Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => The Emergency Room => Topic started by: Russ_Moz on March 06, 2014, 07:45:07 PM
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Hi all
I'm new to the forums and fish keeping in general and would appreciate your thoughts on this!
I've got a 60l tank which I have fishless cycled, using ammonia dosed to 3.0 ppm, the cycle finished with consistent readings over 3 days of 0 ammonia and nitrite.
I then added some zebra danios and continued testing with no issues after 2 weeks I added 6 black neon tetras as I was told these were hardy, or at least more hardy than normal tetras.
I've had these tetras now for 2 weeks and have again continued to test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph changes and there have been no issues (been doing weekly maintenance and wc)
However when I got up this morning all the neons were on the bottom of the tank and appeared to have lost their black stripe, they were also gasping a little.
I did a test using a test strip which showed no nitrite or nitrate levels, but as I was in a rush I couldn't do a wc right then.
However When I checked back on the fish late morning they were fine, all happily swimming in the middle, colour seemed fine etc.
I tested properly and again 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite ph fine nitrates fine
Any ideas what could have been the problem?
I've done a wc this evening and they still seem fine
Thanks for your help
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It is nothing to worry about. The fish were asleep; well sort of, the fish equivalent of asleep. I assume that when you found them you had just drawn the curtains or turned the room light on?
I have green neon tetras and they lose their blue stripe and go brown when they are 'asleep'; when I had dwarf pencilfish, they lost their stripes. Some fish do this colour change, and it looks as though black neons do it as well. I've also found that some species 'sleep' on the bottom of the tank and some mid water.
It is always alarming when you first start keeping fish and they do something odd. As you keep more species, you'll find they each have their own ways of making us panic :D
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Lol thanks for the reply Sue
Yes it was first thing and I had just turned lights on so I guess that is what it was! At least it wasn't something serious
This fish keeping is really additive I already want a bigger tank and more fish so will get used to these things I guess
:)
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Welcome to the forum and fish keeping! These little fish really do like to panic us don't they! ? I remember first seeing my fish 'sleeping' and thinking they were all gonners. Then I had an obsession that their poo didn't look right. Oh and don't forget my endlers little dance next to each other.
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:wave: Welcome Russ_Moz :)
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Welcome Russ_Moz :wave: The first six months of fish keeping is a very steep learning curve..... and it's places like ThinkFish that will get you through it..... and you, too, will get obsessed with fish poo!
Why don't you zip on over to the New Member's area here (http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/forum/index.php/board,1.0.html) and introduce yourself?
Oooo - look - new smiley things to play with..... :fishy1:
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Hey guys
Thanks for all your help and advice :D
I haven't got to the "poo" stage yet but it sounds like I will lol
I've got to say the advice on this site is great and has really helped me with the initial start up!
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Glad to hear we were of help to you :)
Starting fish keeping is a huge learning curve. I remember the first time I saw a shrimp's moulted skin, lying there looking for all the world like a dead shrimp. I usually warn people now when they talk about getting shrimp ;D