Fish Dieing! Help Quick!

[FeldmansFish]

My Tiger barbs and gouramis are acting wierd and two tiger barbs just flipped over and died. I don't know what the problem is as my water parameters are fine (Amm. 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, 7.4 pH, 78 degrees F). They're in a 30g long that's been completely cycled. I didn't add fish until yesterday (Added 8 tiger barbs, 1 Rubberlip pleco, 2 blue gouramis). My filtration is enough at 250gph. After I acclimated them [by floating the bag and adding a little bit of my water] , I put a small bit of bloodworms in to feed them. This morning, I went down and checked on them, and two of the tiger barbs had just strayed off by themselves and started swimming upside down and really twitching and just died. My male gourami has unfortunetly started twitching the same way and I'm worried about him. I added aquarium salt when I was changing the water (dissolved). My lighting is rated at 10,000k is that a problem?

 

[jlk]

Did you cycle the tank before adding fish? How do your water parameters look right now? Thats quite a few fish to be adding at one time and I suspect there may be some issues with water quality right now.

Second concern here is salt. How much salt did you add and why did you add it? Did you just spoon it into the tank or was it predissolved and added gradually?

Acclimation may be another issue here. In the future, consider drip acclimating any new fish so they have a chance to adjust to your water conditions.

For right now, I would suggest doing a 50% water change with temperature matched, properly conditioned water. Do not add any salt. Check your parameters in about an hour after the water change & see how they look. If there is a toxin issue or your fish are still acting strange, consider doing another water change. Your light isnt an issue here but I would keep it off to limit stress for the next few days.

 

[FeldmansFish]

tank is cycled,Water parameters are fine. I added 2 tablespoons of salt after i dissolved it as a preventative to ich (That's what the instructions said to do)
The acclimation is probably the problem. Thanks for the help!

 

[Fishy monkey]

tank is cycled,Water parameters are fine. I added 2 tablespoons of salt after i dissolved it as a preventative to ich (That's what the instructions said to do)
The acclimation is probably the problem. Thanks for the help!

How did you cycle the tank?

 

[shellieca]

How did you cycle the tank?

+1. Also how long has it been set up? It's unusual not to have nitrates, do you have a lot of plants? What test kit are you using, strips or liquid?

 

[FeldmansFish]

Fish less cycling , no plants, started cycling about 1 month ago. I have no idea how the nitrates are like that I use the API master freshwater testing kit

 

[Fishy monkey]

Fish less cycling , no plants, started cycling about 1 month ago. I have no idea how the nitrates are like that I use the API master freshwater testing kit

What did you use to cycle it? Pure ammonia or another source? It does seem very odd for the tank to be cycled but with no ammonia.

 

[Fishy monkey]

What did you use to cycle it? Pure ammonia or another source? It does seem very odd for the tank to be cycled but with no ammonia.

Nitrates I mean, can't edit for some reason!

 

[Quest84]

where they swimming upside down and sideways looking all disoreinted? sounds to me like swim bladder. did it look like this?

Tiger barb swim bladder infection - YouTube

if so check the nitrate levels in the tank, and cut back on feeding. You might be over feeding these guys. I have had them same problem in the past with tiger barbs.

also you can try feeding them shelled peas

 

[GNarnian]

Fish less cycling , no plants, started cycling about 1 month ago. I have no idea how the nitrates are like that I use the API master freshwater testing kit

When you use the API kit, you really need need to bang the two bottles pretty good to mix up the chemicals inside. They can settle and cause inaccurate readings. So smack the bottles together a few times while shaking them before you mix them together. That should help get a real reading.

 

[Quest84]

also what fish monkey said...a cycled tank will show some sort of nitrates

 

[ejaramillo01]

IME maybe the problem could be:
1.- You added too many fish at once, this created a mini cycle in the tank. But to confirm or discard this theory, you need to measure your water parameters again.
2.- Because the fish are dying too fast after purchase, the water in your tank is too much different to the water at the lfs where you got them. Could be a way different ph or the salt that you added. To me, sounds that the salt will be the reason, the fish maybe never had salt before, and suddenly are exposed to water with salt. Now in reality also salt at the proper level should not kill your fish either, so is strange.
3.- You had a bad batch of fish at you lfs. Which also happens.

Maybe my post will help.

 

[librarygirl]

I agree, probably too short an acclimation period. I'd also stop adding the salt.

 

[FeldmansFish]

Fishmonkey: I Used pure ammonia
Quest84: The tiger barbs behavoir resembled that except they were not acting that extreme.
I tested my water again ammonia is at .25, pH still 7.4 and 0's for nitrates and nitrites.
Doing a water change (50%)

 

[Christopherlh84]

Sounds like your going through a mini cycle. The salt isn't hurting anything I work a a lfs and we have salt in the system with barbs. Also you said this happen after feeding bloodworms right?

 

[FeldmansFish]

Yea this was after the bloodworms

 

[Quest84]

its possible you just over fed them, I did the same thing when i had my tigers