Help! Fish dying...

[Talvari]

I have had my 55 gallon tank up and running for more than a year now. About four months ago or so, I redid it so that it had sand instead of gravel. I did not touch the filter at all so I wouldnt have to worry about a mini cycle, and I left all the plants and stuff alone.

My parameters are: (Using API masterkit).

Ammonia: 0
NitrIte: 0
NitrAte: A little less than 5ppm

I've been doing about a 50% water change every 7 to 10 days. I have not touched the filter in about six weeks, and even then I changed only ONE side of the filter.

The fish are eating normally, and are acting fine. Then Ill wake up one morning and one will be dead.

I have had 5 tiger barbs, 1 gold gourami, and the hifin pleco for nearly the entire time the tank has been running. In the past six months, I have added six australian rainbowfish, two bristlnose plecos (growing them out for my other tank) and an african knife fish. They all have been in there for at least a month.

So far, I have had two australians died, one of which I replaced because it was in the 14 days, and now I woke up this morning to my gold gourami dead.

The only thing I can possibly think of... Could it be a bad reaction to the Flourish Im using for the plants in there? I only dose on Sundays and it seems like by monday or tuesday the past two weeks, I have a dead fish!

 

[HN1]

I've never seen flourish harm fish before. Were the new fish QT'd? No matter how long a tank is stable and healthy, one addition that is hiding illness can set it back to square one.

 

[Talvari]

The two bristlenose were the most recent addition from about a month ago. I dont have a QT set up atm, but I brought these two home from were I work. Its probably not too much comfort, but we had them in store for about a week and a half and noone was showing any signs of illness for the duration of that time.

Before that, it was the knifefish which was about three months ago. Same deal.

About two weeks after the knifefish, I lost power for a few hours and the tank came down with ich. I lost both my clown loaches.

What kind of illness could it be? Like I said... Noone is acting different. No clamped fins, no fast breathing, all eating just fine and swimming just fine. No coloration differences.

I dont know if it helps, but here is the Gold Gourami. Poor, poor Lovelace.

 

[HN1]

I'm at a loss so all I could recommend are the generics. Change water, add aeration, and cease adding anything that possibly lines up (i.e. Flourish). You may want to contact Seachem to inquire if they have any historical issues of trouble following flourish dosing (Contact Seachem).

Maybe depressed O2 levels?

Sorry about your losses.

 

[Talvari]

I did a 50% water change two days ago and I have a bubble stone going on either side of the tank. Ill do another water change today.

Its okay... My husband is just really bummed. He really liked the gourami and hes the one who named it.

Thanks for the input!

Could it all just be coincidence? I mean, the two rainbowfish that died could have just been defective in some way. Who knows if it were the same two fish that died as the ones I bought? And maybe the Gourami just died on its own? I know he wasnt that old, but who knows what his genetic disposition was.

Or maybe it was just a small ammonia spike that I didnt notice because of the first fish death...? Like I said, I do a 50% water change nearly every week, and only test my water about once a month. I did it just before my last water change two days ago to see if anything was wrong and I didnt come up with anything though...

 

[HN1]

It absolutely could be pure coincidence, a weak fish, etc. That's when it gets frustrating!

 

[Talvari]

Okay... This cant be coincidence. I lost a Tiger Barb this morning!

Im starting to get really frustrated. All my levels are *still* fine. Ammonia, 0. Nitrite, 0. Nitrate, 5. I just did another water changer and I havent touched anything else in the tank!

Again.. all the fish are eating and acting fine. Then one morning... Another fish dead.

 

[Big-j]

Any discoloration of the gills? I had a similar problem at one point with my cories, they were dropping left and right, I went from 5 to 2 seems like in three days or so and I couldn't find out why, the only thing I found was a slight reddening of their gills compared to the ones still swimming

 

[Talvari]

Nope, nothing. I checked over everyone... And I found a second dead Tiger Barb.

