Why are my fish dieing

[oneoffcustom]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking the time to read this, i am in dire need of help. I have a 36 gallon bow front with a variety of cichlids. My fish are juveniles to small cichlids. I have some zebras, pea cocks, aratesus, and green terrors. I have recently been getting into variouse types of pea-cocks, but for some reason they are all dieing on me. I did a 50% water change on my tank but i dont think thats the problem. The pea-cocks are grouping at the top of the tank, and keep their fins close to body. They seem to start out fine then go to the top then in a couple of days die. I have lost two albino ureakas, and about to lose another pea-cock. I am sick over this due to the amount i have paid and love for the fish. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[oneoffcustom]

i should have gave some tank info. in my tank i have 0 real plants only fake ones since cichlids tear them to shreds. i have alot of rock that provides good cover.

 

[mom2reds]

How long has your tank been set up and is it cycled? What are the water parameters and how often do you do partial water changes?

 

[oneoffcustom]

i am very new to this, so i dont completely understand. i have only had the tank about 3 weeks. the first week it ran with nothing in it. slowli i introduced some zebras. i have not tested the water yet but after reading a few posts i see thats a must, but i am curiouse as to why my other fish are thriving and doing great but only the pea-cocks are dieing. They start out fone then, they 1 at a time stayed at the top dull in color until they died. it seems like stress to me but im not sure ow to fix it

 

[fijiwigi]

I noticed this post under the Saltwater section? Have you tested your tank paramaters with a test kit?? if so what are the readings. And what is the temp of your tank. Also are you familar with the cycling process???? this info will greatly help eliminate some issues.

 

[oneoffcustom]

its fresh water i got lost on site, but no please give me any info you would give a newbie

 

[CatatonicBug]

Don't feel bad. I did almost the same thing. I had never heard of cycling before I found this site, and have learned so much from the people here.

You MUST get a liquid test kit (the API Master kit is a preferred one) ASAP. The ones with strips are not reliable. Test weekly, even when you think things have stabilized, just to be sure. There is an article here that decribes what happens in the water over time, as the cycle progresses.

I would suggest posting a complete list of your tank, filter, heater, lighting, substrate, water test results, and a list of the species/qty/size of your fish. That will allow the pros here to better help you.

You're in good hands here. Good luck, and welcome to AA!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Can a mod move this over to FW? Thanks!

 

[michealprater]

Whats up one off.

Sorry Nick, I told you the wrong forum.

I do not have my old mod powers so can someone help me out and move this to the Freshwater Unhealthy fish section?

 

[marchmaxima]

If the tank has only been up for 3 weeks (and has only had fish in it for 2), then it is unlikely that it has cycled and this is the most likely cause of the problem and your fish are stressed from high ammonia levels.

Cycling takes on average 4-6 weeks, but can be sped up if you have access to filter media from an established tank. I personally don't have experience with a product called Bio-Spira, but people here favour it to speed up the cycle.

As catatonicBug has said, it would be very helpful to post a complete set of water parameters ASAP. Please include ammonia, nitrite and nitrate along with PH.

Lastly, are you using a dechlorination product such as Prime.

 

[BillyZ]

The thread has been moved into FW - Unhealthy Fish. In the future, feel free to use the report feature when a thread for help needs to be moved to a more appropriate place.

 

[oneoffcustom]

Well i wnet today and boughtapi liquid drop test kit. I now see why patiance is a virtue in this hobby only sorry i had to lose several beautiful fish. My tank levels were as follows.

ph= 8.4
ammonia= .50
nitrite= 5.0
nitrate= about 6 0r 7

I am going to buy the products tonight, so any suggestions on brands or what i need would be awesome.

 

[mom2reds]

You want to try and keep your ammonia under .25 as much as possible, so I suggest doing a large pwc, You might try and take the fish back to a local fish shop or LFS.

This is a very common mistake it is almost a right of passage in the world of fish keeping unfortunatly.

People on this forum are very helpful and are a great resource. Good luck with your cycling process we will be here for you anytime.

 

[CatatonicBug]

I am going to buy the products tonight, so any suggestions on brands or what i need would be awesome.

Don't buy anything! The only thing you need to add to your water is a good dechlorinator like Prime when you do a PWC.

Remember that in an aquarium, "nothing good happens fast". I read that somewhere on this site, and I have to remind myself of that concept often.

