My fish are dying!

Talagawen

AC Members
Apr 6, 2006
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And I have no idea why. There is no amonia, nitrites, the nitrate level has not risen above 10, in fact it's usually at 0, the temp stays around 80, I change 30% of the water every 2 weeks, all my fish are docile and appropriate to the temp, the ph is stable at 7.6, all the fish that have died I have had for a while and I have not added any recently. I lost 4 plattys and a catfish and my white skirt tetras are not looking very good. I also can't quite figure out what's wrong with them, they just die. The only thing I can see is one of my white skirts looks like his right gill is swollen. I'm really at a loss! :help:
 
hmmmmm where are you buying fish at? also what do you use to dechlorinate the water? and how long do they stay alive before the go to the big tank in the sky?
 
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your fish might appear docile during the day, but they might get nasty at night. :shark:
also, what might spook them at night or even during the day? livebearers dont cope with stress very well
maybe it just was their time. most livebearers have quick metabolisms and only live for 2-5 years, and if they were large when you got them who knows how old they were
 
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Just a quick question, what type of test kit do you have? Is your tank heavily planted? I just thought that its unusual for a tank to have a zero nitrate reading especially when you do 30% water change every other week.
Good luck with the remaining fish :coffee:
 
khombre said:
Just a quick question, what type of test kit do you have? Is your tank heavily planted? I just thought that its unusual for a tank to have a zero nitrate reading especially when you do 30% water change every other week.
Good luck with the remaining fish :coffee:
you should have some readings of nitrates.that don't sound right
 
I do have live plants and an abundance of java moss.:rolleyes: As far as dechlorinators, I don't use any. I put 75% RO water in and 25% tap water that sits for 24 hours first. I did have those plattys for a while, maybe it was their time, I dunno. But all 4 died within 2 weeks!

Do you think I'm feeding them enough? I do it twice a day and they consume it within about 30 seconds to a minute.

As far as them being nasty at night, I have 5 congo tetras, 2 white skirt tetras, two pencil fish, some catfish, otocynlus and flying fox. I think those are all docile enough. I have a moonlight light on at night, maybe I should turn it off.

My test kit is called "Freshwater Master Test Kit" made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

I buy my fish from all sorts of fish stores. I do make sure that there are no "floaters" in their tank and that the fish look healthy. You can only guess so much though...

Thank you for all the responses, I hope my answers help you guys, well, help me :o I've been wanting to buy some cardinals but with the deaths and with my ph being so high (7.6) I don't see that happening. :(

Tala
 
How big is your tank? If it is a 10 gallon, I think you are overcrowded, and this would be part of your problem. You should also do water changes once a week, at least 30%. When your fish are not looking/feeling good, change water more often than that. Nothing can perk up a sick fish like nice clean water. If the fish is feeling better it's slime coat is nice and healthy. I think I would add prime to your water just because it does aid in the slime coat which helps keep your fish healthy and battling diseases.
Take care,
Mary.
 
Talagawen said:
I do have live plants and an abundance of java moss.:rolleyes: As far as dechlorinators, I don't use any. I put 75% RO water in and 25% tap water that sits for 24 hours first. I did have those plattys for a while, maybe it was their time, I dunno. But all 4 died within 2 weeks!

Do you think I'm feeding them enough? I do it twice a day and they consume it within about 30 seconds to a minute.

As far as them being nasty at night, I have 5 congo tetras, 2 white skirt tetras, two pencil fish, some catfish, otocynlus and flying fox. I think those are all docile enough. I have a moonlight light on at night, maybe I should turn it off.

My test kit is called "Freshwater Master Test Kit" made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

I buy my fish from all sorts of fish stores. I do make sure that there are no "floaters" in their tank and that the fish look healthy. You can only guess so much though...

Thank you for all the responses, I hope my answers help you guys, well, help me :o I've been wanting to buy some cardinals but with the deaths and with my ph being so high (7.6) I don't see that happening. :(

Tala

I think I've found out your "secret"killer. Tap water now a-days contains chlorine and chloramine. Chlromine doesnt evaporate or become stale. It is harmful to fish. only dechlroanators get rid of this. That might of been the killer :duh:
 
If you do use Water treatment chemicals, it still may be your water. I lived in an area where my fish would die all the time. I couldn't keep even the hardiest fish alive. I had to use RO water for my tanks. It was not a fun time living there.
 
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