Tetra's

I went out to the petstore yesterday and just stood in front of the
tanks planning what and when I'm going to get the thousands of fish
that I want. I need at least another 15 tanks and they all need to be
at least 120g each. :-) Not much hope there.

Anyway, I now have a spare 10g tank and thought I would put some neon
tetra's in for my daughter to help take care of. She has alway been
interested in the goldfish. This is good as they did start off as her
presents :-) I have a small corner in my dining room in which I can
put the 10g.

So my question is roughly how many neon tetra's could i put in a 10g.
I know they are happier in schools of 6-8. Would I be able to have
that many? Would it be better to put a couple of different varities of
tetra's in there. I always remember being a kid and loving the colours
of the neon tetra's. Now want to live that childhood dream.

Cheers Mellie

PS. Tiny fry is still doing well. Ryukin is floating again. Life
!!!!!

Mellie101 wrote:
I went out to the petstore yesterday and just stood in front of the
tanks planning what and when I'm going to get the thousands of fish
that I want. I need at least another 15 tanks and they all need to be
at least 120g each. :-) Not much hope there.

Anyway, I now have a spare 10g tank and thought I would put some neon
tetra's in for my daughter to help take care of. She has alway been
interested in the goldfish. This is good as they did start off as her
presents :-) I have a small corner in my dining room in which I can
put the 10g.

So my question is roughly how many neon tetra's could i put in a 10g.
I know they are happier in schools of 6-8. Would I be able to have
that many? Would it be better to put a couple of different varities of
tetra's in there. I always remember being a kid and loving the colours
of the neon tetra's. Now want to live that childhood dream.

Cheers Mellie

PS. Tiny fry is still doing well. Ryukin is floating again. Life
!!!!!


You are right that Neons do better in larger groups - they are also a
very attractive fish. Having just lost 7 of my 12 to Neon Tetra Disease
I am now a bit more cautious about them but this does not mean that you
will have the same issues. Cardinals also have similar colouration but
without the silver - from what I've heard on this ng they might be a bit
hardier....

As for how many you can put in....they are a small fish with a low
bio-load so you can probably stretch the 1" per gallon rule in a 10 gall
tank - I would go with at least 12 (maybe more) and plant the tank as
well. Even more if you want to allow for losses. You might want to add
some shrimps as well to clean up any waste food....NetMax is possibly
the best person to advise on the numbers though....he has waxed lyrical
a number of times on some stunning display tanks he set up with all Neons...

Mixing various tetras I would guess is a matter of taste but will also
depend on the type of tetra - I probably wouldn't mix the larger tetras
in with Neons....Harlequin Rasboras would also look good in large
numbers and mix OK with the Neons.

One day I would love to set up a species tank of Neons only...

Gill

Hi, sorry to hear about the loss of you neons. Makes you wander what
changed when you've been doing such a good job.

I was reading that Neon Tetras like a soft acid water. Ph of around
6.5. My Ph here is 7.6. Any idea what I could do to change it or
would they adjust. My goldfish handle it fine but obviously they are a
different kind of fish with different needs and requirements. Also
have no knowledge on shrimp so what variety would I use? I'd have to
do some reading up on them.

I've planted a few plants in my 55g tank but it was a waste of time to
be honest. Mostly because the get uprooted by the goldfish but they
just don't seem to flourish. I bought some frill to give it a try and
it was brown within a week. Don't know if it was just a bad supply or
if I don't have green fingers.

Cheers
Mellie

"Mellie101" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've planted a few plants in my 55g tank but it was a waste of time to
be honest.

Most reflectors that come with 55g tanks are too dim for plants. I have
four 40w fluorescent bulbs on each 55g tank. My GF only bother the elodia
and that's when they're hungry. These are pretty much GF proof; Hornwart,
Amazon Swords, anubias, Java-moss, vals, crypts and sags.

Mostly because the get uprooted by the goldfish but they
just don't seem to flourish. I bought some frill to give it a try and
it was brown within a week.

