What is wrong with my tank!!!

[SilverDragon]

*Sigh* I am getting so frustrated with fish keeping Im ready to give up.

Ive had 2 Gouramis die on me in this tank so I decided to switch to something a little more hardy. Right now I have a female black molly and a male fancy guppy in with 2 corys(in my 5.5 gal). Well yesterday I noticed the guppy has a split tail (its not a nip from another fish , its definately a rip) and Ive read that guppies are prone to that. So I put in some Melafix and Coppersafe just to be safe. Well now he doesnt do much but hang out at the surface.. and on top of that, the molly now has a tightly clamped dorsal fin that she refuses to open up.

Would those meds cause the molly to do that? Shes showing no other symptoms.

Im starting to wonder if my tank just sucks or something (lol). Do I need a better filter? Maybe the water quality is bad. I do a large water change and gravel syphon every week and the water is never cloudy. The filter I have is an Aqua-Tech for a 5-15 gal. purchased at Walmart.

Im starting to feel like my tank is cursed.


PS The cory cats are quite active and happy.

 

[richiestang_78]

Never heard of Aqua Tech so dont know what to tell you about chagning to a different filter. You should get a test kit and post your results on here. I like the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit, it has everything you need.

 

[Menagerie]

You need to answer the full array of Qs asked of all ill fish owners to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment (some of these Qs you have already answered):

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?


I would get the water quality parameters and then do a massive water change to take out the Coppersafe. Melafix is fine when dealing with split fins and helps prevent secondary infection. Due to the small tank size, water parameters can quickly get out of hand (I don't know if that's what happened) and you may find a larger tank is easier to care for.

 

[perle]

The tank doesn't sound overloaded but it is still very small. That will make it subject to wide swings in water quality. If you could test water parameters mid-day and mid-night for 10 days or so and track your results then you would get a good idea what was going on.

I think you should resist the temptation to put in chemicals. It is hard to not want to "do something" when your fish are in trouble but perhaps you can satisfy your urge to mess with the tank by testing the water instead of adding chemicals. Usually the best thing you can do is do a partial water change and just wait.

If I were you I would have just left the guppy alone. But I am no expert. Follow Menagerie's advice above...

~perle

 

[Ky'smommy]

i had that filter to. And it worked for a while then crapped out right away. It worked but it got gross fast so we had to change to a new filter. It will work.
but if your eventually going to get a bigger tank for more fish then i would suggest in my opinion. To just keep up on the tank and keep the filter . Then when your readyget a bigger tank and a different filter
Goodluck

 

[Zagz]

Don't give up on this hobby. I promise that you will get through this. Go through the questions Menagerie posted and answer them and hopefully we'll all be able to help you figure this out. I would not continue the coppersafe for now. Melafix is ok to use as it is mild and natural.

Aqua tech is a Walmart brand filter isn't it? I have one and it was adequate, not the best but ok. I would get an Aqua clear HOB for your tank. I have a 5 gal I use for QT and use an A/C 20 on it with no difficulties. I find that on my 5 gal I do water changes every 2 days as what Menagerie says is very true. Parameters can go haywire very quickly.

Hang in there. It will be worth it.

 

[SilverDragon]

Well thanks for the advice, but Im sad to say the guppy died last night. I have no idea what was wrong, but his tail was getting smaller and smaller.

So everyone thinks that Coppersafe is a bad idea?.. maybe thats what put the last nail in his coffin. I dont currently have a ammonia/nitrate test kit.. I cant seem to find one. But I do know that I have very hard water.. the pH is around 7.5.

Do you think the Coppersafe is whats stressing out the molly? I plan on doing a large water change tomorrow as usual, and Ill skip the Coppersafe. Could lack of salt be a factor in the guppys death? I dont imagine Walmart used salt in their tank though.

