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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 6:53:10 GMT -5
Ok I went and bought 5 cardinal tetra;s last night, i didn't realize these were more difficult to keep then Neon, I was reading up a little on the neon, but assumed they were the same as Cardinal, but when I looked it up this morning, It says they are less resilient. So i have to ask : what does this mean? extremely soft and acidic water. the KH? GH? what should it stay at? The pH in the aquarium should therefore ideally be kept between 4.0 and 6.0. what will happens if it is 6.2-6.8?, What do i use to lower it? And Food??? What would be the best thing to feed them? The temps I dont have a problem with it doesn't get higher then 80 or below 76 Lord I hope i didn't mess up and get the wrong kind of fish.. Help.
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Post by 8 in the Corner on Oct 1, 2008 9:10:10 GMT -5
No, cardinals are not more difficult to keep than neons, they are much easier. They are hardier, larger and IMO, prettier. If you acclimate them properly to your home tank water, they will be beautiful additions to a peaceful community tank. Neons are the ones that are very delicate fish and hard to acclimate.
If you have lots of bushy plants and warm water (around 80) they may even spawn for you once they are content in their new home and get the proper diet. The plants will naturally soften the water somewhat after a time and your cardinals will be happy campers.
Any high quality fine tropical flake food will be good for them.
If your water is between 6.2 and 6.8 pH (that is actually quite low for local water, BTW) they will be fine.
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Post by Carl on Oct 1, 2008 10:06:47 GMT -5
I agree with John/8 as many Neons are raised in poor conditions and in-bred making them genetically weak. The biggest problem I have had with cardinals is with acclimation, as cardinals are generally wild caught and some of the transhippers along the way give poor treatment (although cardinals are increasingly captive raised). I have had best results with cardinals when I use an air line tube with either a rubber band on it to "kink it and slow flow or better a air line valve. I drip water slowly from one half to one hour (or more depending on pH of both bag and tank). I also add Methylene Blue to the bag to aid in ammonia/nitrite poising from possible poor care in shipping. I also have second what John/8 said as to pH, I have NEVER done any better with my cardinals in pH under 6 and I have kept many cardinals tanks. One of my favorite client aquariums was a 250 gallon aquarium with over 40 cardinals as well as Rams and Discus (& this tank was kept at a steady pH of 6.8 and a GH of 100-150!!!). This tank rarely lost a fish, but it had a top notch filter system consisting of Fluid Filters, micron filters, and UV Sterilization. A varied diet that included FD or frozen Brine Shrimp or Blood Worms. There are many excellent flake foods available from Omega, to HBH and more. Feeding a quality flake as suggested is important for Cardinal health. I also recommend supplementing one of these with Spirulina based foods as well for improved immunity. Carl
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Post by bikeguy33 on Oct 1, 2008 10:30:06 GMT -5
i agree with carl and john as well. it always seems if the cardinal survives the trip home and the acclimation (this is where they seem most susseptible),they are very hardy and entertaining. I think cardinals is a MUCH better choice than neons. they also get bigger than neons. also, as far as PH, i have seen them healthy in anything from 6-8 ph. they are very adaptive.
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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 11:13:18 GMT -5
Well thanks guys! you make me feel like i made a good choice then! Maybe I will have good luck with them, they are pretty fish, i like the way they stay together,(school) I am looking into a bigger tank also (soon) I seen some very pretty mollies in with them yesterday too, bright yellow with black tail fin! awesome! I'd like to get some of those to. (once I get a bigger tank of course)
Oh btw would they eat the freeze dried blood worms i had for cash?
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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 11:29:15 GMT -5
I hope I didn't hurt them when I put them in the tank, I let the bag float in my tank for about 15-20 mins, then slowly let the bag fill up with my tank water. I noticed the girl at the pet store added some of that jungle start right in the bag before she tied it up, and they survived the ride home. this morning they all seemed fine, but then again I haven't had them long enough to know their reactions yet.....
