How long does the environment in my fish tank need to be dark?

[Nicole]

I have neon tetras in a small tank (probably too small, but it's what I can do right now). Since I am studying a lot and spending a lot of time in my room after it gets dark outside, I worry about their rest time. How long do they need to rest each night? Is it a problem if I turn the lights on after they have been resting for about an hour or two? They turn pale (normal) when they rest, but I am just not sure if it is OK to use the light in my room.

Also, one of my fish seems to get really bloated sometimes and have some swim bladder issues. He flails around the tank, but after a night of rest, he seems OK. I don't know if it's the same one that has done this twice or if they are different fish. I am having them fast for today to hopefully clear up any digestive problems causing swim bladder issues.

Thanks!

 

[Balaji R]

Dark or Bright does not mind. It is not a problem for fishes health or stress. Do not worry about lighting at nights, the fishes do its better. Just have some hide places like bunch of plants, so that if fishes need dark, they themselves hide into plants. And caves cannot help tetras as they mostly do not get into those.

For swim bladder and other health problem, just do 20% water change and then add a spoon of non iodised cooking salt for every 5 Gallon of water.

 

[♥Sarah]

Neon tetras require the safety and protection of a large group, so I hope you don't have any less than six. For six neon tetras, I'd say that a 10-15g tank is a good size.

Your tank light should/can be on all day until you go to bed. When it gets dark out and you need the light, turn it on and of course continue studying. When you go to bed and turn all the lights off is when they can rest. Fish don't need a whole lot of resting time, but make sure you give them a few hours in the dark every night, just because fish don't have eyelids, so it'll give their eyes a chance to rest.

It could be their diet, or it could be the fact that their tank isn't properly circulated. Try placing some live plants in your tank if you didn't already have some. If you do, add a couple more! If there's space. The better thing to do would be to upgrade your tank to a larger one such as a 10g or a 15g and that way you'll have enough space to purchase an air pump and place it in your tank. With the live plants producing oxygen and the air pump creating air bubbles to circulate it throughout your tank, your fish should be healthier.

Another thing that causes swim bladder disease is the fact that when they swim up to the top at feeding time, their food is floating on the top, and when they go to munch it, they end up swallowing air bubbles in their attempt at breakfast.

Your solution: Pre-soak the food beforehand in tank water. That way, it'll sink, and then be pushed around by the filter (I do hope you have a filter) and then it'll be a challenge for your fish to get to.

Good luck!