community tank advice

[zach_1_6]

hi there, i had 5 bala sharks all about 2-2.5 inches long in my 65 gallon planted tank. i know this tank is to small for the bala's, but i assumed it was ok until they got bigger. 2 of them have died and a third is on its way out. there is no sighn of desies at all. but anyways, i was wondering what types of fish i should get to replace them becuase i dont want to get bala sharks agian if i cant care for them. my tank has tetra, a rainbow shark, raph catfish, and pictus catfish, and 3 small clown loaches. what fish do you think would go good in my setup?

 

[logansmomma1228]

First you might want to figure out why they keep dying. There could be a possible bacterial infection that has no apparent signs. Have you looked up anything? What are the fish doing before they die?

Did you cycle your tank before adding all those fish, or did you cycle and then add all fish at once? This can cause ammonia or nitrite poisoning to the fish.

As far as community fish to add, I would suggest something as active as the others. I don't know about rainbow sharks but I am assuming he is semi-aggressive. You might want to look for things that are also semi aggressive since peaceful, more docile fish might have a hard time getting along in your tank.

Also, what do you use to test your water, and how often do you do water changes? Maintenance is important in keeping your fish healthy and alive.

 

[BigJim]

+1 for logansmomma. You'll be best off fixing your problems before compounding them with more fish.

What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Numbers please, not "Fine" or "OK". If these are new terms to you, search the nitrogen cycle here on AA. These numbers will give us a good baseline on the health of your tank.

 

[HN1]

Yep. Find and correct the cause before you replace the fish. They asked what I would. The answers to those questions should allow us to give you the best and most complete answer possible.

 

[zach_1_6]

ok well this is going to sound bad on my part, but here me out. both my tanks before this i have had basically the same fish, just in a smaller tank.i would clean the tank a usual, but i would never do water changes, becuase i didnt need to. all my fish were perfectly healthy and i never had one die suddenly. i never tested my tank parameters becuase everything was perfect and no fish were dying. but i have clearly seen here that i need to go but a test kit and do water changes on a basis. that is my story i hope yo heard me out. now these are my first deaths ever, so im a bit confused as to what to do. what are the right amonnia, nitrate, and nitrite levels? how exaclty do i do a water change? sorry agian im knew to the problems ofowning a larger tank.

 

[krap101]

Ammonia and nitrite should generally be zero. When you first get your tank and are cycling fish, .5 for ammonia and nitrite (better to be under .25), and under 40 for nitrates.

Without water changes, live plants or something to get rid of the nitrates, they will eventually build to poisonous levels. To do a water change, you can use a cup/bucket, or buy a siphon/python.

This is the stereotypical look of a siphon, not necessarily the one I'd get
JBJ Instant Siphon Gravel Cleaner at PETCO

Python
How To Safely Change The Water In Your Saltwater Aquarium

 

[logansmomma1228]

The important part now is that you are trying. You are learning what you need to do in order to keep your fish healthy. That's all that matters.

 

[zach_1_6]

thanks, i have done cleaning with the syphon and just added tap water striaght back in without any fish dieing. i mean like i throw tap waterinto my tank let the filter run for a few days and add fish, nothing seemed to matter they would just thrive. so i was a bit shocked and confused as to what was killing them. it might be amonnia, as i have lost some fish and havent found the bodies, aswell as plant decay. could that cuase an amonnia spike?

 

[krap101]

Sorry if you posted this somewhere at some time, but how old is the tank? I got the impression it was a pretty old tank 6mo+. Possibly it was a good thing that you didn't change the water (it brought you here and also, if you have chlorine in your water, you would have killed off your bacteria every water change and probably killed the fish).

I'm guessing you hate really high nitrites, as ammonia is a pretty quick killer. If this a new tank, then ammonia is the likely culprit.

 

[zach_1_6]

tank has been running for about 3 months, no deaths untill now.