Well, shoot. Since bringing my new seven new neons home on the first, three of them have died. One I never found, the other I found the remains of (ew…), and one I found floating right after I got home tonight.
Granted they’re only fish less than an inch long, but it’s still a bit distressing. First, of course, because aquarium keepers pride themselves on taking care of their pets, and I’ve had these for less than a week. Secondly, it’s annoying because I bought these at Petco for $1.49 apiece, when they were cheaper at a nearby dedicated fish store. Also, the Petco tank had several dead tetras in it when I bought them, and I never buy fish from a tank with more than one dead fish in it. But, they were larger than the ones at the Local Fish Store (LFS), and I got points for the purchase… sigh.
I broke my own rule and got punished for it. Never again.
Overall, this Petco (and the other nearby one on Westwood) have good fish sections, so I’m not really blaming them. Perhaps they got a bad batch. But the multiple deaths should have been a red flag that something was wrong in that tank.
Meanwhile, the other four seem to be fine, and the platys that I got from that same Petco are hale and hearty.
In case your curious, I tested my water and it’s fine: no ammonia, no nitrites, and minimal nitrates. I’ve heard neons can be delicate when first introduced to a tank, so I’m putting the deaths down to that. Hopefully, the other four survive. I plan to get some more (from a different store!) this weekend: I still want a school of seven to nine. With that many, they instinctively school. It’s a pretty sight.
A Seat By The Fire 