Advice for Rasboras

[syhko]

Basically I got some rasboras yesterday for a nano tank, pearl/celestial rasboras. I got 5 of them for my shrimp tank. I acclimated them correctly, and this tank is established.

The next day I find 2 dead and the remaining 3 are fine. Nobody showed signs of stress either. I think they just recently died because the shrimp would have eaten them. Perhaps it was too much stress for them. I have an image attached.

I did a water change 2 days before we got them.

pH 6.5 but I don’t think this is true, 80-120 alkalinity, it says 0 hardness but the tank is fully planted and has some tannins in there, no signs of nitrite, showing 20 nitrate right now- usually shows 0. The temp stays consistently at 76-78. (This test kit is really cheap and has been pretty inaccurate. Before we got this one, and we had the old one, pH was at 7.5)

Please keep in mind that the shrimp in this tank are thriving and always are thriving, they have successful molts and constantly breed. However, every time we have tried any sort of nano fish it hasn’t worked out well. We tried exclamation rasboras and found them stuck in plants, so we spread the plants out, and now the next day after getting these pearl/celestial ones.. two die.

You know how it goes when you get fish from Petco, they are always going to have an issue. I cannot afford a quarantine tank yet, but it’s unfortunate that these nano fish aren’t thriving like the shrimp are. Any idea what is wrong? Or is it another situation where they could have been sold to us sick or having a bacterial infection?

EDIT: 2 more died. Tested my water at Petco and everything was good. Not sure what’s happening but returning the rest.

 

[Andy Sager]

The first issue is where you are getting your fish from. There is a history of poorer quality. The next issue is that if you are using a poor test kit that has proven inaccurate, you can't trust their readings. You are better off investing in a good test kit than more fish. Issue #3, you needed to know the readings the day you added the new fish. Doing a water change days ago does not mean your water parameters were safe for the fish on the day you added them. Issue #4, Are you sure your water parameters will fit the new fish? From what I've been reading ( since I don't have personal experience keeping these fish) is that they do not do well in your temps. They should be in the lower 70s not going past 75. Issue #5, because of where you got the fish from, not using quarantine does not help differentiate that the fish themselves were the problem from the tank ( size and parameters) or acclimation process being the problem.
For now, I would not add anymore fish until you get a more reliable test kit and if your only option for fish is the Petco, you set up a quarantine tank for observation of any new fish. If you are only using nano fish, the tank does not need to be any larger than a 5 gallon tank ( although a 10 gallon can be had for less money. )

With all that said, it's not unusual for fish or inverts that have been in a tank for a long time do fine when new additions do not. It's because they have gone through the gradual degradation of the water quality. The new stock is going from their water quality to yours and the shock can be too much. You also need to know what the water parameters are that the fish are coming from so you acclimate them properly. Not everything can survive a cut and dump acclimation or a bag acclimation. Major differences in water requires drip acclimation. What sized tank is this shrimp tank? The 3 gallon? If so, it's too small for Galaxy Rasboras. Even a 5 gallon tank ( 16"l x8"w x 10"H ) is the minimum recommended for Chili Rasboras and they are smaller. So just because the fish are small does not mean they will do well in mini tanks. You may have to be happy with no fish in with your shrimp.

 

[syhko]

The first issue is where you are getting your fish from. There is a history of poorer quality. The next issue is that if you are using a poor test kit that has proven inaccurate, you can't trust their readings. You are better off investing in a good test kit than more fish. Issue #3, you needed to know the readings the day you added the new fish. Doing a water change days ago does not mean your water parameters were safe for the fish on the day you added them. Issue #4, Are you sure your water parameters will fit the new fish? From what I've been reading ( since I don't have personal experience keeping these fish) is that they do not do well in your temps. They should be in the lower 70s not going past 75. Issue #5, because of where you got the fish from, not using quarantine does not help differentiate that the fish themselves were the problem from the tank ( size and parameters) or acclimation process being the problem.
For now, I would not add anymore fish until you get a more reliable test kit and if your only option for fish is the Petco, you set up a quarantine tank for observation of any new fish. If you are only using nano fish, the tank does not need to be any larger than a 5 gallon tank ( although a 10 gallon can be had for less money. )

With all that said, it's not unusual for fish or inverts that have been in a tank for a long time do fine when new additions do not. It's because they have gone through the gradual degradation of the water quality. The new stock is going from their water quality to yours and the shock can be too much. You also need to know what the water parameters are that the fish are coming from so you acclimate them properly. Not everything can survive a cut and dump acclimation or a bag acclimation. Major differences in water requires drip acclimation. What sized tank is this shrimp tank? The 3 gallon? If so, it's too small for Galaxy Rasboras. Even a 5 gallon tank ( 16"l x8"w x 10"H ) is the minimum recommended for Chili Rasboras and they are smaller. So just because the fish are small does not mean they will do well in mini tanks. You may have to be happy with no fish in with your shrimp.

