# Tank disaster



## angvalanche (Jan 25, 2012)

Okay, bare with me as i try to catch you up on my situation. I set up my tank about a month ago in my new apartment with fish i already owned before i moved. I have 2 corydoras and 2 male guppies. I let the tank run with 3 live java ferns and my 4 fish. I have a tonne of snails in my tank, but i don't mind since i also have a horrid algae problem. Anyway, the tank looked a little lonely, so i decided to buy 2 more guppies and 4 neons (i used to have neons but they died during the move  ). I stupidly bought a guppy with ick, and didn't notice until after putting him in the tank. He died the same day i bought him. I treated the tank for Ick with a fizz tablet i bought from the pet store. It turned my tank blue, and everyone seemed to be doing all right. Then the 2nd guppy died, followed by 2 neons. I did a 50% water change with treated water to see if things would change. A day later, and my 2 guppies are laying on the gravel breathing rapidly, and my 2 corydoras are laying on the gravel hardly moving much. All 4 fish have shredded, clamped looking fins. 

I have water set aside to do a water change again tomorrow. I have no idea how to fix the situation. It's a 10gal tank and have a heater keeping the temperature at around 74F. I've got a filter and a fluorescent light bulb that i used a few hours a day to keep the plants alive. As of right now, i have 1 neon left, 2 guppies and 2 corydoras. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point, because i love these fish! 

(please don't lecture me on buying sick fish from stupid pet stores, i feel terrible about it already...)


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## clep.berry (Mar 4, 2012)

You have my sympathies - and sure, one could talk about all the things you could have done but that won't help anyone.
For a 10G, two cory and two guppies isn't far off from stocked and Snails also produce a bio-load for your filtration. 
You don't mention water parameters at all and maybe that's the problem - you could have extremely high Nitrate levels causing the problem or a severe pH balance issue and wou wouldn't know about it.
I'd suggest losing all the snails, daily water changes treating the water obviously and seeing what specific diseases the symptoms point to AFTER testing the water.
Hope this points you in the right direction.
cb


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Do a 25-30% water change everyday for the next 5-7 days - fish should improve. Ph and softness of your water at your new location could be an issue. If it is too soft to hold your ph steady it will fluctuate or go uncontrolled one way or the other - this alone will kill your fish. Get a test kit and test everything.


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

I agree, testing the tank parameters will help. You said the tanks been set up for amonth...is that in total, or just at the new place? If you started fresh with a new tank it may be cycling.


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## angvalanche (Jan 25, 2012)

The tank has been set up for a month in the new place. The water is a lot softer since its lake water, rather than ground water like before. How would i get rid of the snail infestation without harming my fish?


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

There is no chemical snail killer that won't harm fish as well. It may not kill them, but it'll be bad.
I'm sorry to say, but every water change is my snailacidal maniac morning - I remove them manually and give them a new home with my turtles. I have reduced populations by putting a small pellet at the back of a net, and harvesting the little shelled swine by the dozens, if you time it right. The little egg eating %^&^% are a pest.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Snails can become a problem if you feed too much, maybe you need to cut back on the food a little.


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## angvalanche (Jan 25, 2012)

Just an update:

After doing two 25% water changes, my fish are doing better. Everyone's fins are opening up and they are swimming again. They also have a healthy appetite  On their way to recovery! 

As for the snails i've been suggested to put a zucchini in there and wait until all the snails gather to eat it, and then take it out with the snails. I'll give it a shot and see if it works  thanks again for all your help!


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