Help fish keep dying

[Chefdan]

Hi started a 22litre tank about two months ago just with 2 mollies and 2 guppies to keep things ticking over checking the water parameters daily and adjusting water according im now two months in with a few more fish my tank is fully cycled no ammonia next to no nitrite and mid range nitrate crystal clear water but my fish keep dying what am I doing wrong thanks in advance


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[Masha]

I'm sorry you've been losing fish - that's horrible.

It is much more difficult to keep the water in a small tank pure as every single thing - e.g. over feeding or having too many fish, will make the water quality change quickly, and stress or even kill the fish. In larger tanks this is less of an issue simply because there is more water to absorb these changes.

22 liters is a very small tank. That limits the kind of fish you can keep. For example, mollies are usually recommended to be in a tank that is at least 90 litres. Even guppies will be happier in a 40 liter tank. The only fish you could really keep in 22 litres is a betta, and even they will do better in a bigger tank.

You say the tank is fully cycled, but you also say you have "next to no" nitrites. As long as there is measurable nitrites in the tank, it's not yet cycled. I know that's not what you want to hear! But this means you need to continue doing water changes to keep the fish safe from the nitrites, which can really harm them.

What kind of tests are you using? Be aware that strip tests are not nearly accurate enough. If you are using a liquid test kit, what are the exact nitrite and nitrate values you are getting?

What kind of filter are you using?

And be sure not to over feed, as that will affect the water quality.

You also don't specify what fish you have at the moment - more than 2 mollies and 2 guppies?

 

[jrc0528]

A rookie mistake when having this cycling problem is to try to clean the filter way too often! Every time you clean the filter you disturb or even eliminate the beneficial bacteria colonizing there. Clean the filter only if you have odors (replace the carbon) or the flow is blocked (clean the foam in lukewarm water, no soap... hot or cold water will kill the bacteria, as can vigorous scrubbing).

The best setup would be a HOB filter with 2 or 3 stages (the foam filter, chrcoal/ammo-sorb/etc., and biomedia). You'll do best to provide some biomedia for the bacteria to colonize. An easy way I've done is to fill a Lee's corner filter (like $3-4 online) 2/3 with ceramic biomedia (preferably smaller sized media 1/4" to 3/8") and top it off with a layer of filter floss.

On a side note, I started my 75 gal tank with cycle readings of only 1 ppm for both the ammonia and nitrite stages (you'll peak ammonia about a week before you'll peak nitrite) by seeding the tank with the corner filter from my established tank. My established tank wasn't affected by the removal of this as I avoided cleaning my HOB on it for a couple weeks following.

 

[Chefdan]

Hi lost all my fish now quite upset about it to be honest I regularly test my water ect but in the last week I went from having many happy health fish to none
My ph is 7.4
Ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 10ppm
I have a two stage filter plenty of airation am really upset about it


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[Chefdan]

The fish all had like gunk in their eyes before death any connection?


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[Mebbid]

Possibly, did you happen to take any pictures?

 

[jenelle]

Aww. Sorry for the losses. So frustrating when you've worked hard to establish your tank.

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[Chefdan]

I didn't unfortunately


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[dbaeunn]

sorry to hear about your loss.. I've been having the same problem. Except my fish die and my pleco, snail and ADF survive. It's very frustrating when you can't figure out the cause.

Hope your problem is something easy to fix =)

 

[trennamw]

Maybe it was the fish?

Are you using what dechlorinator are you using? How are you acclimating the fish? How long did they live after you got them?

That is a very small tank, I'd go with a betta and nothing else.

Mollies are pretty delicate fish.


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