weezerbot
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I really don't know what to do about this. In a matter of two weeks I have lost 5 fish. I have a 20 gallon tank which was planted until a week ago when my anacharis started to disappear. I yanked it out and two days later one of my Silver Dollars was dead. About three days after that, the other one kicked...I figured it was because they had gorged themselves to death! Let me back track a little to death #1, which was my cool pleco guy and I have no idea the cause of death on him. Ok, so this morning I wake up and one of my Tiger Barbs and my male Dwarf Gourami (*sniff*, Benny) were dead! The barb was no surprise, he hadn't been looking too good, not sure if it was a parasite or if he had gotten beat up, his stomach was sunken in and one of his little fins was torn up...but not fin rot. Last night he was looking very dark, almost black in some spots, and I said to myself he will be lucky to make it through the night. As for Benny, that was a total surprise, I don't know why he died, he has been just fine.
All of these fish except for Benny I have had for over 2 years. They lived 1.5 of those years in another 20 gallon tank with nothing but a cheesy filter and an algie problem...with no problems!! I hardly ever tested the water and never added anything to it like buffer or nitromax as I do now. I moved in January and got them all a nice new 20 gallon tank with canister filter. I test their water weekly and do water changes...the only thing I have noticed changed was my nitrates have slowly crawled up to 40, and I have a diatom problem (brown rust like stuff) showing up in the tank. Because of this I have been leaving the light off most of the day.
Any suggestions, please? I'm really tired of my fishes dying!!
All of these fish except for Benny I have had for over 2 years. They lived 1.5 of those years in another 20 gallon tank with nothing but a cheesy filter and an algie problem...with no problems!! I hardly ever tested the water and never added anything to it like buffer or nitromax as I do now. I moved in January and got them all a nice new 20 gallon tank with canister filter. I test their water weekly and do water changes...the only thing I have noticed changed was my nitrates have slowly crawled up to 40, and I have a diatom problem (brown rust like stuff) showing up in the tank. Because of this I have been leaving the light off most of the day.
Any suggestions, please? I'm really tired of my fishes dying!!