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Post by Carl on Oct 1, 2008 11:31:37 GMT -5
Well thanks guys! you make me feel like i made a good choice then! Maybe I will have good luck with them, they are pretty fish, i like the way they stay together,(school) I am looking into a bigger tank also (soon) I seen some very pretty mollies in with them yesterday too, bright yellow with black tail fin! awesome! I'd like to get some of those to. (once I get a bigger tank of course) Oh btw would they eat the freeze dried blood worms i had for cash? Keep in mind that you must provide calcium and other electrolytes for Mollies, this is not to say that Cardinals do not benefit from minerals (especially calcium) despite some internet articles to the contrary, however they are essential for mollies. The FD blood worms would be an excellent dietary supplement for your new cardinals. Carl
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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 11:34:10 GMT -5
where does the calcium come from? food? or is there something I would add to the tank also? sorry I have so many questions. But ya'll are such great trainers!
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Post by Carl on Oct 1, 2008 11:39:01 GMT -5
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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 11:59:28 GMT -5
Well I have the wonder shells ! And I have the sea chem Buffer ;D Whoo Hoo im on the right track, See I have learned alot from ya'll...
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Post by Carl on Oct 1, 2008 12:48:49 GMT -5
Well I have the wonder shells ! And I have the sea chem Buffer ;D Whoo Hoo im on the right track, See I have learned alot from ya'll... Go easy on the SeaChem Buffer though, a little goes a long ways in maintaining a stable pH/KH. The Wonder Shell disolves at steady rate as per tank minerals and they rarely need to regulated in the amount used Carl
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Post by 8 in the Corner on Oct 1, 2008 15:56:49 GMT -5
Carl, did you write that article? I am super impressed. I never realized why those are so important. Would it be alright if I shared that with our club? Giving you credit, of course. Do you do talks on that subject, or others? John/8
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Post by Carl on Oct 1, 2008 16:44:44 GMT -5
Carl, did you write that article? I am super impressed. I never realized why those are so important. Would it be alright if I shared that with our club? Giving you credit, of course. Do you do talks on that subject, or others? John/8 Thank you VERY much for the compliment, which given your own experience means a lot! And of coarse I would be honored if you shared my article I used to give talks at some schoold back in LA (but I tended to lose the kids, as I tend to move too quickly in explaining things). Yes I have written all my articles, no ghost writers. My articles are based on my experience, my own research and tests over the years (of which I have done quite a bit) and current research for which I pride myself in updating my articles when I find more information EVEN if it contradicts my previous points made (many articles such as Redox and Lighting have been greatly modified based on new research). I do try and credit these sources as well in all my articles so that information that is gleened elsewhere is given proper credit. 85% of my articles are found via these two sites: Aquarium and Pond InformationAquarium AnswersI also have a few other blogs (including UV sterilization where I have personally performed much research and testing) Carl
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Post by murdock6701 on Oct 1, 2008 16:44:52 GMT -5
8, take the time and read all of Carl's articles, whether they seem to apply to you or not! you'll find al lot does apply and the amount of overall knowledge helps give you a real clear picture of our finned friends! sometimes you have to read them more than once to grasp the whole concept - Carl spends hours researching and updating daily! never too old to learn more! (from one old fart to another) LOL!
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Post by cashay on Oct 1, 2008 17:36:24 GMT -5
Here are my new babies! I know this isn't a very clear pic ( these little things are fast!) but does the middle one in the second picture seem fatter then the others?
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Post by bikeguy33 on Oct 1, 2008 17:47:45 GMT -5
beautiful lil critters....the middle one is quit abit bigger than the others....
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 1, 2008 19:17:41 GMT -5
Wow! Beautiful! Did you get 4 or 5? I could only find 4 in your picture.
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Post by cashay on Oct 2, 2008 7:24:52 GMT -5
I got 5 one of them kinda stays by his/herself sometimes, but most of the time it's with the others.. a little gun shy i guess
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Post by aquaglory on Aug 30, 2010 0:13:49 GMT -5
That middle one is most likely a female. Females tend to have a more rounded/ fuller body than males.
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Post by angelminx on Jul 8, 2014 1:21:58 GMT -5
I always liked cardinal tetras, but I've never been able to find any around here. Can you give me a little information on them, their requrements and such--and any idea where to maybe get some; I'm hesitant to even think about ordering online, because you can't inspect them, and shipping is so darned expensive! Also what is their adult size? Can they be kept with angels? I know neons can't, but for quite a long time I kept rummynose tetras with them without any problems. The PROBLEM was finding more when my "supplier" went out of business. As they died off, I felt so sorry for the ones/one left because I couldn't get them/it anymore friends.
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