Big C
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hi, I'm new to this forum business. My daughter signed me up, after seeing my frustration with the 30g tank she gave me for my birthday last April . After several months of trial and error I finally got it going with 12 happy fish. Someone convinced me to change the plastic plants for real ones. Did that with the advise of the local aquarium last friday and now I have half the fish and all the others are not eating at all.
Last night my clown loach (Big C) died and it made me really sad. It was the oldest fish I had (8 months!). The only advise I've heard so far is "let them be. They'll come around". I'm just watching them die!
Don't have a test kit, but took samples of water on Saturday and Monday to the aquarium. On Saturday they told me that the nitrates were slightly high and that may be the new gravel they sold to me had some toxins (!). And to do a WC of 40%. I did. On Monday water quality was good. I changed 10% yesterday again, just to remove the food lying on the bottom of the tank.
I have left: 1 denison barb, swimming around but not eating. Two gouramis, one very letargic, the other one sort of eating. One pleco, who will die on me anytime because, he is in a total hungry and swim strike. And two little marigolds (I think that is the right name). Only one of this little marigolds, have a couple of white spots on the top part of the body. Look like fungus. But the other fish are only letargic. I also have 4 ghost shrimp that we bought with the plants, last friday.
The clown loach was only a little whitish, other than that he looked fine.
The water is sort of cloudy, but it's been like that for a few months, and no water change or scrubbing can get the cloudiness out.
Because the first casualties were immediately after the changes (8-10 hs after) I think it has something to do with the gravel. I washed it for 10-15 minutes under running water before adding it on top of the old gravel.
I thought of changing it all again. I know that more changes would probably cause more stress, but it looks like they will all die anyway.
I hope you guys understand how sad I feel. My family thinks: "It's only fish!!"
Thank you!
Last night my clown loach (Big C) died and it made me really sad. It was the oldest fish I had (8 months!). The only advise I've heard so far is "let them be. They'll come around". I'm just watching them die!
Don't have a test kit, but took samples of water on Saturday and Monday to the aquarium. On Saturday they told me that the nitrates were slightly high and that may be the new gravel they sold to me had some toxins (!). And to do a WC of 40%. I did. On Monday water quality was good. I changed 10% yesterday again, just to remove the food lying on the bottom of the tank.
I have left: 1 denison barb, swimming around but not eating. Two gouramis, one very letargic, the other one sort of eating. One pleco, who will die on me anytime because, he is in a total hungry and swim strike. And two little marigolds (I think that is the right name). Only one of this little marigolds, have a couple of white spots on the top part of the body. Look like fungus. But the other fish are only letargic. I also have 4 ghost shrimp that we bought with the plants, last friday.
The clown loach was only a little whitish, other than that he looked fine.
The water is sort of cloudy, but it's been like that for a few months, and no water change or scrubbing can get the cloudiness out.
Because the first casualties were immediately after the changes (8-10 hs after) I think it has something to do with the gravel. I washed it for 10-15 minutes under running water before adding it on top of the old gravel.
I thought of changing it all again. I know that more changes would probably cause more stress, but it looks like they will all die anyway.
I hope you guys understand how sad I feel. My family thinks: "It's only fish!!"
Thank you!