Dead Fish This Morning

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

gmanova

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
185
Location
Allentown, PA.
I had a dead fish today. Tank is Freshwater planted 46 gallon running about 2 weeks. I am new to this hobby and need expert advice! Water tested today was Temp.= 76, pH=7.6, NH3=2ppm, NO2= 0ppm, and NO3=20ppm. I want to ensure the safety of my fish! Do any of my test results look out of line? Thank you for helping.
 
gmanova said:
I had a dead fish today. Tank is Freshwater planted 46 gallon running about 2 weeks. I am new to this hobby and need expert advice! Water tested today was Temp.= 76, pH=7.6, NH3=2ppm, NO2= 0ppm, and NO3=20ppm. I want to ensure the safety of my fish! Do any of my test results look out of line? Thank you for helping.

The ammonia (NH3) is definitely what caused it.
 
Yea it seems you had an ammonia spike, however this may be from the dead fish depending on how long it's been sat there.

Anyways a couple large (80%) water changes are needed to bring the ammo and trAtes down.
 
gmanova said:
Platy Hi Fin died. I had 2. Also have 2 Neon tetras and @ Pristella tetras

Would recommend filling out the tetra schools to around 6ish to reduce stress on them, did you see the fish yesterday before it died or is it possible it has been sat the re for a while?
 
I saw the fish last night! IT WASN't LIVELY AT ALL AND DID NOT EAT. So it died overnight! It is in one piece. No signs of any damage.
 
gmanova said:
I saw the fish last night! IT WASN't LIVELY AT ALL AND DID NOT EAT. So it died overnight! It is in one piece. No signs of any damage.

Relax...

Have you performed the water changes yet?

If not that should be your first priority, as asked before was this tank fish less cycled or cycled in anyway?

**Also just for future reference if a fish isnt its usual self and not eating a water test should be high up on your list.**
 
Almost gaurunteed it was the ammonia level.
How long was NH3 as 2ppm? Did you cycle the tank? Other people have asked this but you beat around the bush
 
Also, if the water is safe and cycled, get more than 2 tetras. 5+ of each species
 
+1 definitely an ammonia problem. 2ppm is lethal to fish, as you have found out :(Sorry for your loss. I too lost a tetra this morning although I had a spike in ammonia to 0.5ppm. It was new in the tank and was more likely stress related or a sick fish from the lfs.

Suggest you change 75% of the water immediately and test again tomorrow. If its still above 0.25ppm, which is likely, do a 50% water change and test again the next day. Repeat until as close to 0% as possible. Monitor it closely everyday.
 
gmanova said:
A 15% Water change was done last week.

Look at it this way...

You have 2ppm (deadly) ammonia, if you change 50% of the water it's still 1ppm (deadly).

Another 50% is 0.5ppm (still possible death) then another (50%) to 0.25ppm (still possible death)

The next 50% would be enough to bring it to 0.125ppm (stress zone, not wanted)

As you can see a fair amount of water changes are required!
 
A 15% Water change was done last week.

That mere 15% water change done last week is why your fish is dead.

A 15% Partial Water Change (PWC) is totally inadequate, especially if done last week. It seems most people who keep their fish alive -- and healthy -- change 25% to 50% of the water every week for cycled, established tanks. However, your tank is neither cycled nor established. A 15% Partial Water Change (PWC) is even more inadequate since you have fish producing ammonia waste in an uncycled tank that is incapable of de-toxifying that ammonia waste because the tank has been running for only two weeks as you state in the following message:

I had a dead fish today. Tank is Freshwater planted 46 gallon running about 2 weeks.

Cycling a tank is the process of growing a colony of bacteria that can process fish waste (ammonia) into less toxic chemicals. Cycling doesn't occur in 24 hours, nor 48 hours, nor in two weeks. Cycling generally requires 6 to 8 weeks.

I second the following post:

Look at it this way...

You have 2ppm (deadly) ammonia, if you change 50% of the water it's still 1ppm (deadly).

Another 50% is 0.5ppm (still possible death) then another (50%) to 0.25ppm (still possible death)

The next 50% would be enough to bring it to 0.125ppm (stress zone, not wanted)

As you can see a fair amount of water changes are required!

in your tank right now you have 8 times the "unhealthy" level of ammonia.

So, if you want your remaining fish to not die, then please change 50% of your water as soon as possible. Then follow up with more 50% PWC every 4 to 12 hours untill your ammonia level is less than 0.25 ppm.
 
Back
Top Bottom