My poor fish

[jennstokes]

So I had a 10 gal fish tank for about 2 years I had 1 Mickey mouse, two silver dollars, butterfly, 2 guppies and one sucker fish. They all did so well. Then my sucker fish as well as silver dollar fish started getting really big so we got a 20 gal tank. All the fish were fine for 5 months then the silver dollar fish died about 12 hrs apart from each other and they were flipping upside down acting strange tried taking the worst one out and put him in a new tank but he died then within a week the Mickey mouse then the butterfly which I cried over that one then my sucker fish was looking like he was going to die did treatment for sick fish plus Ph tablets as usual and did test for ammonia it was a little high so did the tablets for that and now for the last week or so my Ph is at 7.6 and ammonia is at harmful but my 3 fish look healthy please help.

 

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum.

The first thing that jumped out at me is your usage of a pH tablet? Please indicate what exactly the name is and how you use it. You should not be adding chemicals to your tank to mess with the pH. This can cause major upset with your fish as they are sensitive to changes in pH.

I presume, after reading how long your fish were in the 10 gallon, that they suffered from stunted growth. This means they were not in a tank large enough for their bodies to grow properly. As a result, their lifespan is very shortened.

Even a 20 gallon would not have been large enough for the species you have.

"Mickey mouse, two silver dollars, butterfly, 2 guppies and one sucker fish"

Your mickey mouse platy and guppies would've been appropriate for the 10 gallon.

The silver dollars require at least a 40 gallon and need to be kept in a minimum group of 4.

The african butterfly can reach 4 inches and in my opinion, shouldn't be kept in anything smaller than a 30 gallon.

You need to know the exact species of "sucker fish" you have. Is it a pleco? If so, what species? Some grow to be 2 feet long.

STOP using tablets for ammonia and pH and start doing daily 50% water changes. What was your routine water change schedule like?

 

[jennstokes]

Yeah realized tank was 2 small the 10gal one was my first fish tank. The only time I wod put in Ph tablets is when I would check the Ph and it was high. And I just started the ammonia thing when they all started getting sick so I tested it and it was at harmful. I do about half water changes once a week and after I do that I add stress coat. Ok so I will start changing water everyday right? And when I do that do I add the stress coat everyday? Thank you so much and yes the sucker fish is a p something I always forget how to say it but yeah he's big.

 

[RussellC]

Yeah realized tank was 2 small the 10gal one was my first fish tank. The only time I wod put in Ph tablets is when I would check the Ph and it was high. And I just started the ammonia thing when they all started getting sick so I tested it and it was at harmful. I do about half water changes once a week and after I do that I add stress coat. Ok so I will start changing water everyday right? And when I do that do I add the stress coat everyday? Thank you so much and yes the sucker fish is a p something I always forget how to say it but yeah he's big.

If the Stress Coat doubles as your water conditioner, then yes, you want to make sure you condition your water for each and every water change.

That said, in my opinion you should consider switching to Prime as your water conditioner. It will help detoxify any remaining ammonia/nitrite left after the water changes (which I agree should be done daily).

Long-term, however, in my opinion, you will either need a major upgrade in tank size or consider rehoming the fish -- the 'p-something' sucker fish sounds like a pleco, and they get really big. Without a major upgrade or rehoming, even with the daily water changes, you will likely face constant water quality issues that adversely affect the health of your fish.

Good luck!

 

[LyndaB]

I completely agree with Russell.

At the very least, that pleco needs to come out of there right away. This is part of your issues right now. In fact, you really need to remove all of your fish that are not appropriate for that tank, as I listed above.

Do NOT add pH tablets of any kind. If your pH fluctuates that much, there's something wrong.

Are you doing gravel vacs with every water change? With an overstocked tank, you must.

 

[RussellC]

I do about half water changes once a week and after I do that I add stress coat.

One other thing that leapt out at me....

Do you use a water conditioner other than Stress Coat?

If not, adding the Stress Coat after the water change could be contributing to the overall problem greatly. Doing it in this order would mean that your fish would be exposed to chlorine and/or choloramine from your tap water for a period of time, and this is very unhealthful for them.

In addition, the beneficial bacteria that break down ammonia and nitrite are also severely harmed by the presence of cholorine and chloramine, and this could be contributing to your overall water quality issues as well.

When doing your water changes, I recommend adding your water conditioner to the replacement water before adding the replacement water to the tank. It needs only to sit for a short time for the conditioner to work as conditioners act very quickly.

While the above method is considered by many to be the best practice, another option is to add the conditioner to the tank first, then add the replacement water. If you choose this method, it is generally recommended to dose for the entire volume of the tank (whereas with the first method one need only does for the volume of the water being added).

If you have any other questions about water changes, just ask -- in the short term, until you can solve your longer-term overstocking issue, daily water changes are going to be your first and best line of defense in keeping your fish as healthy as possible.

Good luck!

 

[tamtam]

When you say your ammonia is high what is it at? What was your PH going to at it's high point and what is it's normal range for you? When you're fish got sick and started swimming upside down did you test your water then?

You really shouldn't add extra stuff to your water, it makes levels bounce around so much it gets hard on your fish. If you have spikes with your ammonia, nitrites or nitrates a water change is the best tool to fight it.

If you're ammonia goes above .25 then you need to do a water change. You could start with something like 40% and see how it goes.

Regarding your PH the level it's at isn't as important as it being consistent. Your fish will adapt to your PH if it's level but if it's up and down because you are treating it then it's going to be hard on them.

 

[jennstokes]

Thank u and yes I do have a gravel vaccum that I use to do water changes. And my sucker fish is a placstmise. Sp. I only have him and two guppy left so yeah I might have to find a new home for him.

 

[jennstokes]

Yeah the Ph almost everytime u checked it was 7.6. And the only reason I did the ammonia test is cuz they were all dieing and it was a test stripe the first time I did it it wa .5 then the second time which was a week or so later it was 3.0 which says very harmful

 

[tamtam]

Yeah the Ph almost everytime u checked it was 7.6. And the only reason I did the ammonia test is cuz they were all dieing and it was a test stripe the first time I did it it wa .5 then the second time which was a week or so later it was 3.0 which says very harmful

oh wow... anything above .25 you want to do a water change, at 3 you want to change out most of your water honestly and probably will need to do another... You can not do too many water changes and it will save your fish a lot of stress. You should be checking your water parameters daily at this point I think to keep on top of your levels.

Are you testing nitrites too? They are just as harmful to your fish as ammonia is. If either of these go above .25 you need to do a change and get them down. So if you don't have a kit that allows you to test for nitrites and nitrates I'd invest in one. Knowing ammonia levels is only so helpful. You could have low ammonia and high nitrites and think you are ok and in reality your fish are struggling.

7.6 isn't bad for ph. Honestly unless it's spiking up or bouncing all over in it's level leave it be. A stable PH is far more important than a low one. Many people on here keep there ph at 8.0 or so and have no issues. Mine is 7.8. So if your ph is staying at 7.6 with little variation then leave it be.

 

[jennstokes]

Thank u no I haven't checked for nitrate I will and what is water parameters? I really appreciate the help.

 

[tamtam]

Thank u no I haven't checked for nitrate I will and what is water parameters? I really appreciate the help.

water parameters are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and PH. Basically just a term for the levels of everything going on in your water.