frustrated with my 55 gallon...

[rubysoho]

So, I started up my 55 gallon back in October (I think?). Since then, I have been stocking my tank with the following fish(all added slowly at different times, acclimated for 30 minutes-one hour for the rams):

~origionally 2 asian suncats who have been given a better home (100gallon tank!!)
~angels
~cories
~rams
~rummynosed tetras
~female bettas (3 total, one decided she didn't like the big tank and is now happy in a 5 gallon)
~ one shy gold nugget pleco

To date, I have had strange deaths/problems and I don't know what is going on.

I am back down to one angel because his companion was very aggressive and was taken back to the LFS. I found a slightly larger angel who ate well and looked very nice at my LFS, brought him home, after a week and 1/2 he died. My cories seem to be dwindling. I started with 6. In the first two weeks I had them, two died. I bought a ram two months ago, I was gone for three weeks and had a friend take care of my tank. Two days after I returned, the ram died. About a week and a half ago, I brought home 4 platies. I specifically got 3 femals and 1 male to make sure the male wouldn't be too aggressive to just one female. This morning I found one female dead. *sigh* My rummy nosed tetras are doing great and loving their school of 6. My cories are down to two in this tank, the other two are chilling in my 5 gallon after the runt started having seizures and the other seemed stressed for an unknown reason.

I clean my tank twice a week. My perams are perfect, my pH 6.8, and I even take my water to the LFS to double check my test kits. I make sure everyone gets fed enough. I feed bloodworms, shrimp pellets, algea waffers and flake food. The tank is well planted and has many places for hiding/establishing territories. I have small/medium sized gravel that is not rough, but not smooth. I add a little bit of liquid fertilizer once a week to help my plants. The lights are set on timers for 8 hours a day. The temperature is steady at 79 degrees.

Any idea what is going on?? All of the deaths had no warnings except the one angel who acted pathetic for two days. I'm so frustrated!!!

 

[Meredith]

Wow, that would be frustrating. I went through a very tough time with mine a few months after I set it up. I was ready to tear down the whole thing and give it all away. I am sure things will get better for you. Good luck!

 

[Sara]

I know exactly how you feel, rubysoho...that sounds exactly like my tanks. Unfortunately, though, that's all I can really add to this thread - I have yet to figure out my mystery, but at least I can tell you that it's not just you...

I have come to the conclusion that a lot of my problem has stemmed from the quality of the fish I buy (for example, the rams I bought were from some farm because I couldn't find ones that were locally bred), and my preference for fish that do not do well in my water (which is slowly being remedied).

As long as you are doing your water changes, feeding varied foods, etc., etc., it might be a mystery that you never solve. At least you know that you are doing all you can for your fish...

 

[yago]

I had the the same propblem with my tank, fish dying. Check your ammonia levels, and see if you have enough oxygen in your tank, maybe using a airstone. And one other thing,do you use a spray deodrizer in your home; my wife did and it was settling on the surface of the water in my tanks. So keep at it, you come through, keep asking questions. Yago

 

[Menagerie]

I clean my tank twice a week.

What percentage?

What is the gh/kh?

 

[rubysoho]

yago - ammonia always reads zero and oxygen levels are good. I will be adding an air stone once I set up my CO2 just to make sure, but the CO2 hasn't been added yet. And no airfresheners. Thankfully the only smelly thing in my apartment was some old BBQ and that was taken care of

Menagerie - I clean about 10 percent twice a week including gravel vacuming because those platies and the pleco poop a lot!! However, I've never checked my gh/kh... my LFS doesn't have those tests (at least I haven't seen them there). Maybe I can mail you a water sample

 

[Menagerie]

However, I've never checked my gh/kh... my LFS doesn't have those tests (at least I haven't seen them there).

Perhaps mail ordering these tests would be worth it

 

[TomK2]

I am back down to one angel because his companion was very aggressive and was taken back to the LFS

I might have the same problem. I bought 4 juvenile angels from the same hatch from the LFS. one of them, and its not even the biggest, seems to be agressive. A zebra danio snatched a piece of food that was almost in its mouth and he chased the danio around the tank long enough to miss feeding. Then I added a plecostomus and this little quarter sized angel follows it around and pecks at the 5 inch pleco periodically. I am wondering if it will grow up to be a real terror.