So far I have lost two rainbowfish, a gold gourami, and two tiger barbs. Im getting really frustrated here. I dont want to lose anyone else!

 

[Big-j]

Sounds like an outbreak of something, if I were you I'd keep a close watch on the tank for extended time and see if you can identify any symptoms, discoloration, fast breathing, panicked movements, etc. If we have that someone might be able to give you some good advice, hope this helps and good luck

 

[Reygan2]

Any discoloration of the gills? I had a similar problem at one point with my cories, they were dropping left and right, I went from 5 to 2 seems like in three days or so and I couldn't find out why, the only thing I found was a slight reddening of their gills compared to the ones still swimming

The same thing happened to me. I noticed some redness on the gills of my dead corys. It couldn't have been ammonia, I tested every time I found one and my ammonia level remains at 0. I'm losing other fish too. I noticed a fungus on my angel and on one of my neons, so I'm treating now.

 

[Talvari]

Sounds like an outbreak of something, if I were you I'd keep a close watch on the tank for extended time and see if you can identify any symptoms, discoloration, fast breathing, panicked movements, etc. If we have that someone might be able to give you some good advice, hope this helps and good luck

Thats the problem. Since I lost my second fish, Ive been keeping a close eye on everyone. I have a log book of anything strange Ive noticed, and Ive got nothing. The Tiger Barbs this morning seem to be acting a little different then usual - The dominant male of the group is being a little more of a jerk than usual - but that might just be because there are only three left.

I dont see any discoloration, no one is breathing any faster than usual. No spots, no burns. Water temp is the same. Ph is the same.

Only other thing Ive noticed, but this has been going on awhile... Whenever a fish gets too close to my knife's hiding spot, he snaps at them. But hes only life five inches long, his mouth is really small, and there are no wounds on the dead fish... So he couldnt be killing them, right?

 

[Talvari]

Im honestly about ready to remove the driftwood in my tank, all the live plants, and do like an 80% water change on top of rinising out my filter cartridges. Im getting desperate here...

 

[Big-j]

Actually you may have hit the nail on the head with the knife, I love knife fish but mouth size is definitely not a limiting factor when it comes to killing other fish, most fish will have fins or eyes missing from tank aggression but my kribs killed a tiger barb last week just by ramming it and he is only 3 inches or so, I think my male krib, Mufasa, broke the barbs rib or something, cause he hit it really hard and it couldn't swim right after that, it died soon after, sometimes that's all we have to go on but if I were you, I'd move the knife, at least temporarily and see if the die offs keep occuring

 

[Talvari]

My African Brown Knife usually isnt all that aggressive... He'll just chase other fish away from his little hiding place. There are no fins missing or chunks taken out of the other fish, and like I said... everyone acts fine and then I suddenly find a dead fish. These tiger barbs this morning bring the count up to 5 in the past two or three weeks. Hes usually so shy when hes out of his rock...

Plus I really dont have anywhere else to put. My 46 gallon isnt really fish ready yet, and I definitely cant keep him in a five gallon tank. Him and my betta would not get along, ignoring the whole hes-way-too-big-for-that-tank issue.

 

[Big-j]

Yeah I understand that, but aren't knifes primarily nocturnal by nature? He may be sneak attacking them when they can't escape as easily, that's not an uncommon behavior in nature after all. Im no expert on knifes by any means but, if it was my tank, I'd be looking for a new home for him, just in case.

 

[leonardloach]

Hey just a thought.Total nube here but were you doing 50% water changes before the out break and for how long.Also,again not as experienced as most of you guys but 80 % !isn't that over kill and could that potentially kill da **** out of your tank.Especially that knife?

 

[Talvari]

No... As long as the water is the same basic temperature going back in the tank, its fine.

Large scale water changes are healthy for the tank.. It takes out most of the "bad" stuff in your tank (ammonia, nitrates, fish waste, extra fish food) and helps originate and "good" stuff back into the tank. You've tasted stale water before, right? Its kinda the same idea.