The fish don't last?!?

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potterboy1

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Aug 28, 2006
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I have a 15g tank with a powerhead filter, heater (75deg), and fake plants. My problem is that my fish don't seem to last more than a month or two. I have kept mostly Platys but I have had Neons and a couple guppies. At the most I had 6 fish in the tank (4 Neons and 2 Platys). I don't think the bio-load was to much and this was after doing a fishless cycling of the tank. The only fish that lasted was a Platy and he made it about 6 months. The ammonia and nitrite readings have been 0.0(drops test kits) or darn close to 0.0 (slight increases after adding new fish). I have been doing 15% water changes every 1-2 weeks and adding 1 to 1.5 tsp. of salt per gallon at each water change. I don't know the other water params. of the tank. My thoughts were that either I was overfeeding (feeding twice a day)or the water from my un-chlorinated well/water softener is not good for the fish or I need to change fish supplier, all except 2 fish came from Petsmart. The symptoms are that the fish seem fine then one day they just hang out on the bottom of the tank barely moving and this lasts a couple of days and then they die. No signs of disease.
Now all my fish are gone and before I buy more I would like to get some advice as to what the problem could be.
Thanks
 
First, why the salt? No need

You are on well water, but what are the readings on this? A conditioner (i.e. Prime/Stress Coat) may not be needed but it wont hurt either, and will in fact help to develop the fish mucas on their bodies. This is especially true if your well is unlined or shallow and has nitrItes/NitrAtes in it...

Done a fishless cycle? How long ago (6 months?) All the fish that have died were introduced just after you finished the cycle? Or also new fish since?

You have an ammonia test kit, but not a nitrItes or a nitrAtes kit? How did you test your cycle (LFS)?

15% WCs 1-2weeks is on the low side FYI. Gravel Vac??

All said and done, this could just be an acclimation issue for your new fish into the saline-water, and/or the other fish not copping well with the high salt concentrations in the tank over time.
 
As mentioned I would not add the salt unless it is neded for a certain reason such as trying to treat a disease. I would up the water changes to 25% once a week with a gravel vac if you are not already doing that. I would also only feed once a day at the very most which is more then enough for them. Maybe try changing your fish supplier and see if that helps. There may be something in thier system that is going undetected at first and eventually the fish succomb to it.

Marinemnom
 
I went to petsmart and with their tanks are little signs about this and that. One of them said to use salt in freshwater tanks, that it helps with stress. I wonder how many people take this advise and accidentally OD the tank with salt. I don't think this is the problem but I do wonder about your well water specs.

Q
 
What was used for the fishless cycle? Ammonia cleaner? Cocktail shrimp?

Pure ammonia cleaners may have dyes, perfumes and/or detergents (stated in not so fine print) which can be deadly in minute doses. Your test kits wouldn't detect this stuff. It could explain your SIDS (Sudden In-tank Death Syndrome). But I don't know, maybe you used something else.
 
I will try to answer all the questions.
I used pure unscented ammonia(no other ingredients on the label) for the fishless cycle last July. It took about 6 weeks for the cycle to complete. I did a 90% WC before adding my first fish which was two Platys and one of them was the longest living fish that I have had.
I do use a gravel vac for the water changes.
The salt was added because Petsmart said so and also because I read it in the "famous ich cure posting" that a little salt is OK and good for the fish (slimecoat and mineral intake) even after the ich is gone.? Which I did go through an ich issue when I had the Neons 6 months ago.
I use an ammonia and nitrIte drops test kits.
I have only tested my water once for ammonia and it was 0.0.
 
You are using well water treated with a water softener, plus adding salt... I may be mistaken but the water softener is going to replace calcium/magnesium with sodium making your total dissolved solids higher than if you just did without.

This post by liv2padl and ones following it in that thread specifically say tetras like lower disolved solids. I would not use salt at all, and skip the water softener completely. I would treat with a conditioner like Prime anyways just for piece of mind.
 
If I bypass the softener then all I get is ice cold well water and I don't remember if I have a bypass capability.
 
Skip the salt, its not necessary and expensive, for no return. Petsmart are just trying to sell you more stuff.

Go for the Prime, go for the Stresscoat.

Do 15-20% pwcs twice a week until you stop losing fish.

If your still losing fish after that, then theres something inherently wrong with your well water and you might have to go to the extent of an RO system to get it right, either that or give the water a good boiling and let it cool before use.

But ditch the salt, use the Prime.
 
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