We have had two bettas and a cory catfish die this week.
5.5 gallon aquarium with top fin 10 power filter and heater. For the last six months it has been divided and the two bettas and a snail shared it(the first betta has lived there a year). Everything was fine. But we are newbies and didn't understand cycling or the importance of water changes. Long times between water changes. The fish seemed fine and so only worried about it when we saw algae or cloudy water.
But last week we decided to move one of the bettas to a bowl and get 3 dwarf frogs and the catfish. I know this was probably overloading it. Also being newbies we thought it would be a good idea to do a 50% water change and change the filter before we put the new animals in. In the first 24 hours the betta began to loose his fins and in 48 he was dead. It looked like fin rot, but it was very quick. I bought a water testing kit with the test tubes and we tested the water. (For the first time I learned about cycling) The ph 8-8.2, ammonia 0, nitrites 2.0-5.0, and nitrates 40-80. We immediately did a water change (because now we had read some and learned about cycling). We started to think that because we threw out all our good bacteria when we changed the filter and we had dirtied up the tank with the frozen bloodworms for the new frogs, and that the betta was more susceptible because he was older and we had not be changing his water like we should for some time, maybe this was why he died.
The next day I tested the ammonia and the nitrites and they were both 0, but then the catfish had a red spot on his side- I think it was his gills. I tried to google it, and it seemed that most people thought that if you changed the water it would go away. So we didn't risk feeding and I tested the tank again the next day and the ammonia and nitrite levels were still 0 and the red spot seemed to have gone away. We were feeling better about everything so the next day we moved the other betta in and fed everyone frozen bloodworms. Last night the catfish died and this morning the betta died. I tested the water again this morning for everything and the ph is 7.4-7.8, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0.
I just want to try and understand what happened so I don't make the same mistake again. We have loved our fish tank and we were thinking about upgrading before all this happened. Any help is greatly appreciated.
5.5 gallon aquarium with top fin 10 power filter and heater. For the last six months it has been divided and the two bettas and a snail shared it(the first betta has lived there a year). Everything was fine. But we are newbies and didn't understand cycling or the importance of water changes. Long times between water changes. The fish seemed fine and so only worried about it when we saw algae or cloudy water.
But last week we decided to move one of the bettas to a bowl and get 3 dwarf frogs and the catfish. I know this was probably overloading it. Also being newbies we thought it would be a good idea to do a 50% water change and change the filter before we put the new animals in. In the first 24 hours the betta began to loose his fins and in 48 he was dead. It looked like fin rot, but it was very quick. I bought a water testing kit with the test tubes and we tested the water. (For the first time I learned about cycling) The ph 8-8.2, ammonia 0, nitrites 2.0-5.0, and nitrates 40-80. We immediately did a water change (because now we had read some and learned about cycling). We started to think that because we threw out all our good bacteria when we changed the filter and we had dirtied up the tank with the frozen bloodworms for the new frogs, and that the betta was more susceptible because he was older and we had not be changing his water like we should for some time, maybe this was why he died.
The next day I tested the ammonia and the nitrites and they were both 0, but then the catfish had a red spot on his side- I think it was his gills. I tried to google it, and it seemed that most people thought that if you changed the water it would go away. So we didn't risk feeding and I tested the tank again the next day and the ammonia and nitrite levels were still 0 and the red spot seemed to have gone away. We were feeling better about everything so the next day we moved the other betta in and fed everyone frozen bloodworms. Last night the catfish died and this morning the betta died. I tested the water again this morning for everything and the ph is 7.4-7.8, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0.
I just want to try and understand what happened so I don't make the same mistake again. We have loved our fish tank and we were thinking about upgrading before all this happened. Any help is greatly appreciated.