Agreed! Went back and got a full refund. Not doing anymore for that. The water quality was so poor and the lady there actually admitted that she has had so many of them die from there. It would have been nice to know that. This is a 10 gallon though, it’s established but it’s so crazy how they prefer crap water. I did test before we added and it came the same but no nitrates. We also did drip acclimation. It is what it is, keeping it a shrimp only tank for now.

 

[Andy Sager]

Agreed! Went back and got a full refund. Not doing anymore for that. The water quality was so poor and the lady there actually admitted that she has had so many of them die from there. It would have been nice to know that. This is a 10 gallon though, it’s established but it’s so crazy how they prefer crap water. I did test before we added and it came the same but no nitrates. We also did drip acclimation. It is what it is, keeping it a shrimp only tank for now.

It should also tell you how important it is to use a quarantine tank before adding anything to an established running aquarium. You could expose your healthy stock to some pathogen that just takes over. It sounds like your fish were doomed before you ever got them.

Which is it that " prefers crap water"? Fish come from all over the world and water is not the same all over the world. From the soft waters of Asia to the hard waters of Africa to the mixed waters of Africa, Central & South America and the US. One fish's crap water is another's perfect water. Fish from soft water do poorly in hard water. The reverse is the same only not as drastic. Some fish need cooler water while others need hot in order to do well in an aquarium. It's easiest to collect fish that prefer your water when you don't need to alter it. Others spend a lifetime constantly adding this or removing that all because they wanted a certain specie that doesn't like their water. The choice is yours.

 

[syhko]

It should also tell you how important it is to use a quarantine tank before adding anything to an established running aquarium. You could expose your healthy stock to some pathogen that just takes over. It sounds like your fish were doomed before you ever got them.

Which is it that " prefers crap water"? Fish come from all over the world and water is not the same all over the world. From the soft waters of Asia to the hard waters of Africa to the mixed waters of Africa, Central & South America and the US. One fish's crap water is another's perfect water. Fish from soft water do poorly in hard water. The reverse is the same only not as drastic. Some fish need cooler water while others need hot in order to do well in an aquarium. It's easiest to collect fish that prefer your water when you don't need to alter it. Others spend a lifetime constantly adding this or removing that all because they wanted a certain specie that doesn't like their water. The choice is yours.

Whenever I get fish I always try to mimic their water qualities and such. I meant crap water like Petco water. They don’t wild catch their fish from what the employee told me, she told me they breed them.. and are often interbred. But yeah I have a breeder I have been seeing but their options aren’t huge since it is a small family run shop. They are also renovating for a month so I am still waiting. I can order fish in too which they may be better. I’ll try. And is there any suggestions for a quarantine tank? What should I add to the tank? What should I focus on? etc.

 

[Andy Sager]

Whenever I get fish I always try to mimic their water qualities and such. I meant crap water like Petco water. They don’t wild catch their fish from what the employee told me, she told me they breed them.. and are often interbred. But yeah I have a breeder I have been seeing but their options aren’t huge since it is a small family run shop. They are also renovating for a month so I am still waiting. I can order fish in too which they may be better. I’ll try. And is there any suggestions for a quarantine tank? What should I add to the tank? What should I focus on? etc.

A quarantine tank is just a miniature version of your main tank. It should be cycled, have the same water parameters of your main tank, lit for the same hours your main tank is, water changed on the same schedule you do the main tank, fed with the same foods you feed your main tank so that the fish has a chance to acclimate to your schedules while not stressed by the other fish in your main tank. Should your fish get sick in this quarantine tank, depending on what the problem is, some things can be treated in the quarantine tank while others will need to be treated in a bare aquarium or container as the medications necessary for treatment can suppress or kill off the bacteria bed. I highly recommend getting a copy of this book ( https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/handbook-fish-diseases/author/dieter-untergasser/ ) available in a number of outlets, i.e. Ebay, Abe books, Amazon as it has an excellent diagnosis flow chart to determine what may be effecting your fish. Be aware that since this is an older book, some of the medications recommended in it are no longer available but the diagnostic portion of the book alone is worth the price of the book. Once you know what you are treating, you can find the medication available today to treat it.

