Masha
Aquarium Advice FINatic
My aquarium has been going for about 8 months now, and I'm wondering whether my experience is just the normal ups and downs of fish-keeping, or if I'm just not cut out for this!
Basically, I keep losing fish, and I can't figure out why. Not all of them. But it looks as though I can only keep "bullet proof" fish that would survive just about anything.
To get the basics out of the way -
Yes, my tank is cycled. I don't test the water all the time, but when I do, it's 0% ammonia, 0% nitrites, and somewhere between 0-12 on the nitrate test.
Tank has many live plants, tough ones like java fern and anubias, as well as a external philodendrum that dangles its roots in the water.
I do a 50% water change every week.
My tank is about 23 gallons.
I have a Aquaclear 70 filter that is running nicely. I carefully squeeze the filter media every 2 or so weeks in old tank water to prevent it clogging up.
At the moment, my tank has 8 black widow tetras, 3 silver-tip tetras, 1 bronze cory, 1 java loach, 1 apple snail. They all seem well and happy.
The problem is with the fish I lost. They seem fine for months, then suddenly, from one day to the next they are either gone, or I find their little dead bodies
No sign of illness.
Over the past few months I've lost - 1 honey gourami, 3 peppered cories, 2 bronze cories.
My guesses are -
* even though I checked here, and on Aqua advisor, the tank was overstocked and the fish were under stress?
* Maybe they could not all get enough food - I feed them only every 2nd or 3rd day? Especially the honey gourami who had to compete with those pushy tetras? (I feel very bad about him)
*Mystery substance getting into tank somehow, although I'm super paranoid and careful about that kind of thing.
I'd love to add one or two more fish to this tank - some more bronze cories as a companion to the one that's left, or a bristlenose plec, but maybe I should leave well enough alone? I'd love to add another java loach since I know they don't like being alone, but I simply cannot find one for sale anywhere.
Any help or advice much appreciated, sorry for the long post. I went through a phase where I hardly wanted to even look at the tank because I was so scared I would see more fish had died but I've got over that now and would like to give it another shot.
Basically, I keep losing fish, and I can't figure out why. Not all of them. But it looks as though I can only keep "bullet proof" fish that would survive just about anything.
To get the basics out of the way -
Yes, my tank is cycled. I don't test the water all the time, but when I do, it's 0% ammonia, 0% nitrites, and somewhere between 0-12 on the nitrate test.
Tank has many live plants, tough ones like java fern and anubias, as well as a external philodendrum that dangles its roots in the water.
I do a 50% water change every week.
My tank is about 23 gallons.
I have a Aquaclear 70 filter that is running nicely. I carefully squeeze the filter media every 2 or so weeks in old tank water to prevent it clogging up.
At the moment, my tank has 8 black widow tetras, 3 silver-tip tetras, 1 bronze cory, 1 java loach, 1 apple snail. They all seem well and happy.
The problem is with the fish I lost. They seem fine for months, then suddenly, from one day to the next they are either gone, or I find their little dead bodies
No sign of illness.Over the past few months I've lost - 1 honey gourami, 3 peppered cories, 2 bronze cories.
My guesses are -
* even though I checked here, and on Aqua advisor, the tank was overstocked and the fish were under stress?
* Maybe they could not all get enough food - I feed them only every 2nd or 3rd day? Especially the honey gourami who had to compete with those pushy tetras? (I feel very bad about him)
*Mystery substance getting into tank somehow, although I'm super paranoid and careful about that kind of thing.
I'd love to add one or two more fish to this tank - some more bronze cories as a companion to the one that's left, or a bristlenose plec, but maybe I should leave well enough alone? I'd love to add another java loach since I know they don't like being alone, but I simply cannot find one for sale anywhere.
Any help or advice much appreciated, sorry for the long post. I went through a phase where I hardly wanted to even look at the tank because I was so scared I would see more fish had died but I've got over that now and would like to give it another shot.
