My baby catfish seem to be dying

[Fafman]

Good morning all i have a tank approx 125 litres but just in the last week we have had 2 of our baby catfish in the tank are 3 adult catfish 9 gold headed minnow and 4 dwarf frogs the water is regularly cleaned as is the filter i have tested the water and the following are readings we always get

Ph 7.6
Ph high 8
Am 0
Nit 2 0
Nit 3 40

The frogs are fed half a blood worm cube at night the catfish are fed a few catfish pellets and the minnows some flakes

Ive attached a picture so you can see the tank

 

[fishorama]

Welcome to AC. I'm sorry your catfish died. Are they corydoras?

Your nitrates are pretty high, try to keep it 10- 20ppm or less with more water changes & maybe less food. Your tank decorations may trap food or waste in or under them, it looks like some have hollow areas. Check for that regularly.

Do you vacuum the gravel when changing water? Did the catfish have worn barbels or red faces or gills? High nitrate can be part of those problems & lead to bacterial infections.

 

[Fafman]

I take all items out and wash and treat them with tap safe also the gravel comes out ans gets washed as well and treated to if there is any waste i taks that out every other dayno the catfish had none of that the catfish all look healthy and seem healthy seemed to happen suddenly these are the catfish i have

 

[fishorama]

They are bristle nosed plecos. They would like some real wood to graze on & a more plant based wafer food most of the time. Regular food is ok sometimes. You can also offer veggies like a slice of zucchini.

You don't need to take out the gravel, the detritus should come up in the gravel vac while siphoning. It's good you rinse the decor but maybe you don't need to do it so often. Most of the beneficial bacteria live on a the surfaces (gravel, decor) not just in the filter. There can be such a thing as a too clean tank & filter.

Several of your decorations look kind of rough for the plecos to graze on. Maybe try some smooth rocks that you don't clean very often & some wood. You can clean under them

Were the small plecos new? I wonder if they didn't get enough food. BNs can be territorial to their own kind, 3 is probably more than enough in that size tank. Each will need a place that it can hide away from each other, males more so than females. Are the 3 or 4 inches long? They may think about breeding...

 

[Fafman]

Well we currently have i think 2/1 adult ones either 2 male and 1 female or oyher eay round we have 3 white/gold babys and now 7 black ones was 10 they are approx 12-14 weeks old

The adults tend to hide in the plane coral and treasure chest and the babys tend to join them

 

[fishorama]

So they are breeding, congrats! You need to make sure they get enough food & keep the water very clean. The male will fan the eggs & care for fry until they leave the "nest". With fry I like to feed small amounts more often to be sure they keep their tummies full.

You'll also need a plan for when they get big enough to rehome. They'll keep breeding so think about it now & for the future. A shop may trade for store credit not usually cash.