Help !! Just lost a fish

[trancecommander]

I just lost a female swordtail and can't figure out what happened to her. I added her to the tank about 3 weeks back and she was doing really well ... swimming around just fine ... eating well ... no obvious illnesses or bodily injuries ... getting along just fine with tank-mates etc ...

I got home last night and found her dead :sad I checked the water specs ... all came up just fine: Ph: 7.6 ... Ammonia: 0 ... NitrIte: 0 .... NitrAte: between 10-15 ppm.

As far as the other tank specs go ... its a 36 gal with an Emperor 280 filter ... current stock includes:

1 male sword
3 female mollies
1 red tail shark
5 white cloud minnows
10 cardinal tetras

Can anyone offer any suggestions on what might have gone wrong cos I have absolutely no idea

 

[happychem]

She may have been weakend at the lfs or during shipping, could have been underfed, exposed to ammonia or nitrites by a careless lfs employee(not very likely, but it's possible).

You may have gotten her when she was past the point of recovery.

Also, the male could have harassed her. Do you have any other females in the tank? If he was keen to breed and she not so much, this could have been a source of stress.

Just throwing stuff out there.

 

[moboe]

I'm sorry for your loss. I just lost 4 swordtails within 2 weeks. 3 died within 3-7 days of being added to my established tank with excellent water parameters. The 4th jumped out overnight the day he was added. The helpful folks here at Aquaria assured me I'm not a terrible fish mom, just happened in to a bad batch of fish.

Like you, I too would be concerned about losing a fish for no obvious reason after 3 weeks. I just lost 2 otos that I've had for 6 weeks, and have learned here that they, too, were probably doomed from shipping. Unfortunately, it can happen.

Don't blame yourself. It's just what we have to deal with, I guess, when purchasing fish from LFS. Best of luck to you and the rest of your fish!

Margaret

 

[Aqualung]

Don't know if this had anything to do with it or not, but I've heard Redtailed sharks can be aggressive towards other fish. Did you notice any wounds or torn fins on the swordtail?

 

[trancecommander]

Sorry I haven't been able to respond earlier ... been at work all day.

I REALLY do appreciate all the responses from you folks !! I stopped by my LFS this evening and the lady there told me that she too (like some of you guys) suspected that it might be the shark that caused it ... or indeed the fact that I have a 1:1 ratio of male vs female swords in the tank.

I was told by a friend that if I kept only 1 red-tail ... that it would be fine cos they're not extremely aggressive ... I guess he was wrong about that eh? During the day ... all the fish (including the shark) seem to get along just fine ... I guess all the trouble brews at night !!

What would you folks suggest I do? Should I take the shark back to the LFS due to incompatibility issues .... and replace it with two female swords ... otherwise hitting two birds with one stone?

Though ... from the looks of it ... the sword that passed on didn't have any obvious wounds or injuries ... all the fins were intact and no noticeable bruises either.

Margaret ... I totally understand how you feel ... i'm so darned bummed about the loss !! Its so painful after taking care of her so well ... she just passes on without explanation

On the bright side ... the 3 mollies I have are absolutely doing fantastic !!!! They went through the entire fishy cycle process (which i spent a LOT of time and energy on to make sure they got through it with as little stress as possible) ... and they're growing up to be nice plump little fishies

Do keep the suggestions coming people ... I want to take the best possible action so that I don't lose any more fish.

I really appreciate ALL your thoughts/responses !!!!!

- Yash