Gouramis and fish dying!

[justinegraham]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this site and this my first thread so i hope i get it right.
I have got a 30l biorb with
6 tetras
1 rummy nose tetra
2 phatoms
1 female neon swordtail
2 cherry barbs
2 bottom feeders
2 guppys
2 gouramis.

I have had my tank for about 3 months so i am still learning about the art of keeping fish.

Recently i had to replace 4 guppys as they all died within 3 days of getting them, i felt that the guy that sold them to me was a bit rough with them so i don't know if that had something to do with it.
Also i lost a phantom not long after that. I had the water checked which was ok just a little high on the nitrate.
Touchwood i haven't lost any in the last week.
2 of my neon tetras have big white growths on their mouths they don't seem bothered by it they are still swimming about and are still eating.
Wonder if anyone had any ideas?
Also i had a neon male sword tail that i had to get rid of because he seemed to be bullying the other fish especially the gouramis, but now the guppys are constately pecking at the gouramis they don't do it any of the others and none of the others peck at the gouramis. Any thoughts of why they would do this, i know that guppys can be annoying to other fish!
I do 20% water change everyweek and have recently changed the filter the water is sometimes cloudy after a water change is this normal?
Hope you can help.

 

[JAB]

TOO MANY FISH. Cut that crew in half (at least) and SLOW everything down to a crawl. STOP the construction project and just ENJOY the vibe. Sit down and let nature unfold. Most pet shops are only too happy to take free fish.

Wait ANOTHER 3 months before you add anymore fish. 10 max.

 

[Jason7894561230]

I disagree with everything that JAB has said
That many fish in a 30gal is fine.
But second changing the filter is a really bad idea because thats where all the benificial bacteria is that gets rid of Ammonia that is hamrful to fish. Getting rid of that created a mini cycle making Ammonia levels in the tank to spike and kill your fish unfortunatly. The cloudy water is a benificial bacteria bloom
Make sure to change around 20% of the water every 3-4 days to help keep Ammonia levels down and help your fishy friends

 

[tyspot1000]

Jason, its a 30 liter biorb, which its too small for all those fish .

Like jason said, replacing the filter media resulted in a mini cycle (giving you ammonia and nitrite which killed the fish). Also, biorbs use under gravel filters, which collects gunk under the gravel, and with all thise fish, it could cause cloudy water.

I would recommed getting rid of all those fish exept the guppies. I will reduce the bio-load. I also recommend doing partial water changes every day with addtional prime (detoxifies ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours) to keep parameters good, it will also help with the cloudy water.

 

[justinegraham]

Thanks for the advice guys but i changed the filter because it said it should be changed every 4-8 which is what i did. i thought a 30l could house upto 20 small fish.

 

[tyspot1000]

Its recommended because of the collection of gunk in the filter, but its not beneficial and usually results in mini-cycle.

And the 20 fish in 30 liters, I would have to say that is too much.

 

[BigJim]

Unfortunately, 30L is too small for that many fish. 30L is just under 8 US gallons for the metrically challenged. On top of being a small tank, a BiOrb isn't the greatest design because of its limited air-water interface area.

Here's my recommendations:

1. Read up on the nitrogen cycle. It's crucial to keeping an aquarium healthy.

2. Pick up the API Freshwater Master Test kit. You use this to measure the water parameters of your tank. It gives a basic health report on your tank and helps diagnose problems.

3. Re-home some of your fish. I would cut back to this list at the very least:

6 tetras
1 rummy nose tetra
2 cherry barbs
2 guppys

4. Never EVER change your mechanical or biological filter media unless it's disintegrating. The manufacturers tell you to change it because they want to sell more. Simply clean the media in a bucket of old tank water or dechlorinated water. You'll save money, preserve your beneficial bacteria colonies, and help maintain your tank's health.

5. Until you reduce your fish population, try doing a 30% PWC 2-3 times a week. It's a lot of work, but it'll help keep your fish alive during a cycle.