Rummy Nose Tetra

Question
Dear Chris,

I have a 3 ft tank with artificial plants and keep about 40 fishes comprising neon, tetra, black neon tetra, rummy nose tetra and golden pencil.  I have always had problems keeping the rummy nose as their mortality rate is high.  I love the rummy nose but they gave me the biggest headache and I have to replenish the stock each time they died off and they don't come cheap compared to other tetras.  I understand from a book on aquarium fishes that rummy nose tetras are sensitive to presence of nitrate in the water.   I also noticed that each time before they died they developed some white patches on their bodies and their movement became sluggish before they knocked out.  Other tetras are healthy and do not exhibit such symptoms.   Is the presence of nitrate the cause of their death and if so, how do I go about preventing it?  Is there anything I can purchase off the shelf to address the problem?   Your reply is much appreciated.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Lawrence;

Rummy Nose are pretty sensitive to water conditions. The nitrates could be a factor. Live plants consume nitrate. If you have lots of healthy ones in your tank they will help lower it. But, it does take quite a lot of healthy plants to keep it under control. The Nitrate level should be 40 ppm or lower to keep it safe for the fish. If the plants don't consume enough you will have to remove the rest with water changes. Remove 25% of the tank water every week and replace it with fresh. Vacuum the gravel at the same time to keep waste at a minimum. This is normal maintenance with any tank whether you have sensitive species or not. Give it a try for a few weeks and get some more rummys. They may do better.

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Chris Robbins

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