Dying fish...

[lynnieK]

:help:

I've had my tank up and running for about 7+ months. I lost 1 guppy right off the bat but didn't lose any other fish for almost 6 months. I think my 2nd guppy got eaten b/c I could never find it. Then, just a few days ago, one of my glow-light tetras looked really bloated and was swimming funny. It just settled down into a plant and died. The next day, one of my plattys looked really skinny all of the sudden and I just had a feeling that it would die. It did. Then today, my other platty looks skinny so I assume it's going to die too. I know, I know, I need to test my water (I don't have a kit so I have to take the water to the pet shop but my husband's car is broken so he's using mine so I can't go anywhere). I'm very good about changing water/clean filters/cleaning the tank. Any other suggestions?? I read somewhere about the tank overheating and that could have led towards the tetra's death but we finally got our a/c hooked up so the other one would have been fine.

Any thoughts? I don't want to lose any more fish (I have a smaller tank so I only have 9 or so in there)

 

[Holly9937]

what size is the tank and how many/what kind of fish do you have? The test results for the nitrite and amonia are pretty critical, it sounds like something must be going on :huh: . Make sure to get actual numbers, don't just let them tell you they are "fine"!!

 

[zazz]

From what you have said it doesnt sound like overheating to me either. but letting us know how hot the tank got at the hottest, and how long it stayed there would be good.
I know you can't get test results yet. Meanwhile, please say what you do for clean filters and cleaning the tank.
It sounds like you are conscientious about it. There are some ways of doing it that can have a bad effect on water quality though. What and how much are you feeding. Also, as Holly said, about how big is your tank, and what kinds of fish do you have? these can be hints too.
Have you put anything in to try to help them?
Only thinkg I could say without knowing more would be do water changes being careful to match the temperature, and properly dechlorinate the water. This would help if it is a common water quality problem assuming that your change water is ok.
observe the fish closely. and post again with as much info as you can.

Good Luck
~ L

 

[lynnieK]

Ok - I'll be able to use my car tomorrow so I'll get the water tested then.

I have a 12 gallon eclipse tank. I do 25% water changes every-other week and a vacuum the gravel once per month. I change the filter once per month. When I add water back to the tank, I use a dechlorinator and a bio-coat something-or-other. lol. Right now in the tank there are 2 glow-light tetras, one black skirt tetra, one mickey-mouse platty, 1 algae eater, 1 aquatic frog, 1 very small bala shark, 1 serpae tetra, and one ghost tetra (forgot the official name). I don't think the temperature ever went over 85 but I suppose it is possible (now that I think about it, we were gone all day the day the first glow-light died so maybe it got really hot in here??).

Any thoughts? Do I have too many fish? It just doesn't make sense that they would be fine for 7 months and all of the sudden start dying - kwim?

 

[Holly9937]

85 is pretty warm, so it could be possible, because the higher the temp, the less oxygen and you are VERY overstocked. With that many fish and that small of a tank your amonia probably goes up pretty quickly. Ideally you will want to do about 25-50% water changes each week, along with a gravel vac. Also, how exactly do you change the filter? Are there just carbon bags you replace? You might be starting the cycle over again if you remove everything from your filter each month. Most filters have a couple of different components, say a sponge and a carbon bag and you would ideally replace one every other week or so staggering it so that you don't throw away all of your beneficial bacteria

If you are not interested in getting a bigger tank, you should consider returning some fish !! The tetras prefer to be in groups, at least 3 or more, as well as the bala. However the bala shark can get well over a foot long and is not suited for a tank that small. Ideally you should consider returning the bala, and 3 of your 4 groups of tetras and getting 5 or so of one of the groups. Also, do you know what the algae eater is? If is is a pleco of some kind it will also outgrow the tank. This would all help your tank operate more smoothly, unfortunately I am suprised you haven't had more problems yet :sad: !!! Or, you could always use this as an excuse to get a much bigger tank

Let us know what those test results are when you get them

 

[zazz]

Good start, lynn. Thanks for the info.

Well, for one thing, I dont think that your tank got hot enough to kill off the 'good' bacteria. so, thats one thing that probably didnt happen.

It Is possible, as holly has said, that you are keeping the tank "uncycled", depending on how you clean the filter. This would mean that ammonia and nitrite levels would repeatedly rise to toxic levels which over time will weaken the fish, damage gills, and lead to death.Since you didnt describe any particular disease that I recognize, I am thinking that these deaths may be related to this type of water quality issue. Plus, put this together with the stress of the temp changes you'd have fish prety supsceptible to whatever illness happened to come along.

.

Also, while i congratulate you on the regular maintenence. with that many fish, and no or few live plants, More and Larger water changes will be necessary for good results.

Nothing wrong with 50%/ week. nothing wrong with vaccuming the gravel to get that water out either.

I'd be inclined to take holly's word on the shark, etc. If you want, you can check out some of the fish you haveon the "fish profiles" pages, or at fishprofiles.com
Tere you will see that, although they look like they fit, you may have been overstocking the tank, which degrades the health of the fish also.

As far as them being fine for 7 months then dying. well If you have been maintaining the tank, but Not Quite well enough.. that makes sense. Either this, what you are seeing, or else a sudden outbreak of some disease after several months of looking fine.

Anyway, let us know what test results you get, it may help. If you can afford to bringhome your own test kit that would be GREAT.

what do you think about the filter cleaning? areyou leaving anything in the filter? or putting in brand new, or washing it all in the sink, or what?
thanks
~ Z