Second fish about to die!!!

[Justme68]

Hi All,
Hoping for some answers....here's a little background info. Started tank cycle 1-14-12 and did a fish less cycle. After i FINALLY cycled i Added 4 spotted cories on 3-2-12. Then added 3 Von Rio tetra and 3 black phantom tetra on 3-10-12 and two weeks later added 3 more of each tetra. Everything has been going good since then. I do 80-90% water change bi-weekly. About two weeks ago I noticed a Von Rio swimming funny, looked like he was laying on his side trying to swim. He never got more then an inch or so off the substrate. His gills didn't look like he was struggling and his body looked fine. Needless to say the poor little guy didn't make it. I woke up yesterday and now I have another Von Rio doing the same thing. My water is testing (consistently) at ammo 0, nitrites 0, nitrates slightly over 10ppm (hard to differentiate) and ph 7.6. Any suggestions? I'm getting discouraged oh, the temp is between 77-78 degrees. Thanks in advance

 

[Justme68]

Also, its a 29 gallon tank and I feed Omega One tropical fish freshwater flakes every other day and give algae wafers twice a week for the cories

 

[bigbanker]

So just to clarify you've got a few tetras and cory cats in the tank?

Have you done any cleaning or anything around the tank?

 

[Justme68]

Yep, 6 Von Rio ( now about to be 4), 6 black phantom and 3 cory cats. I've dusted but just with a feather duster. I've glass cleaned the outside but I spray the towel and then clean the glass

 

[Justme68]

Yep, 6 Von Rio ( now about to be 4), 6 black phantom and 3 cory cats. I've dusted but just with a feather duster. I've glass cleaned the outside but I spray the towel and then clean the glass

Anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[jlbfish]

I am not sure it matters but I think it is a problem for me. Someone can correct me if I am completely off base. Where does your water come from that you refill with? 80-90% (IMHO) is a lot of water changes. I do 50% weekly.

So my tank runs about an 8.2 and my tap tests at a 7.4 at them moment (before gassing off) but am starting to think that I have lost fish because of a pH swing during water changes. It might be something to look into.

Have the fish shown any symptoms or signs of illness?

I assume you are using a dechlorinator?

Anything new added to the tank between the stocking and the deaths?

Are you using any other chemicals in the water? Or do the fish die soon after a water change?

Here are the symptoms of pH shock:
Fish will become lethargic, they stop eating, their dorsal fin drops and they remain relatively motionless or rest on the substrate. Some may produce excess slime on their bodies giving a off colour or off-white look to their bodies. More easily seen if the fish is dark in colour.
Within a few days if the pH shock continues then the fish will usually die.

 

[Justme68]

Hmmm, maybe that's it. I added one silk plant but I rinsed it very good first. I added that after the first death and before the second got so bad. I haven't seen any sings of anything. The 6 Von Rio's are/were always active and usually stayed pretty close together. The only different thing I can think of is that I had extra filter media and about a month ago was the first time that I rinsed it but I rinsed in my dirty tank water. Maybe try smaller water changes huh? That would be a lot easier seeing as I have to lug a bucket back and forth!

 

[Justme68]

Oh and yes, I use sea hem prime for dechlorinator and my water is from the city.

 

[Bbarb27]

I agree that a 50% water change should be just fine, especially since your nitrates don't seem to be abundantly high. I do 30% changes twice per week or a 50% change once per week, depending on nitrate levels.

While in theory temperature matched, conditioned water changes shouldn't harm fish, 90% water changes on a regular basis seems excessive and might be the cause of your issues.

I hope you don't lose anymore fish!

 

[Justme68]

Thanks so much guys!!!! I'll try backing off on such big water changes and hopefully that helps. I don't want to lose anymore fish either

 

[Justme68]

Well I'm down 3 fish now! I lost a black phantom this morning. If it is a ph shock does that mean all my fish will die? Not sure what to do

 

[jlbfish]

Are you losing them around a water change?
Do you know your tank and tap pH?

Any other signs of illness?

 

[Justme68]

Hi jlb, it seems to be a few days to a week after a water change. My ph has always read just a little bluer then 7.6 even right out of the tap and I tested yesterday and it was just a LITTLE darker then normal. I'm not seeing any signs of any type of body change just looks like they start having a hard time swimming and it goes downhill from there

 

[jlbfish]

Have you checked for velvet or think it could be gill flukes or another parasite?

I doubt pH during water changes are your problem. They were for me. I was changin the pH significantly during water changes and it was Only the wild caught fish that were having a problem. Well so far anyway.

But you could be having pH swings in your tank. When you say the results are always dark blue it sounds like the API test for pH. Do you use the High pH test? If the low reads 7.6 off the bat you should do a high pH test to know its value.

You need to know your tank pH and your true pH of your Tap. Or True pH you have to let the water sit open for 24hrs using an air stone or periodically stirring.

 

[Justme68]

Yes it's an API test kit and just the regular not high ph. I have let a glass set out for 24 hrs with stirring and it's still 7.6 I'll do a high ph test now. Thanks!

 

[Justme68]

Ok I just tested and on the high ph it kinda resembled the 8.2 (slightly lighter) I'm just wondering why after 7 months I'm having problems out of nowhere I've not tested for anything else. I don't even know what velvet is.....sorry. Still a newbie I guess

 

[jlbfish]

Do they look like they are covered in spots or have any cottony growths?

Look up columnaris/ICH and parasites.

You also should post in the unhealthy fish board they have some really knowledgeable people that can probably help more than me.

I'll try to post some links for you later when I get home.

I would think that if it is your tank you would be seeing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate high and/or pH swinging.

Good luck! Sorry for your losses

Jana

 

[Justme68]

No spots, no fuzz, nothing! Everyone looks good today so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks for your help, I'll take any advice and gladly check back to look at those links. I appreciate it!

 

[jlbfish]

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Common-Freshwater-Fish-Diseases/13/

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/fish_palace/tropicalfish_disease_identification.html

Can you tell if you have lost any of your original stock or only the most recent?

 

[Justme68]

Thanks, I'm gonna read the links. The losses are original stock! That's why I'm stumped, haven't lost a fish all this time and now 3 are gone