Lost 15 fish in past two weeks, AUGH!!!!

[Coler]

just for clarity...I'm not not reccomending it lol

edit: ahh...sorry I think rbishop was addressing granny there...as I understand it charcoal/carbon has benefits, but has no relation to other crucial tank maintenance to maintain low nitrates and generally replenish water quality, and charcoal must be used correctly and correctly replenished.

 

[platytetrafan]

I agree you must do regular maintenance on your tank. It is best to keep the baby fry separate in a smaller tank. I test my water monthly I was doing it weekly but found monthly is just fine if I see a change in the behavior of the fish for any reason then ofcourse I test the water more frequently to see if the parameters are off. Regular gravel vacs are essential as well as water changes. Waiting 2-3 months is a long time to go without a water change and essentially your fish are swimming in their own waste. As far as changing out the filter twice that might have been your biggest mistake. I have a penguin 200 with biowheel and I usually change my filter once a month I tried rinsing the old one in old tank water to reuse it again and it didn't work for me it caused problems for me infact so I went back to rinsing the new filter in old tank water when I do my water change and then seed it with the old filter for about a week and then toss the old filter. Now since you changed your filter twice do not change it again the filter has time to build up the beneficial bacteria to help keep your ammonia levels down it sounds like your tank is going through old tank syndrome so until you get that condition under control don't change out the filter. Later on if you want to change it then seed it with the old one first you can rinse the new one in old tank water first. Yes I also recommend you getting the API testing drops for ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels you should have your own so that you can do your own testing without having to run to the LFS this way you can take care of problems quickly. Do a small water change for now then test your water for all parameters don't be surprised if your ammonia is through the roof since you had so many fish deaths that might be the case if you also get high nitrite levels then you have to do small water changes to get the levels down to 0. A good lesson learned proper maintenance and you will have happy healthy fish. Water maintenance is a must. By the way my filters already have carbon in them I find they keep the water very clean IMO. Good luck hope all turns out fine for you.