 

[rubysoho]

I actually never saw aggression until the final day, but the angel I kept had patches of missing scales. At first I thought it was some sort of disease, but finally I saw a little bit of aggression. I think things were worse at night when nobody was around. So immediatly that angel was sent back to the fish store.

Are you waiting for your angels to pair? Even if you are, I'd return the aggressive angel and try to get another one around the same size.

 

[tetrin]

all i can say is hang in there....
even if u understand water chemistry perfectly and provide the prefect parameters for ur fish, there are millions of other factors that u can't control or optimize...
i think the tank's going to be different once things stabilize and that might take time...
do not think about what was lost, but think about what u have and enjoy them...
we all know u r doing ur best... ....so plz plz plz smile a little...

 

[rubysoho]

I'm doing a little better. The color of my rams I got last week is incredible. I was thinking if it were water conditions or something on my end, then my fish wouldn't look so beautiful. However, the rams look great, the rummynosed tetras are beautiful, my angel looks 20 times better than when I bought him.

Also, I saw a friend's tank the other day and his fish didn't look happy at all. I thought about my tank and my angel is always moving around and following me, but his angels just sat around. He had rams that only seemed to hide, but mine come out and poke around all the plants and decorations. Then I also remembered another friend who had come over and when he saw my bettas, he didn't believe they were bettas. He said "those aren't bettas, bettas are always depressed and mopey, they don't move around like that." So I came to the realization that my fish are happy, and perhaps the deaths were just something I couldn't have prevented (at least I hope not!)

 

[black udder]

I have a 40gal tank and I'm suffering similar problems. Mine might have been overstocking, but I can't keep a guppy alive to save mine. I've lost 4 tetras, a couple mollies, two danios for absolutely no reason that I can find. I don't even want to think about the number of fish that have died in my tank over the last 6 months. It makes me feel really bad. However, the whole time, I've had an angel that has grown from 2-7 inches, 2 pleco's that have grown from 2 to 7 inches.

My only suggestion (the only thing that works for me) is to just leave the fish that are alive, alive. Don't add anymore and just see who survives. I'm sure that the folks who do this really well can add fish w/out consequences, but for me, if I add fish to my tank, I only end up putting myself through a dying spree. No fun at all.

I take consolation in the fact that after over a year of having "live breeders" in my tank, I finally found 4 live little ones that are maturing now. Plus, I have a nice big angel that I'm really fond of.

Good luck!

 

[Devilishturtles]

rubysoho, I had a hard time keeping angels in my tank for the longest time. I would get them, days later they would die. It finally boiled down to my water (which is well water) being way too hard for them.

I would follow Menagerie's advice and get yourself a Gh/Kh kit. You might have to start adding some distilled or RO/DI water to your tank in order to brink the levels down.

Good luck.

 

[BrianNY]

If your rams and rummy nose are doing well, the problem isn't hard water.
In fact, your water and care has to be exceptional to keep rams healthy and happy. You're doing a great job for your fish rubysoho.

Personally, I'm starting to believe that many of the strange fish deaths encountered are purely stress related. Even seemingly healthy fish can harbor a disease which can be fought off while the fish is stress free. Merely changing the fishes environment can be enough to shut the immune system down. JMO.

I know most haven't considered this, but there is always the possibility of food poisoning as well. Dried foods go bad after time. Frozen foods can contain pathogens if allowed to thaw and then refrozen.

 

[rubysoho]

Yeh, my rams and rummynoses are doing great with beautiful color. I think my problem is I've gotten away from picking fish that have been at the LFS for more than 4 days to a week. Before Christmas I could take my time because for some reason no one was buying, but since I've gotten back, they can't seem to keep fish in stock so I have to get there a day or two after shipment and get my fish... I asked if they'd hold a fish for me, but that hasn't worked twice now, so I don't trust that method. Perhaps it is time to find a local breeder or a different fish store...