JackSpadesSI
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have a 10-gallon tank that's been running for seven weeks now. It is fully cycled (with SeaChem Stability, initially). Sadly, that tank has killed a lot of fish in that time:
- 4 Neon Tetras: 3 due to New Tank Syndrome (I didn't know better) and 1 for reasons unknown.
- 2 Otos: I assume they starved, but I'm not sure. I offered zucchini and algae wafers, but they didn't try either.
- 1 Molly: He lost some scales on his back, then more scales on his back, and then he died. I assume he had some sort of disease.
- 1 Guppy: He was absolutely fine, and then he was dead. This one was the saddest because a) he had a name, and b) I didn't see it coming.
Also, I've lost ~9 guppy fry along the way but I rationalize that because some fry were bound to not make it.
Currently, my tank has:
- 2 Guppies, Adult
- 3 Neon Tetras
- 1 Oto
- 1 African Dwarf Frog
- 9 Guppies, Fry
I realize that this tank is overstocked with those guppy fry (6 weeks old) but I'll be moving them to a new tank on Saturday. I didn't plan on having them, so that's why the tank is so full (I returned their mom). I believe they're all female, so they shouldn't reproduce in that tank - I just hope they haven't already done anything with the adult males in the tank!
I've been doing weekly cleanings: 2-3x 50% water changes (new water is treated with Prime) while vacuuming up debris from the gravel. The filtration is in good working order. I sort of overfeed the fish, but only because the fry couldn't compete well for food unless there was an abundance.
That's a little over a 50% mortality rate. Am I incompetent? Am I doing something terribly wrong?
- 4 Neon Tetras: 3 due to New Tank Syndrome (I didn't know better) and 1 for reasons unknown.
- 2 Otos: I assume they starved, but I'm not sure. I offered zucchini and algae wafers, but they didn't try either.
- 1 Molly: He lost some scales on his back, then more scales on his back, and then he died. I assume he had some sort of disease.
- 1 Guppy: He was absolutely fine, and then he was dead. This one was the saddest because a) he had a name, and b) I didn't see it coming.
Also, I've lost ~9 guppy fry along the way but I rationalize that because some fry were bound to not make it.
Currently, my tank has:
- 2 Guppies, Adult
- 3 Neon Tetras
- 1 Oto
- 1 African Dwarf Frog
- 9 Guppies, Fry
I realize that this tank is overstocked with those guppy fry (6 weeks old) but I'll be moving them to a new tank on Saturday. I didn't plan on having them, so that's why the tank is so full (I returned their mom). I believe they're all female, so they shouldn't reproduce in that tank - I just hope they haven't already done anything with the adult males in the tank!
I've been doing weekly cleanings: 2-3x 50% water changes (new water is treated with Prime) while vacuuming up debris from the gravel. The filtration is in good working order. I sort of overfeed the fish, but only because the fry couldn't compete well for food unless there was an abundance.
That's a little over a 50% mortality rate. Am I incompetent? Am I doing something terribly wrong?