I have just switched from having nothing but goldfish to actual tropical fish. I have a 5 gal and have 2 pineapple swordtails, 5 male guppies and had a emerald corydora until this morning. I lost two fish in the first two days (a guppy and the orignal cory). I have been keeping an eye on all the fish since then just in case. Before I had added the fish last weekend I did a full water change since I was changing fish completely-- my goldfish had died the previous weekend of old age (I think). He had been rather listless for a few days and then started swimming on his side. I thought he was dead for a few days but everytime I would fish him out he would move until the last time. Anyway... I ran the tank empty for a week before changing the water and adding new fish just in case.
The water after the change was a little unclear so I waited almost 24 hours before actually adding the new fish and in the process lost the first cory. Then I added the fish and bought a new interal filter pump to see if that fixed the problem of the cloudiness--my old pump is about 5 years old. Within a couple of hours the cloudiness was gone but so also was a male guppy. When I took him back to Petco where I got the fish they told me it could be because my nitrite levels were in the stress levels and to keep an eye on it. I bought some of the strips that do the 6 tests in one and have been doing them at least once a day since last monday. The nitrite levels went down to 0 last thursday but on saturday I noticed my water was starting to get cloudy again. I thought it might be because I had a plant near the filter so I removed it. It did not get any better and now the cory was acting strange and one of the swordtails was hiding. On monday I discovered water spots on the swordtails and took out the carbon filter and dropped in a parasite tablet. I also noticed the cory was still acting funny--much like my goldfish had. Yesterday morning I put the old pump back into the tank to see if it is the pump again. Last night I came home with some ich medicine and thought my cory was died but like the goldfish he wasn't. I treated the tank with the ich medicine after doing a 25% water change since I had just used the other stuff 24 hours before and that was what was directed on the box. This morning the tank is still dirty, my cory is dead offically, my swordtails ich appears to be better and I had 3 baby swordtail in the tank--one died when I tried to take it out into a seperate container just in case, one was good when left the house and the other is showing signs like the goldfish and cory were by swimming on its side and playing dead. I went ahead and left the last one in the tank because I wasn't sure what else to do.
My nitrite levels over night went from caution to the high end of stress. I added the second pump back into the tank this morning, did another 25% water change and dropped in a water clear tablet. I am at a loss and do not want to have to keep replacing fish. All the guppies appear to be fine. Please someone help...:help:
PS. How long is the gestation period for swordtails? Because I don't have a male only female, but do have male guppies that looked like they were getting friendly with the swordtails last week.
The water after the change was a little unclear so I waited almost 24 hours before actually adding the new fish and in the process lost the first cory. Then I added the fish and bought a new interal filter pump to see if that fixed the problem of the cloudiness--my old pump is about 5 years old. Within a couple of hours the cloudiness was gone but so also was a male guppy. When I took him back to Petco where I got the fish they told me it could be because my nitrite levels were in the stress levels and to keep an eye on it. I bought some of the strips that do the 6 tests in one and have been doing them at least once a day since last monday. The nitrite levels went down to 0 last thursday but on saturday I noticed my water was starting to get cloudy again. I thought it might be because I had a plant near the filter so I removed it. It did not get any better and now the cory was acting strange and one of the swordtails was hiding. On monday I discovered water spots on the swordtails and took out the carbon filter and dropped in a parasite tablet. I also noticed the cory was still acting funny--much like my goldfish had. Yesterday morning I put the old pump back into the tank to see if it is the pump again. Last night I came home with some ich medicine and thought my cory was died but like the goldfish he wasn't. I treated the tank with the ich medicine after doing a 25% water change since I had just used the other stuff 24 hours before and that was what was directed on the box. This morning the tank is still dirty, my cory is dead offically, my swordtails ich appears to be better and I had 3 baby swordtail in the tank--one died when I tried to take it out into a seperate container just in case, one was good when left the house and the other is showing signs like the goldfish and cory were by swimming on its side and playing dead. I went ahead and left the last one in the tank because I wasn't sure what else to do.
My nitrite levels over night went from caution to the high end of stress. I added the second pump back into the tank this morning, did another 25% water change and dropped in a water clear tablet. I am at a loss and do not want to have to keep replacing fish. All the guppies appear to be fine. Please someone help...:help:
PS. How long is the gestation period for swordtails? Because I don't have a male only female, but do have male guppies that looked like they were getting friendly with the swordtails last week.
