# Major tank problem



## Joannej1655 (Nov 17, 2010)

Hi there,

I have a 64 litre tank which has been running since Feb this year. My tank problem first started about 3 weeks ago when my fighter fish and two dwarf gouramis died. I had very high nitrates but my tetras and bottom feeders survived. I used Aqua Detox to get the nitrates down and had my water checked a week later. It was all fine so I got another fighter fish and more tetras. This fighter fish died 5 days later so i had my water tested again and it was fine. I got yet another fighter fish and two gouramis as my other fish seemed ok. The fighter fish and one of the gouramis died. It was so strange as an hour previous to them dying the gourami was eating ok. When I came home he was lying on his side still breathing then died suddenly. I decided to treat the water with Myxazin and today is my fifth day of treatment. I lost a tetra yesterday and have just lost another tetra. I am obviously not going to buy anymore fish until I can work out what is going on. I am going to do a 30% water change tomorrow. Do I put the carbons back into my filter as well? I am so confused as I have never experienced such a high loss of fish before :-(.. Can anyone make any suggestions? I have 1 tetra, 1 gourami. 2 corydorus and one pleco left now.. I have just had a look at my dead tetra and his fins look like they have been eaten. I did see the other tetra attack him last night. Maybe he did that cos he was weak! i really need some advise. I hate losing all these fish..

thanks
jo


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Joanne,

Are you familiar with an aquarium nitrogen cycle? If not, I would suggest you Google it and read up on it - it's THE most vital biological process in a fish tank, if you ask me.

I would do an immediate 50% water change, change the filter carbon, and stop dosing any medications or water treatments EXCEPT for tap water conditioner, a.k.a. tap water dechlorinator, to remove chlorine that might be in your tap water that might be killing your fish.

Losing larger fish like gouramis and bettas is confusing when stacked against tetras surviving (they are notoriously delicate fish), however gouramis and bettas are both very delicate fish as well. Do you have a tank thermometer you could tell what the temperature is at? Tropical fish like the three varieties you have listed prefer temperatures in the 24-27 degrees C range.

Carbon is useful for removing chemical compounds like medications and particulates that give a tank its "pond smell". So the reason I advocate adding fresh carbon is to filter out medication you probably don't need in there - your fish losses strike me as a classic example of an improperly-maintained nitrogen cycle. Read up on it, and let me know if you've done everything you need to to make sure the cycle is up and running BEFORE you added fish. My initial suspicion is that either elevated levels of ammonia or nitrite were your fish's demise.

Just my thoughts though - I'm far from an expert or a professional.


----------



## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

^

adding onto that, I think the Gouramis and Bettas might also be fighting each other. Both will fight each other for their own reasons. That might be the reason you're losing less Tetras vs your Labyrinth fishies.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Water seems fine to me if the Tetras are still doing well, but I never really take too much stock when people say it is fine without listing the values of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. You would do better to get a testing lit of your own, especially at times when you have issues. What are your normal maintenance practices?

Dwarf Gouramis will kill each other, especially in smaller tanks. Not sure if the Betta is getting involved in that, but possibly. Putting so many fish in a small confined tank can cause stress and some fish will even act out of character. Stress alone will kill fish and it sounds like your tank is overcrowded. Gouramis in general do better in 20+ gallon tanks.


----------



## Joannej1655 (Nov 17, 2010)

Hi all,

I am familiar with the nitrogen cycle. My water has been tested 3 times in 3 weeks because of the problems I have been having. My water has been tested fine on all accounts. I do a 20% water change every week and use Stress Coat fish and water conditioner. I also vaccum the gravel every two weeks. I change my filter media every two weeks. I cut the filter media in half so I still have the older filter media in there which contains the bacteria. The temperature in the tank is at 28 degrees. I will do a water change today and put the carbons back in. This is the first problem I have ever had since I upgraded my tank in feb. I will let you know how I get on. Thanks for your replies. 

Jo


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Don't forget to acclimate the fish you put in there. Deaths from improper acclimation can come weeks later. Drip acclimation is the preferred method.


----------



## Joannej1655 (Nov 17, 2010)

jrman83 said:


> Don't forget to acclimate the fish you put in there. Deaths from improper acclimation can come weeks later. Drip acclimation if the preferred method.


I normally put the bag containing the fish in the water for about 20 mins then I put a little tank water in and leave for another 20 mins. Is this ok to do? Its what they advised me to do at my fish shop. I have not lost anymore fish yet so thats good!


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Some acclimation is better than none.


----------



## Joannej1655 (Nov 17, 2010)

Well so far so good!! My remaining Gourami had developed fungus (cotton wool) appearance on one of his eyes about two days ago. I added a fungus treatment and now that is healing very well. Anyway all my remaining fish are doing well. The gourami and my tetras are swimming around happily and they are all eating. Fingers crossed... I am wondering if maybe I got an infected fish and thats what started all the problems. It must had been a parasite in the water.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Good to hear your tank is stabilizing. If you're continuing dosing the fungicide, remove the carbon in your filter - the carbon will filter the meds out of the water. Put it back in when you're done with the medication regimen.


----------



## joevw007 (Jul 6, 2011)

Pigeonfish said:


> ^
> 
> adding onto that, I think the Gouramis and Bettas might also be fighting each other. Both will fight each other for their own reasons. That might be the reason you're losing less Tetras vs your Labyrinth fishies.


i agree, did the bodies of the fish have their fins all ripped up? because if they did the gouramis and the bettas probably went at it. my gourami is the most territorial fish in the tank, and i know how bettas are. dont know if its the best idea to put bettas in with other fish that are territorial.


----------



## Joannej1655 (Nov 17, 2010)

joevw007 said:


> i agree, did the bodies of the fish have their fins all ripped up? because if they did the gouramis and the bettas probably went at it. my gourami is the most territorial fish in the tank, and i know how bettas are. dont know if its the best idea to put bettas in with other fish that are territorial.


No their fins were fine. My betta and Gouramis were fine together. They lived together for quiet a while before I got problems with my tank. I have not lost anymore fish and my tank seems to be settling now. I am not going to add anymore fish for the moment.


----------



## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

Joannej1655 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I change my filter media every two weeks. I cut the filter media in half so I still have the older filter media in there which contains the bacteria.
> 
> Jo


I would suggest not cutting the filter media. When you have your tank water that you're throwing out, remove the sponge/filter media and rinse it out in that water. This way you're able to keep the good bacteria and get the "big stuff" off the filter. 
Also, when you upgrade your tank, patience is a virtue to not ignore. I go at least 4 days to a week of running the filter, some Cycle, and adding a tiny pinch of flake to the water. After that, I like to add a small amount of hardy fish. I used danios, but, the choice is yours. I keep them there for a week until the cycle is complete. 
One other tip is to have liquid test kits. The strips aren't too reliable, but, will work in a pinch. I use them for daily testing. Ammonia is a pain and is sneaky! Hmmm, I suppose I've babbled on enough. Best of luck!

p.s. if you have fish that won't eat them, try adding some live plants. I like my Anacharis. They're very easy to grow and work wonders for the bio-filter! Be prepared for spikes when you first add them. So do this AFTER a complete cycle.


----------



## joevw007 (Jul 6, 2011)

Joannej1655 said:


> No their fins were fine. My betta and Gouramis were fine together. They lived together for quiet a while before I got problems with my tank. I have not lost anymore fish and my tank seems to be settling now. I am not going to add anymore fish for the moment.


good to hear. hope everything goes well


----------

