2 dead fish!!!

[ilive466]

Im worried. Yesterday morning after I did my last post I went to feed the fish and found 2 of my Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" dead. The tank has been up with the fish for 3 weeks now(after it was properly cycled) All the fish looked awsome until those two came up dead but they still look good. The ammonia and nitrite are at 0 ppm. the only thing different is that I added two new plants last night but don't remember what they are called. Just as a precaution I took them out and threw them away... any suggestions???

thanks

seth

 

[JDogg]

humm... it would be nice if you could ID the plants, though i doubt it, they might be poison and the fish eat some (is there any evidence of this?)

out of curiosity can you answer a few questions

1. what is the PH?

2. other tank inhabitants?

3. size of tank?

4. what kind of filtration do you have?

5. Temp?

6. you said Ammonia and nitrITE are 0, what about nitrATE?

 

[ilive466]

The tank is a 125 gallon with xp3 cannister filter. I am going to add another xp3 here is about a month. It has 2 250 watt stealth heaters. Crushed coral substrate.

I dont remember what the plants were. The store said my fish would mostlikely eat them but that they would be a good treat for them. the water conditions are as followed

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 20ppm
Ph 8.0-8.2
Temp is right at 76.

The stocklist in the tank is as follows

Aulonocara sp. "stuartgranti Maleri" x5
Aulonocara sp. Rubescens x5
Labidochromis caeruleus x6
Protomelas sp. "Steveni Taiwan" x5
psuedotropheus saulosi x5
Pseudotropheus sp. "Perspicax Orange Cap" Ndumbi x4
Protomelas taeniolatus "Red Empress" x4
Bumble Bee x1
Peacock Eel x1
Rubberlip Pleco x1

I know some will die off along the way cause I want to have about 25 in there when all said and done but It worries my that 2 died in one night when there has been no previous deaths or signs of illness.

any help would be awsome..

thanks

seth

 

[triazole]

i'd put them down in the coloumn of 'mysterious deaths'. i don't think aggression would have been the cause - there's plenty of room for cover.
another thing - the temperature is a tad low, might want tto hike it up to 78 (though this is not imperative).

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Moved to the Unhealthy Fish Forum.

 

[ilive466]

I in the last 24 hours have had 3 more fish die... IDK what is going on... one of the fish was a possibly expected cause he was always hangin out alone on top of the spraybar. Yesterday it looked like it was gasping for air on the bottom of the tank then I found it last night. There is also a littler one kinda doing the same thing but every other fish in there looks extremely healthy but so did 4 out of 5 of the dead did to???


someone help please...any suggestions???

thanks

seth

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Do you have an airstone in the tank? When was the last time you added fish to the tank?

 

[Zagz]

In addition to what FF asks, when was your last water change and did you add dechlorinator? Try bumping the heat to 78. Nothing at all has been added to the tank besides the plants? I doubt the plants are the culprit. Any chance of anything getting into the tank and contaminating it? Window cleaner etc?

 

[ilive466]

I dont have an airstone and the last thing I added to the tank besides the plant was the 35 fish 3 weeks prior. It is coming up on a week since the last water change. I do about 25% everyweek. I do not use dechlor cause It has never been a problem in the past with my other tank and with the 3 water changes I have done with these fish???

I will bump the temp up today


Thanks


seth

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Do you get your water from a local water company or your own personal well? If you get it from the water company I would strongly recommend using dechlorinator. Otherwise you are adding chlorine/chloramines to your tank. Within 24 hours the chlorine will gas out, but chloramines won't.

Is your tank planted? You may want to add an airstone and see if the situation improves.

 

[ilive466]

I use city water. I have had a total of 10 fish die now. I will be switching food today to the same food a guy here in town uses on his 1400 gallon tank.

I have never used declor but I might try it when I clean my tank today or tomorrow


seth

 

[squawkbert]

Are you running CO2 for the plants?

So far, all I can suggest is get some Prime, treat the whole tank after draining your next 25%...

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Is it the Cichlids that are dieing? A few years ago I had mysterious deaths every day of my Africans. They would appear perfectly healthy but then all of a sudden one would start breathing weird then die within hours. Wiped out almost all of my African Cichlids one by one. Found out it was Hexamitosis (sp). I treated with one dosage and didn't have a single fish die after that.

 

[ilive466]

What did you dose the tank with... Where did you get it...I have since lost another fish so the total is up to 11 now and I am getting more worried.

thanks


seth

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I treated using Hexamit. They don't make it anymore though. When we had the outbreak we had to go to 8 different stores to find enough to treat the 150 gal tank. I'm sorry, I really hope that's not what is causing the problem. The second you see a fish acting odd, QT immediately.

 

[ilive466]

I came home this morning to find # 13 dead. What you have suggested is the only thing that sounds remotely like what is going on... Do you know of anything else that would work for medication...


thanks.
seth

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The fish don't have a white stringy poo?

I doubt it's contamination. You may want to try Seachem Metronidazole or any other med that contains Metronidazole. This is the only thing that I can think of.