# Numerous fish deaths



## gracietank1974 (Jan 20, 2013)

Hello,

I have a 29 gallon tank that I once had stocked VERY comfortably with 2 Guorami, 2 Female Swordtail, 1 Male Swordtail, 1 Male/1 Female dalmatian Molly, 1 Pepercori Catfish and 2 Creamcicle Molly, 1 Dwarf Frog, 1 Red Skirt Tetra.

The tank was cycled and all was going great!!!

In the past week, I've lost numerous fish. It started with some type of fungus growing on one of the female swordtail so the local pet store owner suggested I used QuICK Cure to solve this. I tried this for 3 days with no carbon in the filter only to continue loosing more fish.

In the past week I have lost:
1 Gourami,
1 Female Swordtail (the one with the fungus got sacrificed thinking she may be the problem)
2 Dalmation Mollie
1 Pepercori Catfish
2 Creamcicle Mollie

Leaving us only with 1 Guorami, 1 Male Swordtail, 1 Female Swordtail, 1 Dwarf Frog and 1 Red Skirt Tetra.

Did the other fish die from the fungus infection? I never saw any sign of anything on most of them except for the Creamcicle Mollie's.....

I tested the water yesterday and the only thing high was the Nitrate's which where between 40 and 80 on the AP Test Water Kit. I went ahead and did a 40% water change and now have no idea where to go.

I bought some of the Tetra LifeGuard all in one treatment but am thinking about returning it and getting some type of anti-fungal specific treatment after reading reviews what it can do to the tank by removing all beneficial bacteria and causing a recycle.

My current plan is to treat with some type of anti-fungus specific med from PetSmart and then watch the tank for a few days, hopefully not loosing anymore fish. I can hopefully restock after a week.

Please offer any/all advice suggestions of this being a good route to take?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

OK before I try any suggestions a couple of question(you gave good info) but;
1.You say the only thing high was nitrAte,in a cycled tank anything above 0 for ammonia and nitrIte is a red flag,what were your actuall numbers?
2.Any of fish left showing any symptoms?
3.What kind of filter are you using ?
4.How often do you usaully change water and how much?


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## gracietank1974 (Jan 20, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> OK before I try any suggestions a couple of question(you gave good info) but;
> 1.You say the only thing high was nitrAte,in a cycled tank anything above 0 for ammonia and nitrIte is a red flag,what were your actuall numbers?
> 2.Any of fish left showing any symptoms?
> 3.What kind of filter are you using ?
> 4.How often do you usaully change water and how much?



In response to your questions above:
1. The Ammonia and Nitrite were at zero.
2. None of the 3 fish are showing any signs of any of the fungus but none of the other fish were either before they died. 
3. I'm using the Marineland Biowheel 150 filter.
4. While I was cycling the aquarium (I added fish too soon and had a high Nitrite spike) I was doing a 40% water change every other day. Now, I am doing a 30% water change around every 2 weeks. 

I went ahead and bought some of the API FungusCure and am going to start using that tonight.


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## Jim Albright (Jan 22, 2013)

Seem like a lot of fish for a 29g....


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Good chance your fish were effected by the original nitrIte spike as the effects of nitrIte often cause internal injuries(kidney and liver) that can rarely be noticed.Another effect of nitrIte is shortened life span of fish effected.Sorry.Definately treat with a fungas med,following directions and doing full treatment even if symptoms(I know you say no fish are showing anyway) appear to be gone.Good luck.


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

It does seem like quite a few fish for a 29 gallon. You might want to think about doing a 50% water change every week if your going to stock it to the same level as before. Poor water quality can be a cause of fungal infections. Even if your nitrates are at acceptable levels there are still other things that we do not test for that will build up in your aquarium over time.


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## gracietank1974 (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I put in the API fungus cure yesterday and the two swordtail and gourami are both more active than I've seen them in awhile. The green tint to the water is wild!! Lol!!

I was under the impression that I had a really good stocking level after reading online. 
If it was one of your tanks and you like the fish I have In myp original post which would you keep?? If I keep them all but the Dalmatian Molly and one gourami instead of two would that be a good combination?


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The mollies and gouramis are probably the largest of fish you had with swords comming close after.So even just going with out those three (you mentioned) would definately help you with water quality and overall fish health.I would change your water every week instead of every two regardless.Check out this site and see what they say after you enter your info;AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor
Freshwater Advisor Saltwater Advisor Forum Most Popular Fish new 


Intelligent Freshwater Aquarium Stocking Calculator to help you setup correct stocks and filters for your aquariums and tropical fish. (Build 2012 03 29) 
Equipments:

Tank (LxDxH): 30 x 12 x 18 inch (28.1gUS)
Filters: Marineland Penguin 150B 


Selected species: [Edit Species]

2 x Dalmatian Molly (Poecilia latipinna hybrid)
1 x Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia)
2 x Swordtail [Female] (Xiphophorus hellerii)
1 x Swordtail [Male] (Xiphophorus hellerii)
1 x Peppered Cory (Corydoras paleatus)
1 x Red Phantom Tetra (Hyphessobrycon sweglesi)
1 x African Dwarf Frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri)



Recommendations/Warnings/Suggestions/Notes:


Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Dalmatian Molly, minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.
Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Swordtail [Female], minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.
Warning: At least 5 x Red Phantom Tetra are recommended in a group.
Note: African Dwarf Frog are 100% aquatic & should never be out of water. They may jump - lids are recommended. Do not feed freeze-dried or dry pelleted foods which can cause intestinal blockage and death. They are meat eaters and they wont eat flakes. They will eat any fish that will fit in their mouths. Hand feeding recommended if kept in community tanks. Tank depth should not exceed 15 inches because they come up for air and any deeper can be difficult.
Warning: At least 4 x Peppered Cory are recommended in a group.

Recommended temperature range: 23 - 27 C. [Display in Farenheit]
Recommended pH range: 6 - 7.5.
Recommended hardness range: 5 - 15 dH.




Warning: You should add more aquarium filtration capacity.

Your aquarium filtration capacity for above selected species is 82%.
Recommended water change schedule: 25% per week.
Your aquarium stocking level is 87%.



Check out our Aquarium food recommendation article!

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