Tricks to keeping Neon/Cardinal tetras

[iamzrad]

I've never had luck keeping these guys around for longer than a month. I always have them in with smaller fish so they don't get eaten but normally I just find them floating on the surface.
Water is usually filtered tap, pH around 6.5, soft-ish and 75-78F.

 

[Andrewtfw]

I have not kept neons, but in my experience, my cardinals did best with temps of 80-82.

 

[Becca]

Quarantine them and get them good and fat before adding them to a community tank. Deworm them during QT. They need decent water quality (regular changes) and cardinals need warmer temps.

 

[JLW]

You've got two issues -- as others have pointed out, all three members of the neon group do better at slightly higher temperatures, though they'll survive well, even in their native range, in the lower 70s. The bigger issue I see is the "soft ish." If you're in this area, your water has a TDS of about 100 mg/L -- depending on where exactly you are in the area. (Potomac water sources are higher, Patuxent is lower, and some jerks in Southern Maryland have water that's ridiculously soft). If you're dealing with Florida bred cardinals or, more likely, neons, that's fine, they're adaptable, but a lot of these fish are wild caught, and they simply cannot survive in our relatively hard water for long periods.

I would find out your source for the fish, and go with Florida bred ones. Asian bred ones are similar to wild ones -- they're grown in softer water, and they adapt poorly.

 

[Becca]

I will say that I've had very good results with fish coming from Jeff Michels (www.aquaticclarity.com). It will cost a little more than buying them at PetSmart/PetCo, or even at a smaller LFS, but his fish are well acclimated, healthy, and hardy. The rummynose I got from him last year transitioned seamlessly. I also had a good experience with some green neons I bought at Aquatic Creations in Urbana. They were SUPER tiny when I picked them up, so I put them in a breeder box so they'd be easy to feed. They are chilling in my house at room temperature, now, in a tank that gets tap water for 90% of its water changes. I know that Aquatic Creations quarantines new shipments and they're on the same sh*t tap water as the rest of us (around 200 ppm out this way).

 

[Jim Anderson]

Great info Josh and Becca.

 

[Freakgecko]

I will say that I've had very good results with fish coming from Jeff Michels (www.aquaticclarity.com). It will cost a little more than buying them at PetSmart/PetCo, or even at a smaller LFS, but his fish are well acclimated, healthy, and hardy. The rummynose I got from him last year transitioned seamlessly. I also had a good experience with some green neons I bought at Aquatic Creations in Urbana. They were SUPER tiny when I picked them up, so I put them in a breeder box so they'd be easy to feed. They are chilling in my house at room temperature, now, in a tank that gets tap water for 90% of its water changes. I know that Aquatic Creations quarantines new shipments and they're on the same sh*t tap water as the rest of us (around 200 ppm out this way).

Until the Metae ate them :’(

 

[iamzrad]

Okay, I only have them in a 10gal quarantine but no heater. I’ll throw in a small 30w and bump temps up a bit. I’m on southern PA water, it’s more soft than hard. My water is coming from either Lake Codorus or Redman/Williams.

These guys are from a LFS (Cape Horn Pets) and are wilds (Cardinals). I’ll look into the captive breds if I lose all of my current stock.

Thanks for the good info all!