HELP!!!!!!!!

[fishtankfish]

I just had two fish die today and i have no idea why!!! They were just lying on the bottom acting very still and then they were no more (at different times of the day). whats going on and what do i do to help?

 

[Keeper]

What size of tank? What type of fish? What are your water parameters?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Yep, answer these questions above.

Also, how long have you had the fishies that died? And how long have you had the tank set up?

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

Please explain more about your tank, fishtankfish
-# of fish, tank size, water conditions, etc.

 

[fishtankfish]

ten gallon, has been set up since january. water parameters tested fine. i had one balloon bellied molly (male) in it and then added 3 females last friday. All were doing well. Then today i made the final addition of two more females and another male. Well, one of the females i added on friday died and then later today, the male that was added today died. This leaves 5 fish left. Three of them appear to be doing ok, but the other two are just kind of hovering at the bottom. help please.

 

[Keeper]

did you QT the fish you added? They could have brought disease into the tank!! You say the prameters are 'fine'...what are the exace readings?

 

[fishtankfish]

ph 7.2
alkalinity 110
hardness 70
nitrite 0
nitrate 40

 

[fishtankfish]

i did not quarantine the fish, btw.

 

[Keeper]

what did the fish look like that died? Were they bloated? Did the have white spots....or maybe red gills? Hopefully Menagerie pops on....she has a whack of links to check out!!

 

[fishtankfish]

They had no external symptoms. Nothing different about them at all.

 

[Keeper]

i'm afraid I can't help. No idea what could be causing the deaths. Hope the rest of the fish survive and maybe this was just a freak incident. Good luck

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

It was probably sick when you bought it. I bought a molly once and the next day it had ich and popeye.

 

[fishtankfish]

Ok guys, a third one just died and its not looking good for a fourth. I think i might have a bacterial infection in the tank. How do i go about completely cleaning the tank? What should i use?

 

[Cherry Barb]

I'm not so sure we're talking a bacterial problem or illness here. With no visible signs of trauma or illness I believe this is a simple case of overstocking your tank too quickly. Anytime you add fish, you must be sure to not double the amount of fish you have too quickly. You say you added three females last Friday to a tank that only had 1 fish in it. Then you added 3 more fish. You basically added too many fish in too short of a time and your bacteria in the tank was unable to deal with the bio-load. This is pretty common stuff. I'm sorry to have bad news but it is an honest beginner mistake. (I am assuming you are fairly new to this hobby. If I'm wrong I apologize for my assumption.) I think you do a tank cleaning and simply add fish more slowly.

 

[fishtankfish]

Thanks, cherry barb. You are correct in assuming i am new to this.

 

[Cherry Barb]

We were all new once. I can honestly say, "Been there, done that" to alot of stuff. But like me, you joined a great forum and these people here will gladly help when they can. They pulled me through losts of stuff when I was just getting started. Been doin this now for over a year and I still ask lots of questions. And lucky for me no one seems to mind.

Good luck fishtankfish I promise you will enjoy this hobby and learn more everyday.

 

[poppab02]

I agree with cherry barb, your tank probably could not keep of with the fish stocking---going from 1 to 7 fish
You should definitely go get a water testing kit if you don't already have one---ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are what you need. BTW get the drops tests not the little dipping strips.
My guess is that one of those is the culprit behind your fish deaths. Test those levels and you'll probably find the problem.
In the future it is best to add fish slowly especially in a small tank, new tank, or when there are very few fish in an established tank.