Overcrowded?

[FishieMomma]

Here's a video of my 55 gal community tank. It may be overcrowded because in the morning the last few mornings, after adding 6 guppies, I keep fining dead fish. Two mornings it was guppies and this morning it was my male swordtail. He was the only male swordtail in there. I don't know who he would have fought with.

Currently I have 2 koi angelfish, 6 guppies (m), 3 Mickey Mouse Platies (f), 8 cory catfish that hang out on the bottom and 10 neon tetras which hand out in the middle.
PH is 7.4 Ammonia 0, NitItes 0, NitrAtes 0

 

[corinne118s]

Maybe the angelfish are attacking the smaller fish? Doesn't seem overcrowded (didn't wath the video). Did you cycle the tank? How old is it? Maybe you added the fish too quickly

 

[absolutangel04]

What all is in the tank? Do you have a test kit to measure water parameters?

 

[FishieMomma]

I fishless cycled the tank the tank last August and keep it the levels for Ammonia, NitrItes and NitrAtes at zero using the API master test kit.

It all started after I added 6 guppies and 3 Cory cats a few days ago.

 

[corinne118s]

Yea I think adding 9 fish one time can be very stressful on the fish and bioload. Did you acclimate them? The ones that died were they new

 

[absolutangel04]

I am guessing the issue is from adding so many new fish. Did you qt them before adding them? Since your params are ok, I am guessing bad stock is a more likely culprit.
Can you please tell us what all is in the tank?
Most cycled tanks should have some nitrates. Yours is planted and that does make a difference though. You have to really shake the heck out the nitrate bottle in the pai test kit ot get it to react properly.

 

[FishieMomma]

Currently I have 2 koi angelfish, 6 guppies (m), 3 Mickey Mouse Platies (f), 8 cory catfish that hang out on the bottom and 10 neon tetras which hang out in the middle.
PH is 7.4 Ammonia 0, NitItes 0, NitrAtes 0

I did not qt anything because I always get my fish from the same lfs -which has never sold me a bad fish.

I agree that I probably added too much at once and freaked everybody out. The male swordtail was the one I found dead today and I've had him since August. I did notice his lips were patchy white yesterday. Not fuzzy, but "color worn away" looking. He was usually nippy to other fish so maybe he met his match.

 

[FishieMomma]

Forgot to add two female swordtails to the list.

 

[absolutangel04]

You are not overstocked IMO. Like I said, you should have some nitrates, but if you are shaking the daylights out of the nitrate bottle and still getting nothing, then your plants are just eating it up.
Guppies are often just given to stores because so many people breed so many of them, so its not surprising that guppies may not be as good of stock as the other fish you are used to getting that same store.
That is a fair amount to add at once, but since the params didn't spike, clearly the bb could handle the bioload, so I wouldn't worry about it.
Quarantining is always a good idea though if you can manage it, even if the store is good. Unless the store is quarantining every fish before they sell it, you will likely eventually probably get a sick fish from there. and then you have to hope it isn't sick with something that will contaminate the whole tank. To be fair though, I don't always quarantine my fish either. It depends on whether I have a free qt or not at the time. It usually works out fine for me, but I have had a couple of issues because of it.

 

[FishieMomma]

Egads! Now one of the new Cories is dead and one of the "old" Cories has white velvet on his head starting with his nose!

What did I introduce?

ETA: I just did a thorough vacuuming (not much to pick up, the gravel/ sand was pretty clean) and changed 25% of the water. I didn't check the parameters as I did that yesterday. I had done my usual pwc of 40% a few days ago. Temp is exactly 80.

 

[absolutangel04]

Can you get a picture?

 

[FishieMomma]

I'll go try.

 

[absolutangel04]

I am not sure what it is from. I am not the best disease diagnoser, so hopefully somebody else can chime in here.
Is the white stuff fuzzy or flat? Maybe a fungus? Is it for sure white?

 

[FishieMomma]

All right, I decided I need an accurate count and check of my tank. I took out all the decorations, vacuumed well (not much to pick up), and am doing a major 50% pwc. even though the water parameters were good according to my API Master Kit.

I found the dying Cory catfish I had posted about yesterday - and he was dead.

So now I have:

4 albino Cory catfish and one stripped Cory.
2 Koi Angelfish (m & f)
2 Mickey Mouse full-grown (f) and two babies that have survived a birthing
2 swordtails full-grown (f)
7 guppies (m)
10-12 neon tetras
Several ghost shrimp and lots of cherry shrimp
A few moss balls

Hopefully, that is the end if the deaths. If I ever get more fish I'll do it much more slowly.

Open to feedback on my current stock list. I just want them to be happy and healthy.

 

[FishieMomma]

The plague continues.

Found another dead guppy. No physical signs of damage or sickness. I am wondering if the live brine shrimp I added when I added the new fish last Monday included some kind of contaminant. The deaths, mostly guppies, have been both new and older fish. As have the Cory deaths. I really thought the 60% pwc I ended up doing yesterday as well as taking out and double checking all the wood and fake plants would have solved the mystery.

The only chemical I use is Prime. Will go and check the parameters again with my API Master Test kit.
ETA: 7.4 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 20 nitrates

 

[corinne118s]

Brine shrimp live in salt water so yes you added salt which some fish are extra sensitive to. I'm not sure if guppies are and thats what killed him but just a thought. Id try to wash the fish in a little cup of tank water first before adding them. Other than that I don't know what else could have killed him

 

[FishieMomma]

Ahhh, that makes sense! In addition to too many fish at once, maybe I messed up the chemistry with salt water! Hopefully the mega water change and now-decreased population will end the fatalities.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Very beautiful tank!! Thank you for sharing and I hope you dont lose anymore fish.

 

[FishieMomma]

Thanks! Hoping tomorrow goes well.

 

[ocminpin]

Your tank is gorgeous! I hope to upgrade and make one ad beautiful as that one day...
I hope things start looking up and you have no more deaths!