And to answer some of the questions:
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability . Fancy Guppy- split tail, looks infected.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values. I only know the pH-7.5 , temp 81 F
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up? 5.5 gal. Ive had it about a year.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known. Aqua Tech for 5-15 gal (Walmart brand)
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes? two young cory cats, one black female molly
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time? did a 40% water change yesterday, I do a 50% or more change once a week.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them? I only had the guppy for 6 days, he came from walmart, and was seemingly happy for the first couple days.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.? no
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently? Tetramin tropical flakes or granules, occasional dried bloodworms. no change in diet.

I hope someone can tell me if I should try to get another guppy or maybe suggest a better suited small fish for this tank.

 

[Alshain]

Never heard of Aqua Tech so dont know what to tell you about chagning to a different filter.

Aqua Tech = Marine Land FYI. The Aqua Tech 5 is an Eclipse 5 tank. Same tank different marketing name. I think the filters are the same way.

I'm sorry for your loss SilverDragon

 

[Menagerie]

I dont currently have a ammonia/nitrate test kit.. I cant seem to find one.

www.bigalsonline.ca and any pet store. The kits are not large and easily walked by.
I would not add copper to any tank, unless I had to, and Melafix is a fine product for tail and fin problems.
Hold off on adding any fish until you know what the water parameters are. Fancy guppies (any fish with flowing tails) are prone to fin rot, which is exacerbated by poor water quality.

 

[SilverDragon]

Yes I read that about mollies.. that they are prone to fin rot.. but Im positive it was a split tail at first (from flapping in the current or injured on an ornament) and it looks like it got infected and turned into tail rot.

As for the test kits, Ive looked and looked and cant find any.. but I will keep looking. Is there any treatment I can buy to be safe until I find a test kit ?(for ammonia and nitrates).. like Tank Buddies or something that controls ammonia?

In addition, the molly is looking pretty worse for wear tonight.. shes sitting on the bottom and I dont expect her to make it.... IM SO FRUSTRATED!!... I immediately did a very large water change tonight to get rid of the Coppersafe... dont know if its too late for her. Why are the corycats not affected by all this?

If it is poor water quality, I just dont understand why... weekly large water changes and gravel syphons, the water is treated for chlorine etc.... and its NEVER cloudy. What am I doing wrong???

 

[Menagerie]

Fish, like humans, suffer from disease in different ways. We all know someone who gets ill if you sneeze in their presence and the person who NEVER gets even a stuffy nose no matter if the whole office comes down with something.

The best thing to control for ammonia and nitrite is PWC--those chemicals are not worth it. What I don't understand is if the chemicals are available, why aren't the test kits? Bring in a water sample to the LFS and ask them to test it; although, with all the PWC, it should test just fine. I can’t tell if this is poor water quality or plain bad luck in picking fishes.

Yes I read that about mollies.. that they are prone to fin rot.. but Im positive it was a split tail at first (from flapping in the current or injured on an ornament) and it looks like it got infected and turned into tail rot.

I’m confused—the guppy that died started with a split fin then suffered from fin rot and now the molly is ill with fin rot? What are the symptoms (aside from sitting on the bottom)?

I feel like we’re all missing something since you do “weekly large water changes and gravel syphons, the water is treated for chlorine etc.... and its NEVER cloudy.”

 

[SilverDragon]

No the molly isnt suffering from fin rot or anything... she just looks thinner and weaker and sits at the bottom.. she perked up a lot after my big water change last night, but shes sitting under an ornament this morning.. I dont understand.

She never showed any signs of being sick until the guppy was introduced. (and now hes dead)... she may have some completely different illness.. or maybe the guppy was carrying something and thats why he died... Ive never heard of a fish dying from tail rot that quickly.. the guppy must have had another infection.

 

[SilverDragon]

Well my molly is now dead. I did another 45% water change today and gravel syphon and she still stayed on the bottom breathing heavily. Weird thing though, every once in a while she would start swimming around all crazy, like flipping upside down and around, then settle back on the bottom.. it was quite freaky looking actually.

I took her out of the main tank and shes in a bowl now awaiting the pearly gates. Im not sure, but it stands to reason that a dead fish in the tank would release toxins from its body and possibly infect other fish....

Im depressed.