I have had 5 total fish die in the last week but have no clue why, the ammonia is 0 the nitrite is 0 and nitrates are at a healthy level (just water change on Saturday) i have a 55 gallon with 4 angle fish 1 pleco 1 catfish 5 black skirt tetras and 3 gold fish currently. I added some API general desease packets hoping that will help, but other than that i have exhausted any other options and i am at my last wit. Have done 50% water changes concurrently for months so i cant see that being the issue considering the bioload in my tank is quiet heavy. My tank is fully cycled and i feed once a day. The temp is at 78-80 degrees F
Fish dying off
- Thread starter Minman907
- Start date
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Any signs of distress? Flashing, gasping for air at the surface, laying on the bottom, ect?
If the tank is older and well seasoned it shouldn’t be a water quality issue, but that doesn’t always hold true. If the gh and more importantly kh are depleted from inadequate water changes you can get wild ph swings as well as crash the cycle
Do you run aeration in this tank, or rely on surface agitation? (Possible low oxygen levels) Are you on city water or a private well? (Possibly something introduced from water changes is the issue)
What type of test are you using for the water? Can you test ph?
Most fish are quite adaptable to various ph ranges, but if you are dealing with low kh in your tank and the ph levels swing wildly from day to day, the fish will have an issue with that. If you can obtain a gh/kh test that would help bring some light to any possible causes
If the tank is older and well seasoned it shouldn’t be a water quality issue, but that doesn’t always hold true. If the gh and more importantly kh are depleted from inadequate water changes you can get wild ph swings as well as crash the cycle
Do you run aeration in this tank, or rely on surface agitation? (Possible low oxygen levels) Are you on city water or a private well? (Possibly something introduced from water changes is the issue)
What type of test are you using for the water? Can you test ph?
Most fish are quite adaptable to various ph ranges, but if you are dealing with low kh in your tank and the ph levels swing wildly from day to day, the fish will have an issue with that. If you can obtain a gh/kh test that would help bring some light to any possible causes
Yes, when the fish die its usually loss of movement, then heaving breathing, then death. I have a suspicion it may be overcrowded but im not for sure. The PH was a 8.0 but i used some PH neutralizer seachem so its back to normal now after testing i use the API master test kit, their is multiple sources of aeration in my tank i have a long bubble wand a few ornaments that use a aeration type system, and i also have a machine that helps circulate water i forget what its called i got it from petco
I do 50 % water changes every week from the same source of water with zero issue, i use the same water for my other 3 tanks with no issue as well, i have used the same water for months to fill my tanks up. My other tanks are doing great besides my 55 gallon as said
I would say they look very stressed before death just by the signs before the fish actually dies, i would move the particular fish to the other tank but i cant because the fish in my 55 gallon are simply to big for a 10gallon tanks. My tank is about 4-5 months old its took 3 months to cycle fully. All the fish that have died were mostly bottom feeders and a guromai and a sword tail which the fish that have died i have had since the beginning of my cycling.
Is their a good possibility it could be from overstocking and if it is should i move the smaller fish to tanks where theyll be less stress?
It is quite heavily stocked, but if they’re juveniles it should be manageable for now. Your biggest issue is maintaining water quality, long term the fish could experience short lifespans due to size constraints (really, just the angel fish alone almost fill the tank)
Do you have a lfs that tests water for free? Just to get a second opinion…
How often do you check ph? If you can’t test gh/kh I would test ph a couple times a day and see if you’re getting ph swings
Generally overcrowding a tank is manageable short term. Biggest concern is water quality and if you have no ammonia and manageable nitrates you can’t ask for much more than that. In the long term, much more than a couple months, the fish will likely start having developmental issues which will result in a reduced lifespan. Basically their body size can be stunted, but their organs continue to grow. Eventually this results in death, but we’re usually talking several years life vs 5+ kind of thing, not months
Do you have a lfs that tests water for free? Just to get a second opinion…
How often do you check ph? If you can’t test gh/kh I would test ph a couple times a day and see if you’re getting ph swings
Generally overcrowding a tank is manageable short term. Biggest concern is water quality and if you have no ammonia and manageable nitrates you can’t ask for much more than that. In the long term, much more than a couple months, the fish will likely start having developmental issues which will result in a reduced lifespan. Basically their body size can be stunted, but their organs continue to grow. Eventually this results in death, but we’re usually talking several years life vs 5+ kind of thing, not months
I plan on getting another 55 gallon tank here in a few days when i get my check lol. To hopefully ease some of the stress that’s happening, i also check my ph which i check nitrates so couple times a week, i use the test kit and strips as well, hopefully when i get the new tank i can overtime move fish around, i was trying to find some sort if calculator for stocking but i cant find one, I have seen people talk about them on reddit. But i do agree, the angle fish do get pretty big i have seen a full sized one and they are very big lol, i will start checking ph more frequently now due to the fact of the bio load and water quality, it have had this tank for awhile so it shocks me that i know have this issue
Aqadvisor has a good calculator for determining stock capacity and compatibility.
You’ll probably break the calculator putting in what you’ve got lol
It definitely will be a good thing to get another tank when possible. The goldfish and the angel fish pretty much both need their own 55g if you want to do things by the book
You’ll probably break the calculator putting in what you’ve got lol
It definitely will be a good thing to get another tank when possible. The goldfish and the angel fish pretty much both need their own 55g if you want to do things by the book
When i get another 55 gallon should i wait for it to cycle then transfer the goldfish over, if so could still add some smaller schooling fish to new 55 gallon with the goldies, i plan to leave the angle fish in the current tank just because their the dominant fish in that tank and i dint want to to break that up
With a 55 gallon how many fish can you safely have ?
With a 55 gallon how many fish can you safely have ?
55 gallons will support 3 fully grown common goldfish or 4 fancy goldfish.
I would carefully consider what you move.
1. Your goldfish are temperate fish and should be kept at cooler temperatures. Your other fish are tropical. Trying to keep goldfish at tropical temperature or vice versa will be detrimental to the health of the fish you are accommodating at an unsuitable temperature.
2. Goldfish get big, and at some point might see smaller fish as bite sized snacks.
Put the goldfish in a tank on their own. Keep the tank at room temperature. Keep the other tank as a tropical community fish aquarium.
1. Your goldfish are temperate fish and should be kept at cooler temperatures. Your other fish are tropical. Trying to keep goldfish at tropical temperature or vice versa will be detrimental to the health of the fish you are accommodating at an unsuitable temperature.
2. Goldfish get big, and at some point might see smaller fish as bite sized snacks.
Put the goldfish in a tank on their own. Keep the tank at room temperature. Keep the other tank as a tropical community fish aquarium.
