Fish that just don't thrive?

[lyquidphyre]

My 75gal is very UNDER stocked at the moment yet ever so often I get fish that just don't thrive.
I purchased two albino kribs a few months back, and later I purchased two normal kribs- all relativly the same size. Well, today I found both my albino's dead out of the blue.

Also, I purchased an angel fish to accompany the one I already had and while my other one grows thicker and stronger, this one has stayed the same size, and seems to be dying, too.

Does this happen to anyone else? I'm almost 100% positive it isn't my tank.. it's just a bummer to get "bad" fish.

 

[severum mama]

Yes, I agree, it is a bummer. I picked up 6 juvenile angels last year, hoping to get a pair, and all 6 made it about 3-4 months before dying. I tested the water frequently, and at the time of deaths NH3 and nitrite were 0, and nitrates were under 15 ppm. My attempt to keep GBR's in that tank lasted less than a month (although one of the gold rams did great). I lost one out of 3 dwarf pikes in my 55 gallon SA/CA tank recently, and 4 out of my 5 pygmy corys have croaked in my 10 gallon after 2 months. All my tanks get 30-50% pwc's every 7-14 days and perams always check out.

I think it happens to everyone sometimes.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I'm sure you've done PWC's as well, just to make sure it's not the water. But another option to try, if you haven't, is to run a bunch of Activated Carbon to be sure, it will strip any bad stuff out of the water.

The only other thing is the fish could have been sick as well.

 

[WaterPond]

yep, just like my inability to keep male guppies.

I am also tried GBRs with no luck. I have 2 baby angles ATM and they seem to be doing great.

 

[lyquidphyre]

I'm sure you've done PWC's as well, just to make sure it's not the water. But another option to try, if you haven't, is to run a bunch of Activated Carbon to be sure, it will strip any bad stuff out of the water.

The only other thing is the fish could have been sick as well.

Would a UV sterilizer get rid of the same stuff carbon would? All my other fish are going fantastic which makes me wonder if its just the fish

 

[fish_4_all]

Up until the middle fo this year I could never keep otos alive. Then I got 4 of them and they have been happy ever since. Sometimes it just happens or we miss the spike that causes it and never know what happened.

 

[hc8719]

Would a UV sterilizer get rid of the same stuff carbon would? All my other fish are going fantastic which makes me wonder if its just the fish

what i think wolf meant, was, carbon removes toxins (i guess) and cloudiness in water, where as UV sterilizers get rid of bacteria, and other living things that get sucked in.

they dont do the same thing, unfortuantely

 

[docrak]

I’ve experienced this several times. I figure there are many different reasons for this occurring:

1) Wild caught fish have a hard time adjusting to aquarium life. Many carry parasites or other diseases that will limit their life span. Wild caught plecos are famous for this. I’ve had some that wouldn’t eat and within a couple weeks to a month were dead.

2) Trade in fish that have been exposed to toxins such as ammonia, nitrite or even over medicated. These fish appear healthy but have damaged organs or burned our gill and can’t breathe properly.

3) Genetically inferior fish due to inbreeding. I’ve had this happen with my mollies. The baby fish would never reach the potential of the parents. I’ve also have this problem with angelfish. I purchased 7 fish all the same several months ago. All grew at different rates and three stayed small and never grew at all. This isn’t my first experience with pygmy angles. I know the fish are from a local breeder and have to suspect his genetic stock is getting week.

4) Large breeders using growth enhancers or hormones to promote growth. I suspect some fish such a guppies are rushed to market so quickly that they use all sorts of chemicals to grow the males quicker. It takes me 6 to 9 months to grow a live breeder to maturity. Some of these farms to it in less than half the time.

 

[tropicfishman]

I've had a few bad fish myself, its a bummer, you end exhuasting all your resources to determine it was just an unhealthy fish, such as my 2 zebra danios, first clown loach and one of my ramshorn snails, they all disapeared outta no where, never found a body for any of the fish, for the snail I found an empty shell and trap door thing, no bodys, I think my tiger barbs shed them up before I can find them