Hi all,
I've been lurking on this site for a few months now and have been enjoying many posts and picking up a lot of knowledge from you all.
Its an 80 litre / 20 gallon tank, has been going for 3 1/2 months, since mid-Nov 08, my first effort since childhood where I had a few years of not-very-successful fishkeeping (I'm sure many can relate to that!).
I cycled with fish in (balloon red eyed tetras - 6), changed water a lot at the beginning to keep ammonia down, never got above 0.5, never had a nitrite spike, was cycled after a month and never had any ammonia/nitrite above 0 since then. Added 6 cardinal tetras after a few weeks, and 2 german blue rams in early Jan after the water had been testing stable for awhile. 1 ram died after a month which I'm putting down to some sort of inherant weakness - the fish was pale and not swimming much for a few days, then died
but no other symptoms. The other inhabitants have been lovely together - no bullying, everyone looking happy, eating ... The other ram, 3 weeks ago (early Feb) - I noticed some white 'fluff' on his gill and under chin - about the size of a pin head. Otherwise he was looking very healthy - good colour, eating and swimming well. Did a lot of water changes around there, ended up dosing once with 'triple sulfa' (broad spectrum). didn't seem to do much either way - the fluff slowly faded, he still acted healthy, until ...
I did a big water change yesterday (~70%) and pulled out a lot of plants that have been growing like wildfire, gravel vacced a lot, generally tidied up. Overnight 5 cardinal tetras died - found 3 bodies this morning, the other 2 must have been breakfast for the remaining (1 cardinal, 6 red eyes, 1 gbr). Now my remaining ram and cardinal are both hovering at top of tank, noses touching surface, ram has his black bars showing and cardinal pale - I'm so upset they will be next to go overnight and I have no idea why. The red eyes are not looking happy either - they are bunched together, hovering, instead of their usual hyperactive selves.
A few more parameters:
temp: 27 degrees (I've bumped it up from 26 to keep temperature fluctuations to a minimum during summer heat waves)
pH: 7.6 and steady (same as tap).
tank/filter: a 'kit' which I can't properly find described anywhere, some weird australian brand perhaps?? Blue planet serenelife aquarium with 3 stage filter - filter is in hood, has tight-fitting lid that creates a semi-vacuum. Filter contains bioballs, sponge, ceramic - I hardly touch it since there is never much gunk in it.
last water testing (API liquid test kit- done this morning before a second 80% water change done after I scooped out dead fishies).
ammonia: 0
nitrate: ~5
nitrite: 0
don't have kh, gh tests but not worried about that since pH is stable. Looked up water supply on the internet - is rated 'semi-soft'
Usual maintenance:
gravel vac and change 1/3 - 1/2 water about every 1 1/2 weeks. I use API tap water conditioner to remove chlorine / chloramine. I've been adding a plant fertiliser semi-regularly with water changes - "Florapride" - according to guidelines. I added with yesterday's water change, i did another big one today in case yesterday's fert dose had something to with 5 fish deaths overnight.
Why have nearly half my fish suddenly died? I am suspecting something in the water supply - there has been electrical substation work in my street the last 2 days, maybe it has mysteriously done something to the water. the tank water is also smelling unusually 'fishie' - like something has been dead in it for ages - but i changed most of the water today and the only dead thing is the 2 cardinal bodies I can't find that would only have been there a day anyway. Maybe my big gravel clean stirred up something? I'd love to hear anyone's suggestions esp about what I can do now ... I'm very reluctant to do another water change since it seems to be part of the problem - certainly it did nothing to help today.
Well this has ended up quite long, I'd appreciate hearing any ideas anyone has! Happy to elaborate on anything if needed ...
Thanks,
Rachel
I've been lurking on this site for a few months now and have been enjoying many posts and picking up a lot of knowledge from you all.
Its an 80 litre / 20 gallon tank, has been going for 3 1/2 months, since mid-Nov 08, my first effort since childhood where I had a few years of not-very-successful fishkeeping (I'm sure many can relate to that!).
I cycled with fish in (balloon red eyed tetras - 6), changed water a lot at the beginning to keep ammonia down, never got above 0.5, never had a nitrite spike, was cycled after a month and never had any ammonia/nitrite above 0 since then. Added 6 cardinal tetras after a few weeks, and 2 german blue rams in early Jan after the water had been testing stable for awhile. 1 ram died after a month which I'm putting down to some sort of inherant weakness - the fish was pale and not swimming much for a few days, then died
but no other symptoms. The other inhabitants have been lovely together - no bullying, everyone looking happy, eating ... The other ram, 3 weeks ago (early Feb) - I noticed some white 'fluff' on his gill and under chin - about the size of a pin head. Otherwise he was looking very healthy - good colour, eating and swimming well. Did a lot of water changes around there, ended up dosing once with 'triple sulfa' (broad spectrum). didn't seem to do much either way - the fluff slowly faded, he still acted healthy, until ...I did a big water change yesterday (~70%) and pulled out a lot of plants that have been growing like wildfire, gravel vacced a lot, generally tidied up. Overnight 5 cardinal tetras died - found 3 bodies this morning, the other 2 must have been breakfast for the remaining (1 cardinal, 6 red eyes, 1 gbr). Now my remaining ram and cardinal are both hovering at top of tank, noses touching surface, ram has his black bars showing and cardinal pale - I'm so upset they will be next to go overnight and I have no idea why. The red eyes are not looking happy either - they are bunched together, hovering, instead of their usual hyperactive selves.
A few more parameters:
temp: 27 degrees (I've bumped it up from 26 to keep temperature fluctuations to a minimum during summer heat waves)
pH: 7.6 and steady (same as tap).
tank/filter: a 'kit' which I can't properly find described anywhere, some weird australian brand perhaps?? Blue planet serenelife aquarium with 3 stage filter - filter is in hood, has tight-fitting lid that creates a semi-vacuum. Filter contains bioballs, sponge, ceramic - I hardly touch it since there is never much gunk in it.
last water testing (API liquid test kit- done this morning before a second 80% water change done after I scooped out dead fishies).
ammonia: 0
nitrate: ~5
nitrite: 0
don't have kh, gh tests but not worried about that since pH is stable. Looked up water supply on the internet - is rated 'semi-soft'
Usual maintenance:
gravel vac and change 1/3 - 1/2 water about every 1 1/2 weeks. I use API tap water conditioner to remove chlorine / chloramine. I've been adding a plant fertiliser semi-regularly with water changes - "Florapride" - according to guidelines. I added with yesterday's water change, i did another big one today in case yesterday's fert dose had something to with 5 fish deaths overnight.
Why have nearly half my fish suddenly died? I am suspecting something in the water supply - there has been electrical substation work in my street the last 2 days, maybe it has mysteriously done something to the water. the tank water is also smelling unusually 'fishie' - like something has been dead in it for ages - but i changed most of the water today and the only dead thing is the 2 cardinal bodies I can't find that would only have been there a day anyway. Maybe my big gravel clean stirred up something? I'd love to hear anyone's suggestions esp about what I can do now ... I'm very reluctant to do another water change since it seems to be part of the problem - certainly it did nothing to help today.
Well this has ended up quite long, I'd appreciate hearing any ideas anyone has! Happy to elaborate on anything if needed ...
Thanks,
Rachel