Frill almost needs sunlight to survive. Stick with low and medium light
plants and use fertilizers.

Don't know if it was just a bad supply or
if I don't have green fingers.

Some are easier to grow than others.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
*Note: There are two Koi-Lo's on the Aquaria Groups.*
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Mellie101" wrote in message
oups.com...
I went out to the petstore yesterday and just stood in front of the
tanks planning what and when I'm going to get the thousands of fish
that I want. I need at least another 15 tanks and they all need to be
at least 120g each. :-) Not much hope there.

Anyway, I now have a spare 10g tank and thought I would put some neon
tetra's in for my daughter to help take care of. She has alway been
interested in the goldfish. This is good as they did start off as her
presents :-) I have a small corner in my dining room in which I can
put the 10g.

So my question is roughly how many neon tetra's could i put in a 10g.
I know they are happier in schools of 6-8. Would I be able to have
that many? Would it be better to put a couple of different varities of
tetra's in there. I always remember being a kid and loving the colours
of the neon tetra's. Now want to live that childhood dream.

Cheers Mellie

PS. Tiny fry is still doing well. Ryukin is floating again. Life
!!!!!

PH of 7.6 should not be a problem. My PH was over 8 before I got the CO2
(and when the CO2 failed twice), but my Cardinal Tetras did not seem to
care.

You should be OK with ten Neons in your ten gallon if you have a decent
maintenance schedule.Especially if you add a few plants.

On 2 Apr 2006 11:13:13 -0700, "Mellie101"
wrote:

I went out to the petstore yesterday and just stood in front of the
tanks planning what and when I'm going to get the thousands of fish
that I want. I need at least another 15 tanks and they all need to be
at least 120g each. :-) Not much hope there.

Anyway, I now have a spare 10g tank and thought I would put some neon
tetra's in for my daughter to help take care of. She has alway been
interested in the goldfish. This is good as they did start off as her
presents :-) I have a small corner in my dining room in which I can
put the 10g.

So my question is roughly how many neon tetra's could i put in a 10g.
I know they are happier in schools of 6-8. Would I be able to have
that many? Would it be better to put a couple of different varities of
tetra's in there. I always remember being a kid and loving the colours
of the neon tetra's. Now want to live that childhood dream.

Cheers Mellie

PS. Tiny fry is still doing well. Ryukin is floating again. Life
!!!!!

Are you planning this tetra tank for your daughter or for the little
girl you once were. Tetras today are much less hardy than they were
back then. A percentage of die off is almost standard in new tetra
tanks. If I were setting up a fun tank for a child, I would fill it
with white cloud mountain minnows, they are beautiful and very easy to
care for. Rugged individuals, they will go forth and multiply. Room
temperature and cooler suits them just fine, so minimal concern about
heat. Plants are also simple, elodea and hornwort do well at less than
tropical temperatures.

-- Mister Gardener

"Mellie101" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, sorry to hear about the loss of you neons. Makes you wander what
changed when you've been doing such a good job.

I was reading that Neon Tetras like a soft acid water. Ph of around
6.5. My Ph here is 7.6. Any idea what I could do to change it or
would they adjust.

7.6pH is absolutely fine for Neons. As Gill would say 'suss' what they
were kept in before you buy them.

... Also
have no knowledge on shrimp so what variety would I use? I'd have to
do some reading up on them.

Ghost shrimp, Cherry shrimp, Bumble bee etc. I kept some Amano with
mine, but I think they prefer harder water.

I've planted a few plants in my 55g tank but it was a waste of time to
be honest. Mostly because the get uprooted by the goldfish but they
just don't seem to flourish. I bought some frill to give it a try and
it was brown within a week. Don't know if it was just a bad supply or
if I don't have green fingers.

