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I had a snakeskin gourami (just under 4" ) with neon tetras, cories, a RTBS, and a BN and until recently one of my rescued angels.

The angel was about quarter-sized, everything was peaceful in the tank until earlier in the week when the spouse said he'd noticed the gourami really going after the angel; the next morning the angel was dead.

The original group of neons I bought are now full-sized. I added a second group a few weeks ago that are less than 1". Shortly after the angel incident I found one of the larger neons dead.

Thinking the gourami was the guilty party I moved it to another tank. Ok for a day then this morning we found the BN eating the remains of a neon.

Water params and everything else are fine...the neons have fantastic color and have been growing well. I've been sooo happy with this tank...is the guilty party the RTBS? Any other thoughts?

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Theresa,

I would assume that there is more than one thing going on, a) the gourami killing the angel and b) the neons dying. I think they happened coincidentally shortly after each other.

To a) : I have no idea why he would kill the angel, except that the angel started to get too big for the gourami’s confort level.

To b) : Here I think you are right there with so many of us that have Neons die for no obvious reasons. One of many links that talks about this is [link=This One]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Tetra%20Talk/61707.html?200507141138 " style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link]. If, and just then, your Neons should have NTD, then you are in trouble, given that other fish in your tank ate the dead Neon. This is how the disease spreads to other fish.

Do your newer Neons display any odd body shape, like a boxy stomach? That would be a good indicator for a bacterial or parasitic infection (not always do the colors fade first or at all).

Hope this helps,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Uh Theresa I don't know how to say it nicely, so don't net-slap mebut Neons are the natural prey of Angels, and maybe, just maybe the angel was doing what came natural after all this time? Maybe it took him awhile to get adjusted and the neons simply let down their guard:#( I know I would love to keep a tank with both neons and angels, but after hearing and reading it in several places

Move the angel before he gets hungry again or fiesty, or whatever goes through their wickedly insane minds...I'm sorryheidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I think you misread, the angel was killed by the gourami the day before the neon died. RTBS are known to be semi aggressive, but then again so are gourami's. Did your tetra die of old age? Probably not, but another consideration. Good luck with you other fish.


Last edited by kankushok at 14-Jul-2005 21:31

Let me see if I have this corect

"noticed the gourami really going after the angel; the next morning the angel was dead."
Possible Gourami killed Angle?

"The original group of neons I bought are now full-sized.
I added a second group a few weeks ago that are less than 1". Shortly after the angel incident I found one of the larger neons dead."

Introduced more Neons but smaller = one dead larger Neon Could this be old age or?



"Thinking the gourami was the guilty party I moved it to another tank. Ok for a day then this morning we found the BN eating the remains of a neon."

After removing Gourami another Neon death (Large or Small?)



Water params and everything else are fine...the neons have fantastic color and have been growing well. I've been sooo happy with this tank...is the guilty party the RTBS? Any other thoughts?

Possible answers
Age.
The RTBS being a bit aggresive but why all of a sudden?
Could you have imported a problem with the new Neons.
Was there a sudden water perameter change at the introduction time.
Did you feed the new Neons at introduction time?
If so this can cause problems.
Did you do a water change and a feeding on the same day?
This can also cause problems.

I dont think I have rulled out any thing other than it is just one of those unexplained things that happen which can be caused by several reactions occuring all at the same time.

Keith

Last edited by keithgh at 14-Jul-2005 23:55

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
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Keith,

You wrote something really interesting:

Did you feed the new Neons at introduction time?
If so this can cause problems.
Did you do a water change and a feeding on the same day?
This can also cause problems.

As you may know, I have no luck with my neons whatsoever. And, I always feed my fish at night, even if I introduced new ones. Why would this be a problem?

Feeding and water change on the same day might cause problems? I always do that, too. Can you please explain what’s wrong with that?

If you are right with your statement, I might have just found out why I have so many neon issues.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Little_Fish

Both of these answers are the same. Now here lays the huge problem. It was explained to me well over 15+ years ago. I am not medical or chemically well up with all the technical terms and I just forgot as I had no reason to remember it. The person who owned a rather large Aquarium is no longer in the area and has just gone out of the buisness completly.

Now saying all that this is the basics of it all.
When introducing fish no matter how careful we are and do all the correct things the fish actually go through a stress process and their bodies have to re-adjust to a new situation. Hence no feeding a fish under stress no matter how small the stress is . Another reason is, it is to with the digestive system as they apprently cannot digest the food correctly while going through this process.

Doing a water change no natter how small it does effect the fish, the stress of you just doing things in the tank and the water peramiters changing can cause the exact problems as above.

I have been practicing this for 15+ years and I can honestly I have never had a problem.
Sorry I tell a little fib it happened twice both were problems with the fish which the LFS replaced as they also had sudden losses In that case I think both cases the fish had just been introduced into the LFS tanks and fed. And I bought them the same day.

I hope this explains it it sounds rather like an old wives cure all, but I can assure it works and that is what counts the most not the actuall scientific reasoning behind it all.

I actually do have a contact, it might take some time that is if that person does answer my E/m

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW