My Tetra all died within 12 hours. Pls help.

[cw1985]

I have a Planted tank that already cycle for 1 month. Recently I brought 10 cardinal tetra and some cherry prawn. However, my tetra all died within 12 hours but the prawn got no issue. So I brought a Tetra ph test kit to test the ph level in my tank and result shown 7.5 to 8 according to the colour chart. The water from my tap is 7.5 ph, so can I assume is the Ph level too high for my tetra?

If any of the expert here have similar issue and manage to solve it, pls help me with my problem. Any method to reduce ph level as optimal ph for tetra I find online is 7-7.5.

[mercur1al]

How did you put the tetras in the tank?

Did you acclimatise them?

You need more tests, cycling for a month doesnt necessarily mean its ready for fauna. Best to know ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels.

Also, when adding fish into the tank, you need to properly acclimatise them.

What I normally do is this:

1. I float the entire bag on the tank to bring temperature of water in bag closer to temperature in tank. I normally let it float for an hour or so.

2. While letting the bag float, I slowly add tank water to the bag containing the fish. The aim is to slowly add your tank water to the bag to allow the fishes to acclimatise. After majority of the water in the bag are from my tank, I scoop the fishes out and place them into the tank. None of the water in the bag gets added to the tank. I'm not too sure about the quality of the water the fishes came with, and I have no intention of taking any risk with it.

A sudden change in water parameters could result in the fishes going into shock and dying, that might be what happened.

Also, my method is a lazy man method, a better way is to do the drip acclimation method, which lots of seasoned aquarists use. Just do a search in AQ and you will find it.

[ahpui6]

Check for your ammonia, nitrate and nitrite reading. Since it is a planted tank, it would be good to state what soil your are using. Most soil will aid in the lowering of your water's PH. Reducing of PH methods include using driftwood (if you dont mind the tannin colour), ketapan leaves also work.

[Urban Aquaria]

Did you test the tank water ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels to confirm that it's fully cycled?

Did you do a slow drip acclimation process before introducing the fishes into the tank?

Its possible the shrimps you have are already acclimated to the tank's water conditions so they are okay, but the new tetras may have had encountered too much stress from the introduction so they could not adapt properly and died off quickly.

Although tetras are typically lower pH softwater fishes, it's possible for them to acclimate to slightly higher pH conditions (not too high though), but the process should be slow so that they have sufficient time to adapt (though they may still not thrive as well compared to lower pH conditions).

Methods to lower pH naturally would be to use active soil substrates which buffer pH to ideal lower levels, or using driftwood or ketapang leaves which release tannins (though that may result in tea colored water if too much are used), or using peat extract solutions. There are also pH lowering chemicals available, but you'll need to follow the instructions carefully to maintain the consistent lower pH.

[cw1985]

Did you test the tank water ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels to confirm that it's fully cycled?

Did you do a slow drip acclimation process before introducing the fishes into the tank?

Its possible the shrimps you have are already acclimated to the tank's water conditions so they are okay, but the new tetras may have had encountered too much stress from the introduction so they could not adapt properly and died off quickly.

Although tetras are typically lower pH softwater fishes, it's possible for them to acclimate to slightly higher pH conditions (not too high though), but the process should be slow so that they have sufficient time to adapt (though they may still not thrive as well compared to lower pH conditions).

Methods to lower pH naturally would be to use active soil substrates which buffer pH to ideal lower levels, or using driftwood or ketapang leaves which release tannins (though that may result in tea colored water if too much are used), or using peat extract solutions. There are also pH lowering chemicals available, but you'll need to follow the instructions carefully to maintain the consistent lower pH.

Hi all. Thank for you fast respond. I did not take note wat type of soil I used because I'm new to set up a planted tank. All the soil, mineral etc is picked and recommended by the fish shop. There are also 2 big pieces of driftwoods which I boiled for 2 hours before I put in the tank. I follow the acclimation process before putting the tetras into the tank (By adding little water from tank to the water where the fish is and this process lasted 3 hours before I put the fish into the tank).

Some bro here mentioned water ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. So does that mean I have to test every thing even the tank already cycle for 1 month? If yes, what are the cheap and reliable test kit I can buy and test it? And what I need to see to ensure the water is safe for tetra?

Thank you

[ahpui6]

API test kit should work for you. Some tank take slightly longer to cycle, so a month might not be enough. Did you dose any fertilisers for your plants?

[mercur1al]

I second API test kit as well, relatively fairly priced and works well.

Can you take a photo of your setup? Any symptoms before your tetras died?

[cw1985]

API test kit should work for you. Some tank take slightly longer to cycle, so a month might not be enough. Did you dose any fertilisers for your plants?

No. I hear that will affect the fishes and the water even more

[ahpui6]

yea, a photo will be good

[Urban Aquaria]

Hi all. Thank for you fast respond. I did not take note wat type of soil I used because I'm new to set up a planted tank. All the soil, mineral etc is picked and recommended by the fish shop. There are also 2 big pieces of driftwoods which I boiled for 2 hours before I put in the tank. I follow the acclimation process before putting the tetras into the tank (By adding little water from tank to the water where the fish is and this process lasted 3 hours before I put the fish into the tank).

Some bro here mentioned water ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. So does that mean I have to test every thing even the tank already cycle for 1 month? If yes, what are the cheap and reliable test kit I can buy and test it? And what I need to see to ensure the water is safe for tetra?

Thank you

Yes, for a tank to be considered cycled, the ammonia and nitrite levels have to be tested to be consistently at 0ppm, only nitrate show readings (ideally less than 40ppm, best less than 20ppm or lower).

You can get test kit sets like the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, it is a chemical reagent based kit and has all the basic tests required.

Based on the higher pH of your tank's water, the soil you are using is probably inert gravel or non-active soil. You'll either have to change the substrate to an active soil which can buffer pH to slightly acidic, ideal for tetras (but will be quite a hassle since your tank is already setup) or just let the pH lower naturally (organic compound build up and beneficial bacteria activities in the nitrogen cycle will usually lower pH over time).

The most important thing is still to make sure the tank has a fully stable cycle and the fishes are acclimated slowly to the tank water before introduction. That makes the biggest difference in terms of fish survivability.

Btw, do search and read up on drip acclimation, it's easier to run and more gradual compared to manually scooping and pouring small amounts of water.