# Cardinal tetras and rummy nose tetras



## NursePlaty (Mar 24, 2010)

Any of you keep Cardinals or Rummy noses? I have tried to care for cardinals in the past and failed and tried rummy nose this week and failing (1 rummy nose dead each new day). I have them in a co2 high tech tank. Do they require RO water? I use straight tap and I have a feeling they need RO water for softness and acidity. So im asking the group here to see what yall use to keep them successfully. I don't remember my water parameters but I believe my pH is at 7.2, maybe 7.0 when CO2 is on, and I don't know about my GH, haven't tested.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Get all the info on your water params. I've had rummy nose in 7.5pH, 215ppm TDS. They do like lower TDS and pH.


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## Gerald (Mar 24, 2008)

New ones can be delicate; they're often starved during transport. Might be better to get them acclimated the first couple weeks in a tank without high CO2, then move them to the high-tech tank after they're recovered from transport stress and are eating well. Not sure if elevated CO2 might be hampering their recovery, but it's possible. No they do not need RO water.


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## Tsin21 (Oct 12, 2017)

My tapwater is hard (kh = 5, dh > 16, tds >300, ph = 7.4 before CO2 then 6.4 after CO2) but I have been keeping my cardinal tetras for over a year now and rummy nose tetras for 4 months. What I did was I quarantined them first for about a month (bare container with heater and cycled filter) and then drip acclimated them after. In my experience, the rummy nose are far more delicate. They may freeze or act dead when newly introduced in the tank but will recover about an hour later. A 10% partial water change can even sometimes shock them. What I like about rummy noses is that you can consider them as indicators of your tank health. If their head is red and they're active then everything is mostly fine.

As for the cardinal tetras, they're one of my hardiest fishes; they made it through a fish in cycle (I failed to research enough back then). Secret is to buy healthy fishes from reputable sources. And always quarantine, one batch that I bought recently had columnaris and it decimated the whole school while in quarantine with only one survivor.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

There are more than one species of Rummy nose tetras. The last ones I had were a bit larger than usual, and they were very rugged fish, living for 2 years, and would have lasted longer, with no losses. I think the smaller ones are the delicate ones. From: http://seriouslyfish.com/species/Hemigrammus-rhodostomus/
"This is the 'real' rummy-nose. The species most often sold as such is, in fact, the firehead tetra, H. bleheri. These 2 are very similar in appearance, as is the 'false' rummy-nose, Petitella georgiae. The 3 species can distinguished by several factors."


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## Michin (Mar 27, 2009)

I have cardinals and they've been with me for a little over a year and a half. 

The water they swim in is right out of the tap: GH 180, KH 80, pH 7 (average), temp: 78 (average).

Before this group of cardinals, I had tried keeping them and they died on me, twice.

So, I switched LFS and haven't had issues since I did so.


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## Tsin21 (Oct 12, 2017)

hoppycalif said:


> There are more than one species of Rummy nose tetras. The last ones I had were a bit larger than usual, and they were very rugged fish, living for 2 years, and would have lasted longer, with no losses. I think the smaller ones are the delicate ones. From: http://seriouslyfish.com/species/Hemigrammus-rhodostomus/
> "This is the 'real' rummy-nose. The species most often sold as such is, in fact, the firehead tetra, H. bleheri. These 2 are very similar in appearance, as is the 'false' rummy-nose, Petitella georgiae. The 3 species can distinguished by several factors."


I have kept both the rhodostomus (currently) and bleheri (last year) species. In my experience, the bleheri are far more sensitive: mine actually died during a water change.

The photos posted on seriouslyfish are actually mixed up. 
Here's a handy diagram on identifying them: https://www.aquaportail.com/pictures1512/tetra-nez-rouge-rummy-nose.jpg


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

I've successfully kept both together. However, my water is VERY soft and actually had to add GH booster for the plants. I kept the water at about 5 to 6 dGH and ~1 dKH. 

Provide plenty of cover plants for hiding spots. I also gave a varied diet that included bloodworms and brine shrimp. I found Hikari to be the best.


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## Letsfish (Dec 18, 2017)

Tsin21 said:


> I have kept both the rhodostomus (currently) and bleheri (last year) species. In my experience, the bleheri are far more sensitive: mine actually died during a water change.
> 
> The photos posted on seriouslyfish are actually mixed up.
> Here's a handy diagram on identifying them: https://www.aquaportail.com/pictures1512/tetra-nez-rouge-rummy-nose.jpg


That link is really helpful,I hand no idea of what I have.Last year I lost all of my Cardinals and Rummy nose tetra`s due to my laziness of not quarantining.It took me about 4 months to get this matter straightened out,I think it was columaris but not sure,lesson learned.The first thing I did was get a UV sterilizer and started the process of replacing my lost fish.My tank is heavily planted and I am pretty sure I have not lost any of my replacements.I now have 8 H Bleheri Rummies and 10 Cardinals


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## NursePlaty (Mar 24, 2010)

Thank you for all your replies. Very informative. I bought a TDS meter off amazon and checked my tank. My TDS is at 174, temp 75, pH 7.2 without co2 and 6.8 with co2. My tap comes out at 150 TDS. The remaining 4 of the 7 rummy noses I have bought have survived all this time and the 3 that died all died within the first few days i bought them. I may have just bought stressed out rummy noses or just got them from a non-reputable fish source. Trying to get a school of 12. So may just buy the rest from a good place.


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## Letsfish (Dec 18, 2017)

My tank is a 55 gallon and I am thinking of doubling my Rummy Nose and Cardinals .I also dose CO2 and add ferts every other day and add Excel on the days that don`t get the ferts.One thing for sure I will never add any fish to my tanks without quarantining them for at least a month first.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Excel deteriorates in the tank water in about a day, so the best way to use it is to dose every day. I use Metricide instead so it doesn't really cost much to dose daily.


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## Letsfish (Dec 18, 2017)

hoppycalif said:


> Excel deteriorates in the tank water in about a day, so the best way to use it is to dose every day. I use Metricide instead so it doesn't really cost much to dose daily.


Thanks!


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