Lots of Drama - Could Just Use some Reassurance

[aquanewbie72]

Well, I've had this 26 gallon tank set up since 11/30.
SLowly over the first 2 months or so I lost countless Neons and 2 German Blue Rams.
Most likely victims of the cycle and an ich epidemic that I had.

Over the weekend, a red dwarf gourami that had a few battle wounds suddenly died.

Two days later, my other gourami has dropsy. (he is now in QT tank and going downhill fast)

In the meantime, I've got ich in my main tank AGAIN.

Lets add to this, that I tested my big tank last night cuz my moon platys were hiding and acting all sad and sick and my ammonia had creeped up. I grabbed the bucket and hose and did a PWC right away- as I'm pouring the water back in, I'm realizing that the filter system isn't really working - most of the water going into it is spilling into the overflow valve and going right back into the tank without getting filtered. I open the top of it and realize the back filter is SO clogged with CRUD (my filter system has 2 filters), that the water can't get through. *AARRRGGHHH* THe bad news is, the other filter was like that on Friday - so I replaced it too. So basically I've killed all the bacteria that was set up in my filter - but I didn't have a choice it was just so clogged up. Believe me- it was so bad they couldn't be rinsed and they were falling apart. (YES after just 2 months)

So the water is flowing through the filtration system properly again, but one of my platys died anyway- scooped him this morning. I don't think the other platy will make it through the day- he looked BAD this morning.

And don't even get me started on the brown algae that is covering EVERYTHING in the tank - I've already addressed that in other posts and in the chat room. LOL

It occurred to me that if I lose this last platy and the gourami, that means the Cory Catfish will be the only fish left out of my original group from when I got the tank. Everyone else is new and/or a replacement. Please tell me that in normal circumstances, fish live longer than 2 months.

I'm trying not to be frustrated and I'm not thinking about quitting or giving up or anything. I think I was just hoping for some people to say "Been there, done that - It will get better" to reassure me its not my fault. Or OK- if it IS my fault, I need to know that too.

Thanks for listening.

 

[YuccaPatrol]

You are only 2 months into this and it can take that long or longer for a tank to reach a healthy equilibrium.

The vast majority of my fish live a LONG time, and death is rare once you have been going for a while.

The bacteria in your filters recolonize new filter media very quickly. You have not lost them at all, but do check the filter media more often to keep it clean.

Keep a positive outlook. We lost a lot of fish in the first few months despite trying to do everything right, but now our fish do not die regularly at all.

 

[Jchillin]

You actually came to the right place. Here's a story that seems similar:

A tropical tank is set up. The LFS says "Let the tank run for a week, come back for fish". A combo of 2 bala sharks, 4 black skirt tetras and 3 angels were introduced. LFS says, "Ok, come back next week for more fish". 3 platies, 3 mollies and 4 green cories are added the following week. At the beginning of week 3, ich is discovered covering one of the sharks and one of the tetras. Medication is added, including heat. While at LFS buying the ich meds, was told "Sure, you can add more fish. They won't be affected because the meds are in the tank". So a common pleco and 3 oto's are added.

Within the week, all of the cories, mollies and cories are dead. A couple of days later, one shark goes...followed shortly by the other. By the way, the tank hasn't been cycled yet, what is this "cycle" anyway?

The above story belongs to yours truly. I found AA directly because of that disaster. So, don't despair, you will be fine.

 

[bosk1]

Hang in there! I set my tank up in early November. While I have not had quite the level of problems you have had, I am in my second round of ich. The first cost me 2 clown loaches and (I can only assume), my rubblerlip pleco. Shortly after the treatment was complete, I added 3 baby clown loaches. Within a week, I noticed some spots on two of the new fish (none of the others), and I promptly raised my temp again. By the time I got it up to 87, all 3 of the new loaches had ich cysts. Luckily, I caught it promptly enough that everybody seems to be doing very well. Nobody else has gotten it, and the three loaches are losing their spots and doing well. It's scary having things go wrong when you are so new into the hobby, but luckily, there is a lot of help out there.

 

[cornfedfishies]

I have a 29 gal tank and had many of the same problems. I found that by upgrading from the crappy HOB that came with the tank to the Penguin that I have now that my paramaters have balanced out quite well. I also increased the frequency of my PWC's to weekly instead of bi-weekly. Hang in there and good luck!

 

[aquanewbie72]

I have not had quite the level of problems you have had

Ya know I wondered if it was unusual for a newbie to kill a dozen fish, go through 2 rounds of ich, an incident of dropsy, lose a fish to fatally infected battle wounds, and a clogged filter that apparently poisoned 2 others.

It made me start thinking about something my hubby said - he told me I really need to step back from the tank because I am "loving it to death". Since the day I got it, I have journaled everything I did to it and every test kit reading. I stop and look in the tank every time I walk by and inventory everybody. Every free sample of water conditioner or cycle starter or whatever that came with the tank, I dumped it in. In the past 2 months I have at one time or another added: ich medicine (before I found out heat is the only cure), Melafix, StressZyme, and StressCoat- oh and that brown stuff thats supposed to clear the water up.

I have tried 5 different kinds of food because I was under the impression that the fish were bored with the flakes. My cabinet now has 2 different kinds of flakes, some crisps, some bottom dweller tablets, and freeze-dried bloodworms. And yes for a few days, I was throwing in a little bit of everything cuz I wanted to make sure everyone was eating something they like. I stopped that fast when I found worms floating hours after feeding and my water started to get cloudy and ammonia started to climb.

I have my arm in that tank at LEAST 3x per week scrubbing brown algae off the glass.

I have had 2 different backgrounds... and as for decorations, I started out with a shipwreck and a plastic bonsai tree - then at Christmas I added a couple plastic plants. Now they now gone and in January I added 2 caves, a plastic driftwood log, about 8 plastic plants, a little mermaid, 2 airstones.... then I realized the airstones were too close to the filter intake so I dug them up and moved them around. I have removed things, added things. I don't know- I guess I just want to keep the fish stimulated so they don't get bored.

But my husband says I am killing the tank with my kindness and I need to just leave it alone for a little while.
Do you agree?

 

[Jchillin]

Considering the amount of changes you made, I agree it is a lot but it wasn't due to you "killing with kindness", it was due to the fact the tank is not mature as yet. Changing decor during a cycle does deplete your colonies of beneficial bacteria (they colonize on everything in the tank, including the filter media). Taking it easy on the decor for awhile is not a bad idea.

Continue your other maintenance and testing...it will reap dividends in awhile.

 

[YuccaPatrol]

One mistake people make early on is believing that any problem can be solved with a bottle of chemicals from the pet store. The ONLY chemical I use is to dechlorinate the water when I do my water changes.

In the event I get ich, I raise the temperature and add normal table salt to a concentration of 2-3 tablespoons per gallon over several days.

Don't feel the fish very much, they won't starve, and just be patient and let your aquarium settle into a nice balanced equilibrium. It just takes time and patience. You'll get there!

 

[aquanewbie72]

Thanks Jchillin - In my eyes I was being a dedicated and diligent new tank owner - but I thought - hey maybe I'm like one of those moms that gives their child medicine and takes them to the doctor when they're not sick and sometimes it kills them - do you know what I mean- whats that called? Munchausens by Proxy Syndrome or whatever? LOL

OK I guess I'm happy with the decorations the way they are now. Of course, once my gourami either dies of his dropsy- or gets better - and I get him out of that 10 gal QT tank - well theres another brand new tank that needs to be cycled and I can start the fun ALL OVER AGAIN! woo HOO! Ya know I think I'm going to shoot for a fishless cycle on that one..... better read up on how to do that......