# Sudden Fish Deaths



## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

Every once in a while I will have what appears to be a perfectly healthy fish suddenly lose most of its swim function and drift listlessly in the aquarium where it dies an hour or so later. No signs of previous ailments, fish seem perfectly healthy and healthy bright colors. It happens to my small fish like neon tetras or some of my rasbora species. Anyone have experience with this?


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

What are your water parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Also, is your tank cycled?


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

Yeah, tank fully cycled. Water healthy.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Can you tell us your actual water parameters? Opinions can vary on what is considered "healthy" water.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The numbers in your signature really can't be right?0 ammonia and nitrite are to be expected in a cycled tank,but if you have 0 nitrate you change more water then me,Ben and Susan added up,or are not testing properly or accurately.
Possibly something else is going on in your tank ,but I question it being cycled or you knowing how to test correctly?
When fish die within hours is it after you change water or do anything special?
What do you add to your tank and what is your waterchanges schedule and volume?
You're not getting glass cleaner or any "air fresheners"(anything aerosol) in the tank are you?
If the tetras are all small then maybe the angel is killing them ,but not eating them?


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Can I also add that if you're adjusting your ph to keep it at 7 that's stressful on the fish as well. If yours is naturally 7, then wow and congrats.


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

coralbandit said:


> The numbers in your signature really can't be right?0 ammonia and nitrite are to be expected in a cycled tank,but if you have 0 nitrate you change more water then me,Ben and Susan added up,or are not testing properly or accurately.
> Possibly something else is going on in your tank ,but I question it being cycled or you knowing how to test correctly?
> When fish die within hours is it after you change water or do anything special?
> What do you add to your tank and what is your waterchanges schedule and volume?
> ...



Yeah, those are my numbers believe it or not. The zero nitrates is due to the fact I have a lot of live plants so they consume the nitrates as soon as they are produced. If I go two weeks or so without any water changes, the nitrates will show up in the tests again. And the 7 pH is how good the water is here. I do nothing to tweak the pH. It comes out of the tap that way. Never realized that I was that lucky haha

Anyway, my line of thought on this problem is that one of several things could be going on. At first I thought perhaps the fish just run into a jet of water and knock themselves silly. But I have never witnessed that and I do not blast the water in the aquarium that hard. I also thought about maybe something electrical with my water heater was shocking the fish, but it seems fine and I feel nothing if I handle the heater in the water. Even though my water quality is fantastic, I have read about heavily planted aquariums building up pockets of sulfur in the soil over time if the soil is not well aerated but that tends to burn the fish and these fish look 100% healthy. Lastly I have wondered if they are somehow getting the bends. I have noticed that the deaths seem to happen within hours or a day or two after a water change. I haven't been able to discount this last theory. I just always thought it would only be an issue if my aquarium was like super deep or something.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

You're treating your water with dechlorinator when changing your water?


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

Yes.


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

Stumped.


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

I guess for now, I will go with the theory they are getting the bends or something like it. While doing water changes I will be more mindful and see if that helps. Like I said, it does not happen all the time, but enough to leave me scratching my head. Thanks guys for trying to problem solve this with me.


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

GreenyFunkyMonkey said:


> Yeah, those are my numbers believe it or not. The zero nitrates is due to the fact I have a lot of live plants so they consume the nitrates as soon as they are produced.


Plants or not, you can't have 0 PPM Nitrates if the tank is cycled and you have any sort of bio-load. 
I think your test kit isn't working properly or your using additives that are interfering with the readings. 

If your plants are working that well please send me some of that magical little greenery. *w3


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## Buerkletucson (Apr 8, 2014)

As far as your fish death goes......

How many fish have you actually lost?
Your fish source has a lot to do with it IMHO......if all else looks good and other fish are healthy with good water conditions I chalk it up to sub-par specimens to begin with. 

Not all fish suppliers are created equal........low ball prices at discount houses are that way for a reason because their stock is sub-par............with less than stellar handling during shipping also.


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## alhays31808 (Aug 27, 2011)

I've had that same problem. One day they're perfectly healthy, the next or same day their either dead or swimming at the surface, dying a slow and painful death. I don't always buy fish, since this rarely happens.


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey (Nov 27, 2012)

Not sure why having such a low Nitrate number is freaking out everyone. If it makes everyone feel better, I do have nitrates, but they are so low, that they do not really register on the API test kit.. the chemicals just stay yellow at such a low number. The only thing I can say is to make sure your aquarium is not over populated, do not over feed (I feed my fish once a day), and change 20-30% of your aquarium water once a week. The type of filter you have does make a difference... I had a hang-on-the-back waterfall filter... totally sucked... went to a fluval canister filter... nitrates started dropping noticeable week to week. Also, test your tap water. Some people's tap water may have nitrates in it. Luckily, mine does not. I can assure everyone, that my aquarium test results are not a fluke or a mistake. My current setup is more than 2 years old. 

Well, I hope this helps for those who are interested in mastering nitrate levels.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Really could be from the water changes!
Read this thread and the links in it ,then do some research on Gas bubble disease.When yoou said the bends it was the first thing I thought of.
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f5/gbd-gas-bubble-disease-42992.html?highlight=gas+bubble+disease
And not to be disrespectfull and I will admit my tank is over stocked but 180 is so crammed with plants they are growing out of it(into the air!).My nitrates are 40 everyweek!


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