zorcher
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I have a 38 gallon aquarium that has been set up for 1 year. It is stocked with 5 minor tetras, 1 swordtail, 3 cory cats, 1 blue ram, and 1 silver dollar. I also had 1 dwarf gourami.
I had had the dwarf gourami for approximately six months when he died overnight. I did not notice any signs of sickness or stress. I absolutely love how the fish looked, so I immediately bought a second one to replace the one that died. The second one appeared lethargic, and died within 3 days. I thought maybe it was just bad luck, so I bought a third dwarf gourami from a different store. He died in two days.
I am not into killing fish, so I will not be getting any more. I would, however, love some intelligent advice on this issue as I have only had the aquarium for 1 year and am interested in gaining wisdom / knowledge. Do I have an underlying problem with my aquarium that I did not know about?
My water readings are always: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates, pH 8.0. I change approx. 25% of the water each week, and the numbers never fluctuate. The temperature stays at approx. 79 to 81 degrees. All my other fish are perfectly healthy. I know the pH is a little high, but all the other fish adjust well to it. I also know that I was pushing the limits on overstocking, but because my numbers don't fluctuate, I figured I was still okay.
Any intelligent input would be greatly appreciated.
I had had the dwarf gourami for approximately six months when he died overnight. I did not notice any signs of sickness or stress. I absolutely love how the fish looked, so I immediately bought a second one to replace the one that died. The second one appeared lethargic, and died within 3 days. I thought maybe it was just bad luck, so I bought a third dwarf gourami from a different store. He died in two days.
I am not into killing fish, so I will not be getting any more. I would, however, love some intelligent advice on this issue as I have only had the aquarium for 1 year and am interested in gaining wisdom / knowledge. Do I have an underlying problem with my aquarium that I did not know about?
My water readings are always: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates, pH 8.0. I change approx. 25% of the water each week, and the numbers never fluctuate. The temperature stays at approx. 79 to 81 degrees. All my other fish are perfectly healthy. I know the pH is a little high, but all the other fish adjust well to it. I also know that I was pushing the limits on overstocking, but because my numbers don't fluctuate, I figured I was still okay.
Any intelligent input would be greatly appreciated.
