My fish are dying :(

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cschilly

AC Members
Jan 20, 2008
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Taylorville, IL
Hi, this is my first post to this site. So I set up my first african tank at the end of December. It's a 55 gallon that was a community freshwater tank for the last 3 years. I started off with eleven cichlids (3 species, not sure of their names. Yellow & blue striped, solid orange, and black & blue striped). Ph level is around 8.0. ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels all are where they should be. For the last week and a half I've been losing a fish every other day. I do a 25% water change once a week. Here's a pic of the latest fish that looks like he's about to take a cruise into the sewer system: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/2239319749_1f79932b58_b.jpg

He can't seem to swim horizontally. The others that died before him exhibited similar symptoms.

Any ideas what might be going on here? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
R

Reddog80p

Permanently Dechlor'd
Nov 18, 2006
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0
36
cschilly said:
Hi, this is my first post to this site. So I set up my first african tank at the end of December. It's a 55 gallon that was a community freshwater tank for the last 3 years. I started off with eleven cichlids (3 species, not sure of their names. Yellow & blue striped, solid orange, and black & blue striped). Ph level is around 8.0. ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels all are where they should be. For the last week and a half I've been losing a fish every other day. I do a 25% water change once a week. Here's a pic of the latest fish that looks like he's about to take a cruise into the sewer system: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/2239319749_1f79932b58_b.jpg

He can't seem to swim horizontally. The others that died before him exhibited similar symptoms.

Any ideas what might be going on here? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
When you say your ammonia/nitrate,and nitrite levels are where they should be what are they? In a cycled tank the levels should be Ammonia=0,NitrIte=0 and some level of NitrAtes(unless tank is planted). If a tank is not cycled and has fish in it Ammonia should be no higher than .25, or fish will be damaged. 25% water change weekly is not enough for an uncycled tank. You need to do water changes to get the levels down to safe levels. It may be too late :(
 
elementkid65

elementkid65

gill-less
Jul 3, 2007
735
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where ever i am
ok that is a demasoni in that picture.

the demasonis might be killing everything.

you have 4?
you need to have either 1 or over 10 overwise it wont work out as they are hyper agressive.

also did you cycle your tank??'

just another explanation
 
C

cschilly

AC Members
Jan 20, 2008
96
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Taylorville, IL
Ammonia and nitrite are at zero. Nitrates are around 6 or 7. The tank is cycled. I only have one of the demasoni now. I started with 3.
 
S

skiptomyzoo

looking for large tank
Jan 31, 2008
17
0
0
Cleveland
im guessing the water...
i think you spiked the ammonia at first "new tank syndrome" with so many fish, but as the fish started dying from the toxic levels, it leveled out.
 
AquariumNoob13

AquariumNoob13

I AM NOT A N00B!
Aug 27, 2007
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Bonita, Ca
50% weekly water changes for african cichlids is required otherwise nitrate poisoning with kill ur fish.
 
AquariumNoob13

AquariumNoob13

I AM NOT A N00B!
Aug 27, 2007
1,281
0
0
Bonita, Ca
also, did u try adding that stuff that gets rid of heavy metals and detoxifies the water? because that might be the problem.
 
kay-bee

kay-bee

AC Members
Sep 14, 2005
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Tampa, FL
cschilly said:
He can't seem to swim horizontally. The others that died before him exhibited similar symptoms.
Click to expand...
Unsecure demasoni's tend to position themselves vertically. Not sure why the others died, though.

cschilly said:
....I set up my first african tank at the end of December. It's a 55 gallon that was a community freshwater tank for the last 3 years. I started off with eleven cichlids....
Click to expand...
How much time passed from when the tank was being utilized as a community FW tank to when it was set up as an african cichlid tank? Was it a same day transition? If so, how many and what kind of community tropicals were kept in it? If the transition wasn't same day, then did the tank run empty for a while? What was the general size of the african cichlids which were added? Basically I'm trying to figure out if the tank retained its cycle or if the african cichlid bioload temporarily overwhelmed it and ammonia and nitrite spiked, harmed the fish, and then the spikes dissipated, or if the tank was cycled at all prior to the cichlids being added.

cschilly said:
Ammonia and nitrite are at zero. Nitrates are around 6 or 7. The tank is cycled....
Click to expand...
Nitrates are kind of low. What test kit are you using and how old is it?

cschilly said:
For the last week and a half I've been losing a fish every other day....
Click to expand...
Out of the original 11 and the losses you've experienced, how many fish remain in the tank? What had been the behavior or characteristics of the losses prior to their deaths?
 
C

cschilly

AC Members
Jan 20, 2008
96
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6
46
Taylorville, IL
Here's a little history. There had only been a pleco and 2 gouramis in the tank prior to switching to africans (the rest died last winter when I didnt have power or heat for 6 days during an ice storm). I got rid of the gouramis and got the cichlids a week later. The pleco stayed in the tank and is still doing ok.

The cichlids were all about an inch long when I got them in December. I had 3 demasonis, 3 of these guys:


and 5 of these:
.
I also had 2 that were greenish yellow and had markings that reminded me of the spots on a giraffe. I am down to 1 demasoni, all 3 of the orange ones, and 1 of the yellow/blue, and the pleco of course.

The test kit is brand new, from Aquarium Pharmacuticals I believe. It has ph, high ph, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite solutions.

I didn't really notice any odd behavior before they died. Everything was fine for 3 weeks and then the deaths started.

No more dead so far, but the demasoni is still hiding in the corner, in a vertical position.
 
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