# Fish are dying in filter



## eap246 (May 3, 2010)

Hi
I just set up a new aquarium (10 gallon) and its been running for a little over a month now.

Start:
2 Sunset fire platies (they had one set of babies and ate them all, one platy died yesterday by getting stuck in filter suction holes)
1 Sliver minnow

1 Week after start:
1 red tail black shark
1 Black Balloon Belly Molly (died two days after)
1 Cremecicle Lyretail Molly (died four days after i got it by getting stuck in filter suction holes)
1 Silver Tetra (died the day after i got it)

2 weeks after start:
2 Red wag swordtails (one died today by getting stuck in filter suction holes)
1 Pleco (died two days ago, it came out from its regular fake rock cave hiding sport for one day and stuck to glass, then the next day, it was flipped over and dead)

Another problem i have is the redtailed black shark is aggressively chasing the other fish and nipping on the fins and scales of other fish slowly eating them away and leaving only bones

Can someone please help me with this filter issue and the shark issue?


----------



## jeffro0050 (Apr 4, 2010)

eap246 said:


> Hi
> I just set up a new aquarium (10 gallon) and its been running for a little over a month now.
> 
> Start:
> ...


Okay, first thing

A solution I read to the filter woes is to simply wrap a sponge of some kind around the intake. Not only should this save your fish, it also creates an additional biological medium for cycling bacterium.

Secondly, sharks are almost always bad tank mates with other species- If I'm not mistaken red-tails are the most aggressive one you can buy at most pet stores. Any predatory fish will likely chase all your others until they get stressed and worn out. Thats probably why they got stuck in the filter to begin with.

I'd say return the shark or keep him with his own species, do water tests to make sure there isn't something else killing your fish and that your cycle is done.


----------



## eap246 (May 3, 2010)

OK so from the time i posted that and until now, the other platy got stuck in the filter suction wholes and died. 

The cycle is done according to the pet store people who tested my water. They told me the shark would be okay with these fish but i guess your right and they were wrong.

Now about the sponge, wont that put extra strain on the filter and ruin it?

And should i be feeding the shark something other than flaked food to bring down some Carnivorous aggression?


----------



## jeffro0050 (Apr 4, 2010)

I'm not so sure it will ruin it, but to be safe, do a little research on the web about this- putting a sponge over the filter was something I believe I read on aquamaniacs- 

A lot of the time an aggressive species gets less aggressive with more of the same species in the tank. Exodons are a good example. In small groups they kill each other, but in large ones they are non-aggressive.

Aggression usually isn't carnivorous activity, but territorial, especially considering your shark is killing species that are the same size as he is. Fish(except maybe oscars and other aggressive cichlids) typically will not try to eat anything that looks like more trouble than its worth due to the risk of injury. There are also a lot of DIY sponge filter recipes that are pretty dang easy to do all over the web. 

If petco is where you're getting fish, read their "semi-aggressive" label as "Very aggressive". They sell sharks commonly, although sharks are seldom ever a good choice for anyone but a shark enthusiast. The common bala shark gets to be over a foot long. All in all, as the name suggests (shark) they don't make great community fish unless you have a gigantic tank.

If fish are getting stuck in a HOB filter then its almost certainly because they are so stressed that they are just drifting with the current and are too weak to get away when they drift near the filter. 

How strong is your filter? If its a 10-20(as it should be) the sucking current isn't very strong... I've seen people put 100 gallon filters on 10 gal tanks.. but that doesn't seem too wise as a filter that strong is likely creating enough sucking force to pull everything in the tank in its direction. If you Really want extreme filtration then I suggest a different method than the standard HOB- there's lots of good ones that filter water very well without a single powerful sucking point that can be hazardous to fish.


----------



## eap246 (May 3, 2010)

I have an aqueon quiet flow 10.

As for where i get my fish, the shark is from petco (haha) but i have three exotic aquarium fish stores near my home they have tons of cool fish. What do you suggest i should put in my tank in terms of getting along with the shark. Lets assume i take out all the "calm" fish. Whats a good colorful and active fish stock that would go well with the shark that i currently have. I like the shark's constant movement and distinct colors.

Thanks a lot btw


----------



## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

If your wanting to keep the shark I would suggest getting at least 29 gal tank as they will get to 6 inches and a 10 gal will stress them out as there won't be enough room for him to stake its territory.


----------



## jeffro0050 (Apr 4, 2010)

After looking around on the web the only information I could find was that in order for them to not be ultra aggressive, they need a larger tank :/


And hmm, I have the exact same filter- It is definitely not strong enough to suck up healthy fish


----------



## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*Im surprised I dont have any babies platies getting sucked up. I have a Marineland 150 no sponge. Rated for 30 gallons in a 20 gallon aquarium. And I have what it seems like a hundred baby platies.....(Sometimes I wish they get sucked up. Just kidding ). My intake end is about halfway deep in the tank and is densely planted. Ive noticed the babies are always in hiding and never come out unless they are older. 

You can try adding more plants in the back for shelter and safety? And raise the intake? Babies tend to swim near the bottom is what Ive noticed.*


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

I'll finish reading this thread in a sec but wanted to post a quick reply to what I read in the first couple of post.

Let's address the shark first and foremost....He's gotta go. Either a bigger tank or return to LFS. No matter what anyone will tell you, a shark will not do well in a 10g. Another no-no...do not put two sharks together in the same tank. Reds, Rainbows, silver-tip (actually a catfish). You think you have problems now. ;o)

Filter. I'm very suspicious that your filter is causing the issues. You have suffered too many losses that I would even remotely blame on the filter. Sounds to me that they fish are sickly or already passed before getting on the filter intake. However, running pre-filters are excellent as already mentioned. Pick up a small box of the AC20 filter sponges. Get one nice and wet and then freeze it. After frozen, you can take a 1/2 drill bit (maybe smaller depending on the intake size) and drill a nice hole almost all the way through. Presto! You're golden.


----------



## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

eap246 said:


> They told me the shark would be okay with these fish but i guess your right and they were wrong.


 * Really Wrong - Sry



eap246 said:


> Now about the sponge, wont that put extra strain on the filter and ruin it?


 * Depending on the type of sponge, it would be possible that it would ruin it, but for the most part .... no.



eap246 said:


> And should i be feeding the shark something other than flaked food to bring down some Carnivorous aggression?


 * And this one would be a no as well. Not going to matter what or how much you feed him. It's his nature. - Sry


----------

