are neon tetras hardy?

Question

can they withstand living in a cycling tank? ammonia and nitrate levels?

i learned adding gravel from another tank will not work. adding new water will pretty much make the cycling the same.

Answer 1

not really, thats not one of the fish i would recommend for cycling.

Try rosy barbs or tiger barbs. Much hardier for cycling.

Answer 2

Instead of cycling your tank, just get some filter media or gravel from a tank that is already mature when you purchase your neons, get the store to bag it just like they do the fish (to preserve the bacteria on it), and then add this to your own filter at the same time as you add the fish. By adding this media you are adding bacteria, and by adding bacteria you are avoiding the cycle, and then it's safe to add neons and no fish will be exposed to those toxins (even hardy fish will be harmed by ammonia). I still don't understand why everyone suffers through cycles when this easy solution is available.

I don't agree with purchasing a fish just to cycle a tank. If you weren't planning to keep it in the first place, then what do you do with them?

Answer 3

My mom had neon tetras that lasted for quite a while. Seems like they were alive for a couple of years if not more. They were in an air-filtered tank with a placostamus to keep it clean. Don't know the levels of ammonia and nitrate, sorry. - Angie

Answer 4

Not a good choice for cycling at all. If you want to do a fish cycle, I would suggest something more like danios or tiger barbs. You can cycle your tank without fish much more quickly and safely. Here's some details:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/startover/fishless.shtml

Hope that helps

MM

Answer 5

Go for a guppie or platy, There hardy, Neon tetra are soft water fish and need a low ph of about 6.4, Neon tetra's would not put much bioload on a tank, As i said i would go for a guppie or platy.
Good luck

~ GG

Answer 6

No, neon's should not be used to cycle a tank. Look for hardier fish such as guppies, mollies, swordtails or platies.

Answer 7

neons are the worst fish ever. they die so quickly they have there own disease named after them "the neon tetra disease"
if you think im kidding google it.

get some platies or some danios for cycling.

Answer 8

no, they will die, they are not hardy at all
Go with zebra danios, they are pretty hardy, here is a site that explains it actually
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php


Hope that helps


W