Fish dying every day! Help Please!

helpmeplease · 04-22-2007, 12:23 PM

I have a 45 gallon tank that is two months old. It has gone through it's first cycle. The ammonia level is 0, Nitrite is 0.25 ppm, nitrate 0, PH 7.2. I started with 5 fish and have added over 20. They are all dying with no apparent cause. I am down to 8 fish-tetras,gaurami, clown loach, mollies. The water seems fine, but the fish are dead at least one a day. I have done 10% water changes every 5 days through the first cycle, and I purchase fish water from the local fish store. I have changed the carbon in the Aquaclear 50 filter, the bio bag and sponge have remained the same. I have lost guaramis, a beta, a clown loach, various platys, tetras, a marigold something... What can I do to stop the death? Also, the temp is between 76-78, and there are 3 live plants, and a bubble wand and an air stone, plus other decorations for hiding.

BMueller777 · 04-22-2007, 12:46 PM

The water from the pet store could be the source, maybe some kinda bacteria that's not good for fish, most of the time if you put their water into your tank when you get fish you unleash bad bacteria and make your tank succeptiable to disease. Get tap water from your house and then treat it with the dechlorinator and for other stuff that's in our drinking water.

Sorry to hear about your losses

Welcome to the forum

helpmeplease · 04-22-2007, 01:21 PM

Is there anything I can do to save the remaining fish, or do I just give it time and see how they do without adding any additional fish to the tank? Should I give up and start all over? We have very hard water here, and I thought I was doing the right thing by buying water from the fish store. Is it the water in the bag from when I buy fish that's the poblem, or the 5 gallon's I buy for water changes?

BJP · 04-22-2007, 08:15 PM

Other than adding about 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt predissolved in some warm tap water for each five gallons of tank water I'm not sure I'd try any treatments without a set of specific descriptions.

With the variety of fish you seem to like,it's imperative that you take time to set up at least one small quarantine tank. Place new fish in the quarantine tank for at least two weeks if not a month before adding them to the main tank and don't add anymore to the quarantine tank during that time. Wait at least two weeks after any deaths or signs of illness. When you move the fish to the main tank then aquire your next batch for the qt tank.Repeat as needed to fill the main tank.

If you can limit your purchases to just one store tank at a time it would be even better. The more fish you mix at once, the greater the chance of them spreading various diseases back and forth between each other. Even one single fish can infect an entire batch. If you end up having to medicate, then you'll be medicatting in the smaller tank which should save you money since most meds go by water gallonage. I try to keep anywhere from 1 to 3 quarantine tanks going all the time to keep up with my impulse purchases.

fernival brainard · 04-24-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helpmeplease

I started with 5 fish and have added over 20. They are all dying with no apparent cause.

It may help if you add just a few fish at a time then wait a week or two before adding more. 2 months is a pretty short time for a new tank to be setup and stocked with that many (20) fish. You have to allow time for the biological filteration to adjust to the increase in fish waste ect. when stocking a new tank. Don't know if it will help but it is a suggestion.

fern

dannyLTJ · 04-24-2007, 07:24 PM

without trying to sound too high and mighty i think you are trying to do too much too soon. all the advice given to you so far is good and valuable, but it is time to stop introducing new arrivals to your tank and to pay a little more attention to water quality.

Some tetras and certainly clown loaches are not good fish to start a tank off with, but if you are loosing platties which are usually viewed as reasonably hardy fish then you are certainly not providing a healthy enviroment for your fish.

I agree that you should start using a trusted source of water, and most people use their tap or municipal water. I am guessing that if you are buying water from your fish shop then it may well be RO water (reverse osmosis) which unless supplemented with trace elements could well be adding to your problems. I would suggest slowly changing over to your tap/local water supply and carefully treat this with a suitable decclorinator such as 'stress coat'

You must also continue to test for nitrite and nitrate as your tank does not seem to have fully cycled yet.

I hope this is of some help, please keep us posted