As for the "crap water", I have to disagree with you on this. It's not their water that is crap. Most times it's the fish they get or the care they get at the stores that's the problem, not the water. Depending on the farms they get their fish from, the fish can be raised in medicated waters or persistently treated to avoid diseases from overcrowding or poor handling. Once the fish leaves that medicated water, it can become subject to diseases which will be needed to treat by the consumer. In your recent case with the CPDs, you placed the fish in water that had 1 part that was not good for the fish ( Temp ). Would that have made a difference? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know now but it's something to keep in mind. I highly recommend using this site ( seriouslyfish.com) as one of your sites for information on caring for a particular fish specie. In the case with the CPDs, I found information that said that while it can handle temps of 78 degrees, that is only for short periods of time and not consistently. So if your tank is a constant 76-78 degrees, these were not the right fish for your tank.
So the bottom line is that just because it has fins and swims in water, does not mean it can go in any aquarium. It's up to the aquarist to do their research before obtaining a new fishy friend.

 

[syhko]

A quarantine tank is just a miniature version of your main tank. It should be cycled, have the same water parameters of your main tank, lit for the same hours your main tank is, water changed on the same schedule you do the main tank, fed with the same foods you feed your main tank so that the fish has a chance to acclimate to your schedules while not stressed by the other fish in your main tank. Should your fish get sick in this quarantine tank, depending on what the problem is, some things can be treated in the quarantine tank while others will need to be treated in a bare aquarium or container as the medications necessary for treatment can suppress or kill off the bacteria bed. I highly recommend getting a copy of this book ( https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/handbook-fish-diseases/author/dieter-untergasser/ ) available in a number of outlets, i.e. Ebay, Abe books, Amazon as it has an excellent diagnosis flow chart to determine what may be effecting your fish. Be aware that since this is an older book, some of the medications recommended in it are no longer available but the diagnostic portion of the book alone is worth the price of the book. Once you know what you are treating, you can find the medication available today to treat it.

As for the "crap water", I have to disagree with you on this. It's not their water that is crap. Most times it's the fish they get or the care they get at the stores that's the problem, not the water. Depending on the farms they get their fish from, the fish can be raised in medicated waters or persistently treated to avoid diseases from overcrowding or poor handling. Once the fish leaves that medicated water, it can become subject to diseases which will be needed to treat by the consumer. In your recent case with the CPDs, you placed the fish in water that had 1 part that was not good for the fish ( Temp ). Would that have made a difference? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know now but it's something to keep in mind. I highly recommend using this site ( seriouslyfish.com) as one of your sites for information on caring for a particular fish specie. In the case with the CPDs, I found information that said that while it can handle temps of 78 degrees, that is only for short periods of time and not consistently. So if your tank is a constant 76-78 degrees, these were not the right fish for your tank.
So the bottom line is that just because it has fins and swims in water, does not mean it can go in any aquarium. It's up to the aquarist to do their research before obtaining a new fishy friend.

And I do agree. Sometimes some fish have a hard time adjusting. You’re right about that though, it can be the fish in the water but they can do better maintenance.. although it is understandable that they have a bunch of fish. I did my research before but it’s more on a personal level when the lady told me that keeping rasboras alive is finnicky and it works for some and not others. I plan to buy the book. Thanks for the help! ?

 

[Andy Sager]

 

[AlbanyFishGuy]

Whenever I get fish I always try to mimic their water qualities and such. I meant crap water like Petco water. They don’t wild catch their fish from what the employee told me, she told me they breed them.. and are often interbred. But yeah I have a breeder I have been seeing but their options aren’t huge since it is a small family run shop. They are also renovating for a month so I am still waiting. I can order fish in too which they may be better. I’ll try. And is there any suggestions for a quarantine tank? What should I add to the tank? What should I focus on? etc.

Check out aquarium co op quarantine med trio on youtube. Its what i always do and have never had any new deaths. It treats the fish effectively using three meds that can be used simultaneously against bacteria, fungus and parasitic. There is a procedure and some tweaks in dosage so def check out the video. This way even a seemingly healthy new fish doesnt bring anything to the tank that can lead to much bigger problems. Hope it helps!