Lights & fertilizer, and if you have enough fish, then it's just lights.
With Neons, I liked to have low plants and a few pieces of driftwood
sticking up out of the lawn. I used Sunset Hygro for a lawn because of
the colors. It's not really a foregound plant, until you keep pushing
every new growth under the gravel ;~). The Neons are too fragile to plow
through plants, so you'll need Corys, shrimp or Kuhlis as ground crew.
If you add ground crew, up the filtration accordingly unless/until fully
planted.

Cheers
Mellie

In regards to stocking levels, it really depends on whether it's a
species tank of just Neons, or a mix. With only Neons, I would keep it
under 20. In a mix (ie: Rasboras & Neons) then 6 of each. Neons have
very little mass (which is what drives fishload calculations) and their
territorial footprint, when with other Neons is negative (they want to
shoal together, or be within view of each other).

In the store, I typically kept them at 8 to 11 per gallon, but that's
heavily filtered and several automated carbon-filtered water changes a
day. They don't suffer this level of crowding, and were even able to
pack in tighter, leaving parts of the 60g tanks empty. They must be an
awesome sight in the Amazon river.

It's weird to have someone remember my stories. I had better display
tanks than the Neons, so I should wax poetic more often?
--
www.NetMax.tk

Hi..

I went out to the petstore yesterday and just stood in
front of the tanks planning what and when I'm going to get
the thousands of fish that I want. I need at least another
15 tanks and they all need to be at least 120g each. :-)

;-)

[10g tank, daughter, Neons]

7-8 were okay.

I always remember being a kid and loving the colours
of the neon tetra's. Now want to live that childhood
dream.

With 2 I got the model railway my father never had but ever
wished to have.
--
cu
Marco

Mister Gardener wrote:

Are you planning this tetra tank for your daughter or for the little
girl you once were. Tetras today are much less hardy than they were
back then. A percentage of die off is almost standard in new tetra
tanks. If I were setting up a fun tank for a child, I would fill it
with white cloud mountain minnows, they are beautiful and very easy to
care for. Rugged individuals, they will go forth and multiply. Room
temperature and cooler suits them just fine, so minimal concern about
heat. Plants are also simple, elodea and hornwort do well at less than
tropical temperatures.

Based on my recent acquisition of redeye tetras, I'd go with the white
clouds as well. Nothing wrong with the tetras, but even after a few
months they run and hide every time somebody comes near the tank. Most
of my other fish run up to greet me. I asked a couple of people and
they reported the same experience.

Another solution would be 4 or 5 platys. Get all females if possible,
unless you wan to teach your daughter the facts of life :-).

--
It's turtles, all the way down

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
Mister Gardener wrote:

Are you planning this tetra tank for your daughter or for the little
girl you once were. Tetras today are much less hardy than they were
back then. A percentage of die off is almost standard in new tetra
tanks. If I were setting up a fun tank for a child, I would fill it
with white cloud mountain minnows, they are beautiful and very easy to
care for. Rugged individuals, they will go forth and multiply. Room
temperature and cooler suits them just fine, so minimal concern about
heat. Plants are also simple, elodea and hornwort do well at less than
tropical temperatures.

Based on my recent acquisition of redeye tetras, I'd go with the white
clouds as well. Nothing wrong with the tetras, but even after a few
months they run and hide every time somebody comes near the tank. Most
of my other fish run up to greet me. I asked a couple of people and
they reported the same experience.

My Cardinal Tetras aren't the most gregarious, but they aren't the most shy
fish in my tank either. My SAEs and Loaches are more shy than the Tetras.
The Tetras will come up to the glass to see what's happening when I'm
cleaning, although they're not as in your face as the Barbs. But then they
haven't tried to end it all by attacking the Python (T'Barb) or think I'm
snack food Rosy Barb.

I can't really speak about the hardiness of Neons, but all my Cardinals have
managed to survive my newbieness. (My spellchecker didn't croak on this last
word WTH?)


Another solution would be 4 or 5 platys. Get all females if possible,
unless you wan to teach your daughter the facts of life :-).

--
It's turtles, all the way down