I thought danios were supposed to be hardy?

[reberly]

Alright, when we first started cycling our tank, we got 4 danios to start the process - 3 zebras and one leopard. All the zebras are now gone. Later on we added 3 firemouth cichlids but they're not very big yet so the danios and cichilds are roughly the same size. We also have 2 bala sharks. Ever since we got the sharks, one has been 'slower' than the other (Lennie), his buddie George has always been more active. Well, today Lennie looks really bad. His fins are ragged and he may have some spots. He's also just kind of drifting around the tank. The other danio seems to be in good condition, fins all look good, swimming and eating normally. Are the cichlids pushing the other guys out of the tank? I feel like I should do something but my 5 gal tank was just setup yesterday and I used bottled water for that tank. The pH in the new 5 gal is about 7 and the pH in the 12 gal is above 8. I feel like I should rescue the sickly looking fish but the pH shock would surely finish them off right? Sorry for these obvious questions, I've never had cichlids before, my roomate insisted on them.

Ryan

 

[Guest]

pH in the 12 gal is above 8.

I highly suspect this to be your problem. The firemouths should be ok in that ph, but danios would rather have soft, acid water. not sure about requirements for the bala sharks.

You could get some more bottled water and change 20-25% in your larger tank. that would bring your ph down some. Also, you may think about getting some driftwood for that tank. Driftwood typically lowers the ph naturally.

 

[i3k]

2 bala sharks in a 12 gallon tank? you will need a LARGE tank in about 4-5 months...you said the that 1 of the bala sharks may have spots and the fins are clamped up...if those spots are tiny salt looking spots then that is ich...if thats what it looks like, turn your temp. up to about 85 degrees. Since its a 12 gallon tank and you got 2 bala sharks it will require a more frequent partial water changes...once or twice a week 20% will do.

The high pH stresses the fish and that is when ich will attack. You can buy some aquari-sol to rid of ich and use it to prevent future ich attacks.