my first tank but it keeps dying

[lilbenchy9192]

hi, im sorry if this isnt in the right place or wat ever but ive never used this forum before

i got a 50 ltr tank online for £7 about 6 months ago and decided to set up a tropical fresh water tank. i used some soil-hession-fine gravel, then arranged my rocks and a plant or to and then filled the tank with water. put the filter in and then it was actualy left for about 6 weeks just filtering because i was away for a few weeks and then didnt get paid for a few more weeks (students )

anyway a few months on i have 10 neon tetra, 3 guppies, and 2 glow light tetra, 2 angel fish and 3 clown loach

unfortunately ive been relying on my local fish shop for advice and i dont think hes all that intelligent.

I managed to get a fish that was suffering from white spot so that swarmed the tank and killed 3 neons, 2 angels and the clown loach, however that was treated and all the fish that survived are all doing realy well, nice and active, feeding well, nice and vibrant in colour.

although i noticed last night that yet another tetra has died and is now stuck to my filter, what could possibly be killing it all!!

thanks in advance (ps ive found a new fish store that i know i can trust its just a bit further away so not ideal to pop in just for a chat lol but i know the fish are healthy and safe)

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Welcome to AA!

Sorry to hear about the diseased fish and the others dying! As for your issue of the tetra...

2 things come to mind. 1. Have you check the water parameters of your tank with a test kit? You know, for ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites? 2. If it's the neon that died, that's not that surprising. They have a high mortality rate because they are (in general) a weak strain. They are very sensitive to water parameters and stress. Either way, perhaps during your treatment, of what sounds like ich, your tetra got stressed and the ones that died off and continue to die couldn't handle it. What was your method of curing the ich in your tank (i.e. meds or by natural means of salt and increased water temp)?

 

[lilbenchy9192]

hiya, thanks for ur reply, the water was treated about 3 weeks ago using an interpet product called "anti white-spot" seemed to really get rid of any visual signs of any white spot really really well, just 3 weeks later i find another tetra stuck to the inlet on my filter.

with regards to testing the water i dont have a home kit as of yet, however im taking a water sample to an aquatics centre i know i can trust because my dad knows the owner, and as its a 30 yr old family run company he seems to be very fair and honest with his advise so fingers crossed

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Since I'm in the U.S. I haven't really heard of that Interpet stuff... but I just googled it and found some alarming stuff. One person said, and I quote, "Interpet Anti Whitespot has Formaldehyde (approx. 4.5% w/v - which seems very high) and Malachite Green (approx. 0.05% w/v) as active ingredients - in spite of being blue, not green. It will be the formaldehyde that is carcinogenic - malachite green is just toxic!" Stuff sounds a bit intense to be using in a tank. I'd be scared to even do maintenance in my aquarium without any gloves.

If I were you, I would do a ton of partial water changes for the next month... maybe like 30% ever other day... and then weekly after. Then wait a bit while things settle and get the water parameters checked. Investing in your own test kit is actually worth it. Also, in the future, if you have fish that come down with spots like that, if you plan to use meds, you might want to consider a quarantine tank so you don't expose all your other fish to those nasty chemicals.

I don't have any direct experience using meds because my fish have all been good (thankfully).. So perhaps some other member on here can give you more experienced advice in that area.

 

[jeffp]

50L is about 14 us gal, which would mean your tank was way overstocked before, and is still way overstocked with 2 clown loach. clown loach should be kept in very large aquariums because of how big they get and the fact they do much better in schools. it's quite likely your water is just getting too dirty too fast and your water changes aren't often or large enough to keep up with the load.

 

[lilbenchy9192]

they are all less then an inch long so it shouldnt be over stocked. im guessing its 50L its 2ft by 1ft and 1.5ft tall

 

[GuppyLover]

they are all less then an inch long so it shouldnt be over stocked. im guessing its 50L its 2ft by 1ft and 1.5ft tall

It doesnt matter how big they are right now IMO, they will get VERY big.

 

[lilbenchy9192]

nah thats kwl im not arguing just sayin how many litres do u think the tank is anyway??

theres only 3 guppies, 7 neon tetra and 3 glowlight tetra

 

[gabysapha]

Unless you want to upgrade the size of your tank to accommodate the loaches, you may want to give them away or return them. You can google a profile of the fish for more information. There are much better choices for your tank, like kuhli loaches or corydoras catfish.

 

[lilbenchy9192]

theres only 3 guppies, 7 neon tetra and 3 glowlight tetra

 

[gabysapha]

Oh good!

Well, I HIGHLY suggest you get a water test kit. It would be easier than you taking it to the pet store and that's really the best way the forum can help. But do lots of water changes, those are vital to the health of your fish.