"Lisa" wrote in message
oups.com...
You're absolutely right. However, it's hard not to take the loss of
each fish as a personal failure. :-)
Since I am a dedicated gardener, I tend to look at the aquarium
situation in terms of absolutes: get the "recipe" right, and everything
should thrive. It does that with plants, after all! But, that doesn't
necessarily follow, in logical terms, for the freshwater aquarium
scene.
Thanks for the verification. I was hoping that the fish loss wasn't
due to something that (1) I did or (2) failed to do . . .
Hi Lisa,
I had the same dilemma today and the post I saw from NetMax yesterday eased
my personal guilt eventually.
I bought 6 Buenos Aries Tetras today on impulse (I know! I know!), and I
knew at the time of purchase there was something about them that was a
reason they weren't a popular fish, but they looked so good I had to have
some
I got them home pronto, as the day temp today here was over 30C and did my
normal acclimatising routine of 30 minutes in the bag in shop water - 10
minutes 50% shop 50% my tank - 10 minutes 5% shop 95% my tank water - and
then fed the main tank and released them.
They shoaled together for the feeding frenzy and established a little
territory by fin nipping anyone. It turned out later on in the day the
nipping is just like the Serpae - it's a territorial thing, not something
they delight in doing like a tiger barb.
I had to go out on urgent business, so I couldn't sit there and nurse them
through anything if it happened. I left the room to get changed and I came
back to have a look and noticed one of the new additions was hanging in the
back corner gulping at the surface, being picked on by the three female
swords. I also noticed that some of it's scales were catching the light and
shining quite brightly. It was fine during the bag acclimatisaion and
couldn't wait to get out. No indication at all in the bag.
While I was out I was pondering if it would be alright and what had I done
incorrectly, if anything? After much mulling over of thought about it I came
to the conclusion that given that the other 5 were perfectly fine, feeding
no problems and doing what Buenos Aries Tetras are claimed to do - fin nip
and nibble live plants (this is why more people don't have them
apparently) - that this one was probably weakened from the time it was in
the shop.
The only thing I could think of was possible osmotic shock (not knowing
whether my GH and KH are really off the scale - see my post yesterday about
this concern), but even that didn't quite ring true because the other 5 were
absolutely fine.
Any way I got home later on and discovered that #6 had completely
disappeared from the tank - sound familiar?? Just like the missing Hockey
Stick Tetra of a week or so ago. I've checked everywhere and this time I
even uprooted plants and disturbed the gravel. I checked all the filters,
inside and out, under the rocks, pulled all suckers off - everything and
everywhere possible that a fish could get into by accident in a tank and no
Buenos Aries #6, Checked the floor, under, around all over the stand and
still it's completely missing.
So, my conclusion is this: sometimes it's beyond an individual's control or
ability to have 100% success with some fish - what looks fine and healthy in
the shop possibly is just that - looking healthy - it doesn't mean it is.
I am convinced now, and have no thought that it was something I did - it was
just a fish, that in the wild, would have succumbed the laws of survival of
the fittest. I'd venture to say it was sick from the shop and the stress of
heat and transport floored it.
As for it's disappearance - perhaps my Mystery Snail is living up to it's
name? I'm really starting to think this creature is devouring these fish
whole in quick time - it must have been all of four hours between me leaving
the fish and returning.
I just can't believe it's eating everything including the bones, although it
does seem to have a big pink mouth
Oz
--
My Aquatic web Blog is at
http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith