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tropical fish help

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  • 17-07-2014 11:40pm
    #1
    nicola91883
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭


    I bought a fish tank 2weeks ago, I spent two hrs in the shop making sure I got a good community of fish to put together. I have two phantom tetra's, a female swordtail, a marble molly, 5 neon tetras and a redtail black shark.
    I lost all 5 neon tetra's to the swordtail, I figured they were too small and although my suspicion did ly with the shark, I witnessed the swordtail first handedly, attack 3/5 neon tetras. I came home from work today and my female phantom tetra has been killed. The swordtail was still attacking the body, I don't understand what happened here?the swordtail are meant to be peaceful enough fish amd the phantom tetra isn't a small fish.
    what should I do? take the swordtail out or risk her killing the rest of the tank?


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    #2
    campo
    Registered Users Posts: 3,364 ✭✭✭campo


    nicola91883 wrote: »
    I bought a fish tank 2weeks ago, I spent two hrs in the shop making sure I got a good community of fish to put together. I have two phantom tetra's, a female swordtail, a marble molly, 5 neon tetras and a redtail black shark.
    I lost all 5 neon tetra's to the swordtail, I figured they were too small and although my suspicion did ly with the shark, I witnessed the swordtail first handedly, attack 3/5 neon tetras. I came home from work today and my female phantom tetra has been killed. The swordtail was still attacking the body, I don't understand what happened here?the swordtail are meant to be peaceful enough fish amd the phantom tetra isn't a small fish.
    what should I do? take the swordtail out or risk her killing the rest of the tank?

    Ok first mistake is you never cycled the tank which certainly didn't help, 2nd point is if a fish can fit into another fishes mouth well they will eat it.

    I personally would see would shop take swordtail back and then cycle the tank properly before any more fish go in


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    #3
    ZiabR
    Registered Users Posts: 5,575 ✭✭✭ZiabR


    Agreed, you take is not cycled. If you are starting this from a fresh it can take up to 6-8 weeks to be fully complete. You cannot just stock a tank from the word go. 99% of fish will die in this case.

    The Bala Shark needs to go back to the shop too, they grow too big for most small aquariums.

    What size is the tank?


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    #4
    nicola91883
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭nicola91883


    the tank was cycled, the fish were only introduced two weeks ago. It's not that they are dying, the swordtail is physically eating them all. Are they not meant to be a passive community fish? the tank is medium 52 litre, I do hope to upgrade but not if the swordtail is all I'm left with. The shop assistant assured me all the fish would get along and there would be no casualties, I wouldn't of put fish in the tank just to be eaten by another.
    logik wrote: »
    Agreed, you take is not cycled. If you are starting this from a fresh it can take up to 6-8 weeks to be fully complete. You cannot just stock a tank from the word go. 99% of fish will die in this case.

    The Bala Shark needs to go back to the shop too, they grow too big for most small aquariums.

    What size is the tank?


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    #5
    nicola91883
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭nicola91883


    I think she will have to go back or risk loosing my second phantom tetra. she's a lovely fish and I like her personality, cannibalism aside, the other fish are all quite timid.


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    #6
    bettasplendens
    Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭bettasplendens


    This thread is quite old now but if you haven't already, do take the Swordtail back, though I find it very strange that she's behaving this way. I've had many over the years and never had any aggressive ones.

    Additionally, many people will tell you that Neon Tetras can be kept comfortably with most species but this isn't true. They are fin nippers and will bully anything with fins that catch their eye, they are highly susceptible to a thing called Neon Tetra Disease which has a very high fatality rate, and most of all, their needs in terms of water hardness and temperature do not line up well with other tropicals. They prefer a colder tank than most of the others. Please, do yourself a favour and skip them in future :) there are plenty of other types of Tetras that will work better in your setup that are more compatible with other fish! I mean, it's POSSIBLE to keep them with the other fish while keeping both happy, but you'd have to have the tank firmly at a temperature that is at the border of ALL of the species' limits - it would be the hottest the Neons could handle and the coolest the others could handle, and none of the fish would be entirely happy that way.


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    #7
    nicola91883
    Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭nicola91883


    I brought the swordtail back, we were going to get him a few females but I was worried he'd become even more aggressive! everything I read about the swordtail fish was that they were lovely community fish, I couldn't belive it was him either. My money was on the shark, then the swordtail was caught on camera! guilty as charged. The tank is restocked and all the fish are doing great, no fatalities as of yet!
    bettasplendens wrote: »
    This thread is quite old now but if you haven't already, do take the Swordtail back, though I find it very strange that she's behaving this way. I've had many over the years and never had any aggressive ones.

    Additionally, many people will tell you that Neon Tetras can be kept comfortably with most species but this isn't true. They are fin nippers and will bully anything with fins that catch their eye, they are highly susceptible to a thing called Neon Tetra Disease which has a very high fatality rate, and most of all, their needs in terms of water hardness and temperature do not line up well with other tropicals. They prefer a colder tank than most of the others. Please, do yourself a favour and skip them in future :) there are plenty of other types of Tetras that will work better in your setup that are more compatible with other fish! I mean, it's POSSIBLE to keep them with the other fish while keeping both happy, but you'd have to have the tank firmly at a temperature that is at the border of ALL of the species' limits - it would be the hottest the Neons could handle and the coolest the others could handle, and none of the fish would be entirely happy that way.


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    #8
    goingitalone
    Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭goingitalone


    bettasplendens wrote: »
    This thread is quite old now but if you haven't already, do take the Swordtail back, though I find it very strange that she's behaving this way. I've had many over the years and never had any aggressive ones.

    Additionally, many people will tell you that Neon Tetras can be kept comfortably with most species but this isn't true. They are fin nippers and will bully anything with fins that catch their eye, they are highly susceptible to a thing called Neon Tetra Disease which has a very high fatality rate, and most of all, their needs in terms of water hardness and temperature do not line up well with other tropicals. They prefer a colder tank than most of the others. Please, do yourself a favour and skip them in future :) there are plenty of other types of Tetras that will work better in your setup that are more compatible with other fish! I mean, it's POSSIBLE to keep them with the other fish while keeping both happy, but you'd have to have the tank firmly at a temperature that is at the border of ALL of the species' limits - it would be the hottest the Neons could handle and the coolest the others could handle, and none of the fish would be entirely happy that way.

    all the fish the the op mentioned having initial are all perfectly been able to be kept with in a suitable temps . this idea of keeping fish within exact parameters with in reason now is nosense chances are with none the fish are wild . once the parameters are keep a constant there should be no issues . i will agree neons arent the best fish to be keeping now but thats manly down to mass inbreeding the species have gone to ****e .i would recommend though cardinal tetras ok probably twice the price as neons overall a nicer fish imo.
    but going back to the parameter debate if this would be and issue you wouldn't have people breeding discus for instant in phs as high as they are doing it and having perfectly healthy fish . its keeping constants rather then exact parameters is key.


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