Dead Fish

simtu

AC Members
Jul 2, 2005
32
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I have just found one of my Angels dead at the back of my tank :sad:
I have just removed it and cannot see any signs of disease on it, so i tested the water and came up with

No2 0pm
Nh3/Nh4 0ppm
No3 0ppm
Ph 7.6


any ideas? I must admit this fish hasnt seemed to right since i got them about 1week ago it kept to itself alot. :sad: :sad: :sad:
 
How old is the tank? How long has it been set up? Do you have lots of plants in it? I find it funny that you have no NO3 in the tank.
 
I have had the tank for 4weeks, i did a fishless cycle with some established filter media in the tank,some CYCLE, and plants. I tested the water after 3 1/2 weeks and all readings were 0ppm and a PH of 7.6.. Fish have been in there for about 4days.
 
Did you feed the tank during the cycle? After a 4 week fishless cycle there should be noticable nitrate readings. What source of ammonia did you use?
 
What do u mean by What source of ammonia did i use? and did i feed the tank?

I used "CYCLE" as directed and i had filter media,rocks,plants,from an established tank. I only tested the water after 3weeks becausei didnt have a test kit, but i did do 2 30% water changes in that 3 weeks.

I was told that if readings came up 0ppm, (except for No3 which could be anywhere below 40ppm) that the tank was cycled and i could add fish.

I hope i havnt f@*#e+ up, i dont want to lose anymore fish
:help:
:confused:
 
Last edited:
Okay, well unfortunatly you didn't really cycle the tank. Cycling means building up a source of nitrfying bacteria. The first group eats ammonia and produces nitrites, then bacteria form which eat nitrite and produce nitrates. In freshwater aquariums the way to get rid of nitrate buildup is with weekly water changes.

The established filter material you used would have that bacteria on it but if you don't feed that bacteria (a source of ammonia like rotting foood, detritus, or pure ammonia) then the bacteria slowly dies off. Cycle is a product which contains some types of bacteria that eat nitogen products but without a food source they too will die off.

Thus you have no nitrates as your tank hasn't esatblished the right kinds of bacteria yet. So you are going ot be doign a fishy cycle now. The plants will help but keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite levels. Keep the ammonia under 1ppm and the nitrite under 0.25ppm. Don't add any new fish yet, let the bacteria grow and accept the level of fish you have now. You may need to do daily water changes as certain points to keep the levels of poisons low and use a dechlorinator if needed.

The angel may have been in shock if not acclimated well enough (ie there was a major change between the fish store water and your water). Next time empty your new fish into a clean bucket (use only for fish) with the bag water. Slowly start to add fishtank water until you double the amount (20-30 minutes or so). Then remove half of the water and redo. That should help your fish adjust to temp, pH, hardness etc...

That angel may have been weak and not able to withstand the changes you put it through whereas the other fish may have been hardier.

good luck and keep asking questions.
 
thanks for the help,

Im pretty annoyed at my stupidity (and my LFS).

I will do tests on the water everyday to keep an eye on them, and perform water changes when needed.

Once again
Thankyou
 
Goodluck. Don't take it too hard, these things happen and we all make mistakes and loose fish. Take your new knowledge and do better. You will be on the right track now.
 
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