Take your time, and test often. PWC's as needed to keep the parameters below toxic levels. Right now, your nitrites are really high. Reduce them with PWC's daily if needed. Too high, and nitrites can permanently harm your fish. Watch the levels, and pretty soon (after a few weeks), you'll be amazed how they just seem to drop and disappear.

 

[michealprater]

I am with catatonic. Items to rid your tank of ammonia are a waste of money. Your best off to do partial water changes and wait the cycle out. Patients my young cousin...

 

[marchmaxima]

When I started my first tank, it was three weeks into the tank when some of my fish died. I didn't even know I was supposed to have an ammonia testing kit back then, so I went to the fish shop and took some water with me because I was wondering if my PH test kit was faulty. They said I had high levels of ammonia and sold me a $27.00 "ammonia ball" and told me to drop it in the tank.

Worst advice ever. My tank was cycling, but because I was a total beginner and no one I knew had tanks, I had no body to ask except my LFS. I did whatever they said for me to do. This, of course created a cycle of bad events and the LFS shop said "try this", "try putting this in" - all to end in more dead fish and and a burning hole in my bank account.

Get the idea of needing to use additives out of your head. They are mostly harmful. A good dechlorinator is all you need. And keep up those PWCs to keep the nitrite/ammonia levels under 0.50.

And keep those questions coming! If you think you might need to add something to your tank because you have a problem, ask here before you do it.

good luck!

 

[neilanh]

Sorry, just seeing this thread.

While the 0.5ppm ammonia is bad, it's the 5.0ppm nitrite that's killing your fish.

IMO, you have 2 options at this point.

The first is to do water changes whenever your ammonia OR nitrIte levels get above 0.5ppm. This most likely means you'll be doing large (50-75%) water changes every day. Keeping those levels below 0.5ppm is critical in keeping the environment your fish are in below toxic levels.

The second option is, as mentioned before, bio-spira. It's not cheap, and it's handling requirements are critical. If the warehouse, the shipping agency, or the LFS you buy it from have not properly handled it, it will do you no good.

Until your cycle completes (ammonia and nitrIte return to 0ppm and stay there) you're going to need to test every day with your test kit, and do PWCs as necessary to keep ammonia and nitrite below toxic levels to sustain your fish.

Additionally, please do not add any more fish until your cycle completes. The more fish, the higher bioload, the faster your ammonia and nitrItes will go up making them harder to control. It takes a little time for your aquarium to catch up and make things a safe environment.

There's a link in my sig about the nitrogen cycle. If you haven't read it, I highly encourage you to, as it will explain what's going on in your aquarium.

 

[oneoffcustom]

there has been no more fish added, nor will there be until i get my tank under control. i also got rid of the cheap filter that came with the tank only filtering 200 gallons per hour with a bio cartridge they call it. I upgraded to a marineland 400, which happens to filter 400 gallons an hour with two bio wheels, 1 for each chamber. it also has a snorkel that filters from the middle, and another on the bottom. i have always heard there is no such thing as to much filter. I wonder though if this will drag my cycle out due to the bacteria needing to form in the filter? if so im not to worried about it cause i have gained the support of this site, and know it takes time. also the new filter i have has slots for like the ammonia reducing rock and stuff, should i use that? or is that another no no. i mean its just a preventative measure right?

 

[neilanh]

When you replaced the filter, did you move the old filter media into the new one? or are you running both?

Hopefully you did one of those things to not lose the bacteria colony you were starting to develop.

If not, not a huge deal, but it will mean you'll be pretty much starting your cycle over. There will be some bacteria clinging on the stuff in your tank, but most will thrive in your filter due to the high flow and higher O2 levels that are inherint in the filtration.

 

[marchmaxima]

also the new filter i have has slots for like the ammonia reducing rock and stuff, should i use that? or is that another no no. i mean its just a preventative measure right?

Forget it. As we have all said, only use a dechloronater. You need ammonia-eating bacteria. You need a little ammonia in your tank to breed these guys who will live in your filter, but you don't want too much ammonia or nitrITE building up in your tank because your fish will suffer. It's a balancing act.

Ammonia-eating bacteria produce NITRITE
The Nitrite-eating bacteria produce NITRATE.

You remove nitrATE via water changes.