cardinal tetra QT?

[dixiedog]

I'm gonna add a school of cardinal tetras to my tank. In the past, it seemed like having them swimming around was calming and reassuring to the discus, and would bring the discus out of hiding sooner after a wc, cleaning, etc.

So how long to QT them?

- Gene

[candyl70]

Gene,
I think that when you QT fish you should at least wait 3 weeks. I am not sure that the cardinals have anything that could be passed to the discus, but QT'ing is usually best anyhow. hth, someone else with more experience will be along to give more, or better advice than me though...:) Good luck!!


Candy

[Willie]

The problem with cardinals is the low survival rate. Here's how to handle the problem. Buy your cardinals as soon as they come into the store. Ask the store manager to tell you when they are expected to arrive. If you are getting these from a wholesaler, do the same thing.

Set aside a tank with warm (84F) soft water for them. Dump them into a net and drop them into the tank so no dirty water gets in. I use a powerhead to simulate agitation since they live in an environment of high aeration. If the tank is too small for a powerhead, make sure you have lots of bubbling.

Feed your cardinals for at least one week with baby brine shrimp. These fish have been starved for 3 months since they were harvested from the Amazon. Their bellies are sunken. Unlike larger wild caught fish, they have very little reserve. Feed until their bellies are full again and you can move them into the discus tank.

When I do this, my losses are < 1%.

Willie