Dead Fish/No Air Stone?

H

horseridingirl

AC Members
Mar 11, 2005
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I have had a 38 gallon tank set up with tropical fish for a little more than a month now. I have had a number of dead fish incl 4 Angels, a dwarf frog, green cory, Bala shark and appx 6 neon tetras. They'll live for 1-2 weeks then die and, according to the LFS, my water numbers are fine.

When my most recent deaths occured of the 2 Angel fish this weekend -- and we got the water checked again -- I started questioning the other aspects of the tank. I had bought a couple air stones and thought my boyfriend had hooked one up. He thought the undergravel filter was aerating the water and hadn't hooked up the air stone. We hooked up the air stone Saturday and hope this will cure the problem.

Do you think this could have caused the deaths? If so, how did all the others live so long? I've had 4 white clouds and 3 zebra danios for 1 month. I've since added a cory cat, dwarf gourami, 2 guppies, 2 rosy barbs and a gold pristella. There are also 2 neons left. Could they survive without the air so long? Should I keep looking for another problem?
 
Keep looking for other problems. As long as there is surface turbulence your water is being oxygenated. Plus, the frog breathes air so he couldn't have died from no oxygen unless he drowned because there was no way to get to air at your tank's surface. I also suggest buying your own test kits and not relying on the LFS. The LFS exists to make money. They will often sell you fish and say the water is fine when it is not, because they make money on fish and replcaement fish. How long has this tank been set up? Is it cycled? Please buy testing kits ASAP and test that water.
 
Thanks Harlock,

The frog lasted for 2 weeks and he hid most of the time except for the last 2 days of his life. At that point, he was swimming to the top a lot (I thought for air) and swimming up and down the tank -- very visible. I found him on the 3rd day upside down in the bottom corner of the tank.

I have been testing the Ph and ammonia myself with a dropper test kit and all has been OK for the past 2-3 weeks. Temp is at 78 degrees in the tank.
 
buy a nitrite test kit as well as a nitrate test kit. Unless you were spot feeding the frog, he may have actually starved. it is not at all unheard of for them to starve in a community tank.
 
Are the angel fish and tetras that much more "fragile" or affected by water conditions than the others?

No I wasn't spot feeding the frog. Again, previously getting info from the fish store, I was told they'd eat the flake food too.

The more I learn, the more I realize how very little I know.
 
Neon tetras are prety sensitive to water conditions. Angels have been hardier for me in the past (I don't keep them anymore). If the fish were in the tank when it cycled, there is really no telling how much damage the cycle did to them.
 
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