I'm verklempt, simply verklempt. As a result of the catastrophic GH in my tank, I lost one of my Neon Tetras. This time, it was Tailleferre. You'll remember that Durey died in the transport bag within an hour of my floating it in the tank. That's two males down. The two females and remaining two males seem to be doing ok, but I have the sneaking suspicion that Milhaud or Auric -- if my chemistry problems persist -- may succumb.

The tank is highly unstable, right now, for a variety of reasons: It's not yet four weeks old; it now supports livestock; pH -- while under control -- still requires tweaking; my emergency water changes to minimize the damage from the Petco rock create pH and temperature changes; none of the fish has had more than 72 hours to adjust.

Stress city. On the upside, I've added 6 Cardinal Tetras: Diana, Bruce, Clark, Barry, Hal, and Jon, the secret-identity names of Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and the Martian Manhunter, core members of the Justice League. Hopefully, they won't be as vulnerable as Les Six, but I don't know. I'm still learning, but I'm not much enjoying learning at the cost of little fishy lives.

And get this. I bought 6 Neon Tetras, right? And then I bought 6 Cardinal Tetras, right? I lost two of the Neons -- Durey and Tailleferre -- right? That should mean there are 10 fish in the tank, right? Four Neons and 6 Cardinals, right?

Wrong.

I now have 8 fish in my tank. Can someone either help me with my math or shoot me in the head. Is this what new-tank ownership is all about?