# Need Cardinal Tetras



## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

We bought 8 cardinal tetras at Aquarium Adventure and they lasted past the 48 hour guarantee period, but they began getting ick, then started dying. We used the usual treatment, malachite green, first at full dose, then 1/2 dose, with increased temperature. All but one died. The one left is healthy looking and has been the lone survivor for over a week now.

We would like to try some cardinals again so this one isn't by itself. BUt I don't want to buy from a shop again. We've had bad experiences with fish from shops, except, ironically, from Wal MArt, where we got some albino corys. (They have a 90 day guarantee, too, which gives you plenty of time to see if they are healthy or not.)

My question to our group is, does anyone have some cardinals that they could part with for a fair price? We can pick them up at a meeting or somewhere between our homes. 

Donald Hellen


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I forgot to add--send me a private message if you can help with this.

Thanks!!!


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## PAINKILLER1009 (Jan 3, 2007)

i know you dont want fish from a lfs but, if you go to pet land on tuesdays from 4pm - 8pm they have a buy one get one free on all fish, if your a pet member. i was gonna get 7 cardnials but ended up getting neons instead (they only had 3 cardnial in stock). i bought 4 and got 4 for free.


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

The local Petland (Chillicothe) doesn't have Cardinals but will have neons later this week. I plan to buy some of them and quarantine them like I did before. The price will make the risk worthwhile.

I do want some cardinals, though, since they like a higher temperature like the angels and discus do. Neons wouldn't do as well at those temperatures. 

Since these seem to be more fragile than neons (We've only lost 1 or 2 out of a dozen or so in 6 months' time), I'd prefer to get them from a private individual where they have been kept in good condition, without the stresses of shipping, change of water, etc.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

Ah yes, cardinal tetras...this sissies of the fish world. Look at them wrong and they'll go belly up. I'm very VERY hesitant about buying fish from any LFS except one (family relative.) My mom bought some neons on a whim and threw them into -my- tank without asking and I'm just now on the tail-end of a bacterial infection. My lone angel still has some white blisters on it's left eye and right flank. Sadly, I had to euthanize several of the barbs and tetras that were most affected, but I'll let the angel's immune system run it's course. I guess the bright side is she didn't toss them into the rainbowfish tank...

If it were me, I'd quarantine the neons for -at least- two weeks.


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

I've kept cardinals for a long time. I used to lose alot during the first week of acclimation until I got a UV. During the acclimation process when the fish are stressed their immune systems are compromised and they are more likely to get an infection. The UV eliminates alot of the pathogens in the water and the fish have an easier time until they adjust to the new conditions.


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

So you have Angelfish also?

I have a source that lives nearby if you want some more. I work at the same place as the fellow so I got a good deal on a couple of blacks, mated pair, always throwing eggs into the corner, for $15. Gave him some plants and he gave me 4 pearl/albinos as well. Also gave me 4 small discus since he gave up on trying to raise them for a while and wanted the room. I give him flaoting plants when I have a surplus and he loves them.

Anyway, I can't guarantee that he'll charge the same prices (he probably wojn't give you any) but he sells the smaller angels to pet shops for about $1.50 each, so he wouldn't want much if you wanted them small. And they're in VERY good health. I had no infections or anything wrong with these. They are raised in high pH dechlorinated Chillicothe city water, so they're not fragile.

PM me if you want to talk with him or meet him sometime.

You're the fellow in Columbus where you put some discus in a tank during a meeting, right? (I might be wrong.)

As quarantine times, 2 weeks is about our norm here. Many problems don't show up for a week.

Don



Troy McClure said:


> Ah yes, cardinal tetras...this sissies of the fish world. Look at them wrong and they'll go belly up. I'm very VERY hesitant about buying fish from any LFS except one (family relative.) My mom bought some neons on a whim and threw them into -my- tank without asking and I'm just now on the tail-end of a bacterial infection. My lone angel still has some white blisters on it's left eye and right flank. Sadly, I had to euthanize several of the barbs and tetras that were most affected, but I'll let the angel's immune system run it's course. I guess the bright side is she didn't toss them into the rainbowfish tank...
> 
> If it were me, I'd quarantine the neons for -at least- two weeks.


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

PAINKILLER1009 said:


> i know you dont want fish from a lfs but, if you go to pet land on tuesdays from 4pm - 8pm they have a buy one get one free on all fish, if your a pet member. i was gonna get 7 cardnials but ended up getting neons instead (they only had 3 cardnial in stock). i bought 4 and got 4 for free.


Is that all petlands or jsut a certain one?


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

t2000kw said:


> Is that all petlands or jsut a certain one?


Each one is different. Mine does that on fridays, rather than tuesdays. The one is westerville is tues I think. Depends on the particular location.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

I initially (after fishless cycle) bought 2 cardinals (among other fish - they only had 3 and #3 didn't look as nice as the other 2 - kind of faintly colored). They're fine. I found 5 more at another store 2 weeks later. After one day, one died. I replaced it 2 days later and one more died. I'm replacing that one (maybe w/ another Cory) today.

I had figured it was the 0.5 nitrite spike that did in the first one (2 PWC'd it to <0.25ppm, has remained low since).

At any rate, I still think Cardinals are better than neons when it comes to transport deaths.

PS - Black neons >>> regular neons - I got 5 of those initially, all are fine.


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

I lost another pair over the last couple of days. Water's fine. They look fine, until they develop a white patch on one side, get away from the rest, weaken and die. This entire process takes just a few hours.

I've taken to replacing them w/ otos, plants, other stuff as I'm tired of carrying CT corpses around. The PS where they came from reported problems w/ their pre-xmas batches but claim that since then, things are fine (I disagree, personally).


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

Sorry to hear about that.

Some claim that cardinals are hardier than neons, but we've had almost no deaths in the last 6 months. The few that we did have were right after we got them. We have a small tank with just neons and a betta and lots of plants. The co-exist just fine, no chasing of the neons by the betta. No filtration or aeration, just the plants, and it seems to be doing just fine (it's been that way for months).


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

Since I can't find any from a private breeder locally, I found some at the local Petland at 1/2 price. There were three fish dying in the same tank (not the cardinals, though), so I decided not to buy them. They might get some more in later this week. If they don't put them in the same tank I'll consider getting a few and see what happens. I might wait a few days just to see if they have any stress problems.

Neons are on sale this month at 88 cents each. They should get some in this week. I oculd use a few more of those, too, in one of the cooler tanks.


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

t2000kw said:


> Neons are on sale this month at 88 cents each.


There's alot of fish on sale, until the end of January. Black skirts, serpae, gold barbs, neons, clown loaches, red wag platies, zebra danios, regular pleco's, small angels, bettas, cherry barbs, red tailed sharks. That's all I can think of right now. I know there are a couple more, but we don't stock them at our location (on Hamilton Rd, in Columbus).


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

Do you have any healthy cardinals or neons right now?


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

replied to PM


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