so, when i started my tank in may, i knew i wanted a pair of bangaii cardinals.
the bf wanted a firefish, so we got that first in june. i figured i should get any other peaceful fish i may want before adding 'semi-aggressive' cardinals, so i got a tank-bred ocellaris clown in july.
in august, i got one bangaii from one lfs (only one left) and one from a different lfs the next day. they each died three days after purchase in the 10g qt. the pH was out of control. i hadn't checked it with the other parameter checks at first because, since may, the pH hasn't strayed at all. so, that was a terrible mistake on my part and i felt awful.
since, i've been diligent in checking water parameters and haven't subjected any fish to less than ideal water.
i got another pair of bangaiis in september that died about a week after purchase. one of the fish may have been beat up by the other, but two days later, the other one died, too. after that, i drained the tank and cleaned it with some vinegar.
last monday, i bought another pair. one died friday, the other died yesterday.
of all 6, i only witnessed one eat (wouldn't eat frozen mix of shrimp, garlic, and nori that the dt gets regularly,but it finally ate a live bloodworm), so 2-3 of the fish very well may have died from starvation (i know, i know, i should've requested to see them eat at the lfs).
i have a last ditch effort in mind before completely giving up on having bangaiis.
i plan to empty the qt and clean it with bleach before purchasing a pair of tank-bred cardinals from dr.s foster & smith.
the bleach would be precautionary, just in case the fish that have died were sick, even though i doubt it. and i figure buying tank-bred is not only better for the species at large, but they've ONLY eaten in captivity, so feeding wouldn't be such an issue (my tank-bred clown eats from my hand) and i'd have a better chance at keeping some healthy, happy fish.
so my question: is it time i finally stop torturing this kind of fish? or does my final attempt sound alright?
the bf wanted a firefish, so we got that first in june. i figured i should get any other peaceful fish i may want before adding 'semi-aggressive' cardinals, so i got a tank-bred ocellaris clown in july.
in august, i got one bangaii from one lfs (only one left) and one from a different lfs the next day. they each died three days after purchase in the 10g qt. the pH was out of control. i hadn't checked it with the other parameter checks at first because, since may, the pH hasn't strayed at all. so, that was a terrible mistake on my part and i felt awful.
since, i've been diligent in checking water parameters and haven't subjected any fish to less than ideal water.
i got another pair of bangaiis in september that died about a week after purchase. one of the fish may have been beat up by the other, but two days later, the other one died, too. after that, i drained the tank and cleaned it with some vinegar.
last monday, i bought another pair. one died friday, the other died yesterday.
of all 6, i only witnessed one eat (wouldn't eat frozen mix of shrimp, garlic, and nori that the dt gets regularly,but it finally ate a live bloodworm), so 2-3 of the fish very well may have died from starvation (i know, i know, i should've requested to see them eat at the lfs).
i have a last ditch effort in mind before completely giving up on having bangaiis.
i plan to empty the qt and clean it with bleach before purchasing a pair of tank-bred cardinals from dr.s foster & smith.
the bleach would be precautionary, just in case the fish that have died were sick, even though i doubt it. and i figure buying tank-bred is not only better for the species at large, but they've ONLY eaten in captivity, so feeding wouldn't be such an issue (my tank-bred clown eats from my hand) and i'd have a better chance at keeping some healthy, happy fish.
so my question: is it time i finally stop torturing this kind of fish? or does my final attempt sound alright?
