Tank slowly dying

[caniac22]

Alright guys I'm new to the forums here. I've been browsing a lot of this site recently taking advice. I'm new to the fish scene and have had an aquarium for about a month and a half now, and now I'm in big doo doo. I originally started my 15 gallon tank with no fish and let the temp set and filter cycle empty and then around 3 days later I purchased 3 Boesemani Rainbows to start with. I originally received them from Petco and the staff there where pretty friendly with advice. They told me to do water changes around every 2 weeks and wait a month before adding any new fish so I did. Everything was fine until a month passed and I wanted new fish. So to complete my collection I picked up a rubber lip pleco and a rainbow shark from Petsmart.

At the same time my mom picked up another pleco for her tank and we were pretty happy. Well then 2 days later I noticed my moms fish looking pretty bad and they had white spots. I immediately went to petco to get the water tested and find out what was up. Well the tank got ich so the rep told us to crank up the water temp gradually to 83 degrees and also put salt in the water and do water changes. Well it scared me so I was frantically watching my fish for signs and what do you know a day later the spots where present so I felt pretty good starting the treatment early. So I go to bed wake up my moms fish are all dead and one of mine is hovering at the top gasping for air. I immediately lowered the water level to create a little more aeration in the tank. The boesemani eventually died the next morning.

So then I frantically get my water tested to make sure everything is good with my tank and the Petco rep says my water is a little high in nitrate and ammonia so he showed me a product that would help. I also did another water change and added a little more salt and also the product. I'm now feeling a little better but today I wake up and another fish is gasping and then a few hours passed and another boesemani is gone. I immediately did another water change and I'm going to test it here soon to see if I need to add more of the nitrate product.

The spoors are still present on the last boesemani but there aren't as many. The algae eater has some spots but he looks to be doing fine. The rainbow shark hasn't had any spores at all.


What can I do to ensure my little guys are going to make it. I'm broke so if there are any home remedies that would work I would love to know. I know that's a lot of information but I want to provide you guys with as much info as possible.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Well that was a lovely read.

Let's break it down:

Tanks take a while to cycle and yours likely never finished.

Whether it seems like it or not, a 15 gallon tank is quite small. Boesemani rainbows can get to 6 inches and need at least a 4ft 55g tank to thrive in. No pleco species IMO is suitable for this size tank except MAYBE a clown pleco. Rainbow shark does not belong in this tank at all, a 40g minimum IMO.

As for the white spots. Your looking at a common case of Ich. This happens a lot when fish are thrown into an unsuitable or uncycled tank.

Don't add aquarium salt. It's not good for pleco's as they are generally considered scaleless. Slowly turn the temp up to 86. This will greatly increase the life cycle of Ich and help it go away faster. This method is free and generally safer than medicating the tank. Make sure to do daily water changes and vacuuming. Ich free floats in the water so vacuuming helps remove the floaters faster.

The gasping is because their is not enough tank aeration. The higher the temperature gets the more oxygenation your water will need. Air stones do great work at helping this.


Caleb

 

[caniac22]

Thanks. After reading on this forum about the fish I have I realized that down the road I will be moving them into a bigger tank. Petco and Petsmart play by the inch per gallon rule and after reading through a lot it's simply untrue.

 

[PassengerTN]

83° is not enough. Take it to 86-87°. Temperature doesn't kill ich, it only speeds up the life cycle dramatically. Once the spores have fallen off the fish they are in the water column and substrate awaiting a new host. Keep the heat up for at least a week, I wouldn't add any more salt, it can be harmful to sensitive scaleless fish like your pleco and shark. Ich is common and easily treated with only heat (usually).

When they tested your water, what did they say the parameters were? Also what product did he sell you? Its good that you're getting nitrates, but ammonia can be toxic in high levels (4ppm+) if it isn't quickly converted. Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle in a fish tank? If not, you should familiarize yourself with it, and soak it in your brain as it is vital information.

Jesse

 

[caniac22]

The guy who tested the water was a total tool. I've dealt with plenty of petco associates who are extremely nice and are somewhat knowledgable but this guy acted like I was a waste of his time. He tested it and said "Oh ammonia and nitrate are high." I replied so how do I get it down. He told me the product and didn't even take me to it. It's called Microbe-lift nite out II

 

[ImACoolguy]

The guy who tested the water was a total tool. I've dealt with plenty of petco associates who are extremely nice and are somewhat knowledgable but this guy acted like I was a waste of his time. He tested it and said "Oh ammonia and nitrate are high." I replied so how do I get it down. He told me the product and didn't even take me to it. It's called Microbe-lift nite out II

Don't waste money on chemicals. Just do daily water changes and I would recommend a liquid test kit you can use at home


Caleb

 

[PassengerTN]

If you're showing nitrates then you're at the end of the cycle. 83* shouldn't cause gasping for air. You can lower the water level so your filter cascades down and creates additional surface agitation to find out. Like Caleb said buy yourself an API freshwater master test kit and learn to test your water yourself or find a locally owned fish store that will be kind enough to do a liquid test for you. Ammonia poisoning will cause fish to gasp at the surface as well. Do/did you notice any redness on the gill area?


Jesse

 

[ImACoolguy]

If you're showing nitrates then you're at the end of the cycle. 83* shouldn't cause gasping for air. You can lower the water level so your filter cascades down and creates additional surface agitation to find out. Like Caleb said buy yourself an API freshwater master test kit and learn to test your water yourself or find a locally owned fish store that will be kind enough to do a liquid test for you. Ammonia poisoning will cause fish to gasp at the surface as well. Do/did you notice any redness on the gill area?


Jesse

Good point Jesse, ammonia poisoning completely slipped my mind.


Caleb