Before I get fully into my problem, let me first explain that I live in a rural area with limited access to resources. I am about 50 miles from a town that might have a fish expert.
We set up a new tank last week. I researched for several weeks before the big day. I trolled this site among others for advice. I have a 20 gallon tank with the Whisper filter for up to 30 gallon tanks. I have a heater that maintains 76 degrees nicely.
I read about options for cycling the tank. Then I went to a Pet Sense in a nearby town. No fish department, but they do carry supplies. I purchased a tap water treatment (for heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramine), test strips, and a bottle of Seachem Stability. When I got all set up, I followed the instructions for the tap water treatment and the stability. The bottle claimed to make the water safe immediately. We started the tank on Tuesday. I tested the water on Friday morning. Nitrate and nitrite readings were zero. PH was 8. We added fish on Friday: 6 Glofish tetras and a Cory cat from Walmart (I know, but our options here are limited. I felt like I was rescuing them from a shelter!) The tanks were clean and clear and the fish all appeared to be swimming happily in the store.
Everything looked great until last night. I noticed the tetras weren't real "spunky" anymore. It started with one acting erratic. It would dart and then stop and sink. It would go sideways and shake. That one didn't make it. Then a second one did the same thing. Now a third and fourth seem to be struggling.
The Cory cat is a happy little critter. It cruises the bottom and "jumps" occasionally, which I understand is normal.
So how do I figure out what is wrong and how do I fix it?
We set up a new tank last week. I researched for several weeks before the big day. I trolled this site among others for advice. I have a 20 gallon tank with the Whisper filter for up to 30 gallon tanks. I have a heater that maintains 76 degrees nicely.
I read about options for cycling the tank. Then I went to a Pet Sense in a nearby town. No fish department, but they do carry supplies. I purchased a tap water treatment (for heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramine), test strips, and a bottle of Seachem Stability. When I got all set up, I followed the instructions for the tap water treatment and the stability. The bottle claimed to make the water safe immediately. We started the tank on Tuesday. I tested the water on Friday morning. Nitrate and nitrite readings were zero. PH was 8. We added fish on Friday: 6 Glofish tetras and a Cory cat from Walmart (I know, but our options here are limited. I felt like I was rescuing them from a shelter!) The tanks were clean and clear and the fish all appeared to be swimming happily in the store.
Everything looked great until last night. I noticed the tetras weren't real "spunky" anymore. It started with one acting erratic. It would dart and then stop and sink. It would go sideways and shake. That one didn't make it. Then a second one did the same thing. Now a third and fourth seem to be struggling.
The Cory cat is a happy little critter. It cruises the bottom and "jumps" occasionally, which I understand is normal.
So how do I figure out what is wrong and how do I fix it?