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Hello all. I'm sorry for the late night frantic post, but this evening, my cardinal tetras have started showing red gills.

Here is the situation:

5 gallon tank, established about 6 weeks.
5 cardinal tetras (there from the beginning)
1 common pleco - 1.75", 11 days.

The tank had three plants in it, last Thursday, I added another five. Its very planty.

I think I may have unconciously been feeding more to the tetras because I was worried they couldn't find their food with the plants. Also - since my pleco has cleaned up most of the algae, I started feeding wafers (which I was leaving in about 12-15 hours).

Surfing the web (I am an aquarium newbie), I realize this is probably too much amonia. Do you think it is the pleco plus the 5 tetras in a 5 gallon tank, or is it a combination of a little too much food for the tetras, plus the wafer food for the pleco?

This is what I've done. Tonight, when I first noticed, I changed about 10% of the water, and added some stress coat and stress zyme. I tested the PH, and it was 7.0 or 7.1 (its hard to tell exactly). I don't have any other test kits. A few hours later - I thought maybe their gills were looking a little less red, and I changed another 15% of the water.

What should I do next?

My plan - I was going to get a 20 gallon for my pleco soon anyway. I could go out tomorrow for it and get it set up right away. If so - should I move everyone? Just the pleco? Just the tetras? (for now) I've read enough to know to transfer some of the water, substrate, etc, to help that nitrite/ate cycle get going.

Or - should I keep changing the water, be very careful not to overfeed, get some other test kits, and just wait?

I know tetras are cheap, but I'm extremely devoted to mine, and I want to do anything I can to save them!

Thank you for your tips and advice!
Erin

hi there. it sounds like you are doing the right thing.

it could well be ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

Do you think it is the pl*co plus the 5 tetras in a 5 gallon tank, or is it a combination of a little too much food for the tetras, plus the wafer food for the pl*co?

yes. it's all of these things.

5 gallon tanks should not really be used as any kind of permanent home for any fish. they're too unstable. a 20 sounds much better.

best move the pleco on it's own into the new tank to begin with. buy some brand of aquarium starter bacteria, and most importantly some test kits. test for ammonia and nitrite everyday (in both tanks). change 50% of water if you get a reading.

stop feeding all the fish for one week.

i don't know if they told you in the store , but that little common pleco will grow to over a foot long in a few years. he will need at least a 100 gallon tank.

Okay - I came back today not with a 20 gallon tank, but with a 55. My neons continue to look a bit better today.

When it comes to feeding fish, as a general rule, less is definitely best. This is especially true for new tanks and even more so when a tank is very small.

Cardinals are very sensitive fish anyway so even a small spike in nitrite and or ammonia will cause stressed responses.

New tanks should have plenty of small water changes and only a bit of food.

you've gone from a 5 to a 55 in six weeks!!!

good work!!!!!!!!!!


hope it goes well.

Thanks, guys!

The cardinals continue to look better tonight. Four out of the five, in fact, look completely "normal" now, and the last looks much better.

I'll be breaking out the test kit in the next few minutes to see how the levels are doing in there.

Erin