Please help! 10g is death trap

[bostonbass]

I'm about a half second away from trashing that tank.

Water parameters are good. Ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates <10. Temp oscillates between 78 and 80 (100w heater to combat air conditioner) The filter is meant for a 30g tank and has a well established bacterial colony.

It's not overstocked. Currently (well, formerly) it had 2 Oto, 3 Amano Shrimp, and 1 Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami. Last night, the Gourami was healthy, happy, and eating. This morning he's dead. Like so many fish before him. I've tried small fish like cardinal tetras and large single fish like Gourami.

Nothing stays alive in that tank! It has 4 or 5 plants that are doing well.

Can someone please give me an idea what's going wrong? The NBDG showed no signs of the virus common to their breed (swollen spleen, ulcers, etc)

I can't keep dumping money into it for new livestock. TIA

EDIT: changed nitrite to nitrate

 

[dcutl002]

Your NITRITES should be zero (0). Did you mean NITRATES <10?

EDIT: Nitrogen Cycle - http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

 

[bostonbass]

Yes, thank you. Fixed original post.

 

[dcutl002]

For starters, OTO Cats should be in something bigger than a 10 gallon tank: they prefer a 20 gallon or larger: Otocinclus Catfish - Otto Cat. I think I would just go with the shrimp because 10 gallon tanks are basically either shrimp or betta tanks and not much good for anything else IMO. Now back to your tank. I am assuming that this tank has just recently been set up? If so, that could be why your fish are dying. It probably has not fully cycled even with your established media. Just keep up with the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and perform partial water changes about once a week or more if necessary.

 

[bostonbass]

For starters, OTO Cats should be in something bigger than a 10 gallon tank: they prefer a 20 gallon or larger: Otocinclus Catfish - Otto Cat. I think I would just go with the shrimp because 10 gallon tanks are basically either shrimp or betta tanks and not much good for anything else IMO. Now back to your tank. I am assuming that this tank has just recently been set up? If so, that could be why your fish are dying. It probably has not fully cycled even with your established media. Just keep up with the water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) and perform partial water changes about once a week or more if necessary.

No the tank is about 4 months old. Weekly 20% water changes with dechlorinator. Filter media is good. The sponge is rinsed in the water i remove from the tank to keep from hurting the bacteria.

 

[dcutl002]

Could be that your fish are already sick from the store. Gouramis are pretty hearty fish.


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[TMaier]

Have you checked your PH?


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[aqua_chem]

What all species of fish had you tried? Have they all just died overnight without appearing ill?

 

[Autumnsky]

Was the tank new or used when you got it? Have you used any meds in the tank, if so what type?

 

[platylover26]

Could it maybe be the way that you acclimate them? Just an idea...

 

[Coursair]

Could the heater be faulty ? Shocking fish ? Try lowering temp gradually to 76f. That way it won't go over 80° if it bounces up. Hotter water = less oxygen.

Otos are sensitive as they are all WC.
But I've kept up to 4 for years in a heavily planted 10g.
I do recommend 20Long as better tank for them.

Once they are established, my Otos were very hardy.




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[mambee]

10 gallon tanks are typically sold as starter tanks. They are actually the wrong size for most beginners because they wind up being overstocked.

I have 3 tanks: 150 gallon, 90 gallon and 17 gallon. Guess which one requires the most maintenance? 17 gallon.

Larger tanks are easier to maintain because the water parameters remain stable.

And oh yeah, my 17 gallon used to be the tank of death. I eventually realized that the driftwood was making the ph crash.

I also had the ph crash in the 150 because of all the driftwood and the water was getting cloudy. I think this was because the beneficial bacteria in my canister filter was being killed by the excessively low ph. I removed a large piece of driftwood, added some crushed coral to the canister and problem solved.