Lt.
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I'm having an issue with a fish die off. I've got a 20G long that's been set up for 2 years now, sand bottom with some Christmas Moss on a driftwood and some plant (anubias?) That I was given at Petco (only place besides Walmart with fishies in my town).
Backstory:
Anyways, I can't decide if I'm losing fish due to bad stock from Petco, or if it's somehow my doing. Last week I revamped the tank, been working out of town for a few months and my folks were taking care of it for me. It had a handful of cories, 5 black neons, and artificial plants. It got... Messy. During my time away, 3 or so months. Limited water changes, no cleaning.
Uneaten food and fish waste all over, so I vacced that up well, changed half the water, replaced the charcoal and debris catch in my filter (leaving the bio-sponge alone to save bacteria), and swapped out my cories for a dozen RC Shrimp, 6 neons, and a single new black neon to give them "symmetry" in numbers. If you follow me, haha.
The problems set in now...
Well, next day I wake up to 5 dead neons, a dead back neon (the new one, I can tell by size as the others are well over a year old and grown), 2 dead shrimp, and the survivors hiding in the brush all pale colored). I fish out all but one carcass (have a treat my shrimpy friends), replace 60% of the water, and fetch free replacements from Petco. They do well that day, everyone is active, colorful and happy, and the next day as well...
But two days after the first die off, water change, and new fish replacement... I wake up to 6 carcasses and pale hiding fish again, all the fish are alive though. I retrieve the remains and perform a 21 flush salute to them, do a 70% water change, no new fish today. By early afternoon they're all alive and swimming again.
Then... A die off the next day of two more fish with the rest hiding. I'm down to 4 black neon and my shrimp. I pull the bodies, water change, happy fish again... Get replacements. Another die off the next day and I'm down to 5 neons and 4 black neons (all shrimp still alive... Thankfully).
Now 4 days later I'm doing 50% water changes daily, and the fish are all still alive, no more die offs.
Levels read:
PH 8.0
.25ppm ammonia
0 nitrites
5ppm nitrates.
Backstory:
Anyways, I can't decide if I'm losing fish due to bad stock from Petco, or if it's somehow my doing. Last week I revamped the tank, been working out of town for a few months and my folks were taking care of it for me. It had a handful of cories, 5 black neons, and artificial plants. It got... Messy. During my time away, 3 or so months. Limited water changes, no cleaning.
Uneaten food and fish waste all over, so I vacced that up well, changed half the water, replaced the charcoal and debris catch in my filter (leaving the bio-sponge alone to save bacteria), and swapped out my cories for a dozen RC Shrimp, 6 neons, and a single new black neon to give them "symmetry" in numbers. If you follow me, haha.
The problems set in now...
Well, next day I wake up to 5 dead neons, a dead back neon (the new one, I can tell by size as the others are well over a year old and grown), 2 dead shrimp, and the survivors hiding in the brush all pale colored). I fish out all but one carcass (have a treat my shrimpy friends), replace 60% of the water, and fetch free replacements from Petco. They do well that day, everyone is active, colorful and happy, and the next day as well...
But two days after the first die off, water change, and new fish replacement... I wake up to 6 carcasses and pale hiding fish again, all the fish are alive though. I retrieve the remains and perform a 21 flush salute to them, do a 70% water change, no new fish today. By early afternoon they're all alive and swimming again.
Then... A die off the next day of two more fish with the rest hiding. I'm down to 4 black neon and my shrimp. I pull the bodies, water change, happy fish again... Get replacements. Another die off the next day and I'm down to 5 neons and 4 black neons (all shrimp still alive... Thankfully).
Now 4 days later I'm doing 50% water changes daily, and the fish are all still alive, no more die offs.
Levels read:
PH 8.0
.25ppm ammonia
0 nitrites
5ppm nitrates.