree. I have had Glowlights and Cardinals in the past and both have done really well. I have had harder time with Neons.


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## InuGirlTeen (Oct 26, 2008)

Ghost Knife said:


> What are you feeding on a daily basis? Any type of fish will have swimming problems if you are feeding flakes and nothing else everyday.


I feed them flakes, shrimp pellets, vegetable wafers, & bloodworms.


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## sonnyrg (May 9, 2009)

if they eat to much they tend to do that i have tetras and they do that when they had to much too eat it takes a day to get back to swimming right cut down on there food intake for two days you should be good if its stills happening then put some gvh in there food o i just saw your video there fat lol cut there food down for a day


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## Guest (May 22, 2009)

Inu am with GK and Jones on this one. neons are just way to delicate. the last time i had them i lost 12 of them in 4 days. absolutly no signs of them. someone suggested that it might have been an ammonia spike from one dead fish that knocked the rest out.


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