ALL My fish are dieing! Nitrate problem?

[newland]

Hi All

I've had my 10 gallon tank set up for nearly 4 weeks now.

2 weeks i added my first fish some 8 guppies. These were fine foe a week and so i then added some more fish in week 3 6 more guppies, 1 platty and 2 molys.

Then shortly after doing so they started dieing. I've now lost 7 guppies and a female moly.

Most of the guppies that have died are female but now the numers are unequal i expect most of the females to die.

I've recently added a air pump as i though they may be low on air. I've tested with nitrate and it looks too high. On my test there were 4 scales and mine was inbetween 2-3. I've taken out and added 20% of the water to lower the nitrate.

I'm going to test tonigh. Am i doing this correctly? Why are my fish dieing? Before they die they swim up and then float down. They seam to have a burst of energy then just collapse and have a burst the collapse until they die.

Can anyone help me?

 

[jrd77]

What are all of your levels?

ph, Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates?

 

[newland]

I don't have the tests for anything else only the test for Nitrate which was between the 2nd and 3rd level which i believe was 0.25 and 0.5

I'll confirm this when i get home. Does anyone have a quick solution to prevent more fish dieing?

I'm really desperate as i really don't want to lose the last moly and the platty.

Cheers

 

[WILDER]

Do a water change and get your water tested in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph, guppys are not a hardy fish and shouldn't really be used to cycle a tank, most fish can die when you are using fish to cycle the tank,if you have no scaless fish add some salt to the tank one tablespoon to 5 gal.
http/www.thefishworld.co.uk/id63.htm

 

[snowyangel]

I don't have the tests for anything else only the test for Nitrate which was between the 2nd and 3rd level which i believe was 0.25 and 0.5

I'll confirm this when i get home. Does anyone have a quick solution to prevent more fish dieing?

I'm really desperate as i really don't want to lose the last moly and the platty.
Cheers

Are you sure we're not talking about nitrITE? Having only .25-0.5 nitrate is low for it and wouldn't be deadily, but having that amount of nitrite would be hazardous.
I would reccomend going to any fish store and ask them to test your water for you(most charge $5) and then you'll see what you have for ammonia, ph, nitrate, nitrite, etc. Most likely with your guppies dying this quickly you still have ammonia or nitrite(or both) still present in your water. Do daily water changes(around 15%) to keep plenty of oxygen in their water(remember to dechlorinate). Or if you have a friend with a tank(or ask your fish store) that has been setup for awhile, ask them to bag you their water or gravel so you get some of their beneficial bacteria.
Also next time, dont over crowd your tank. You had too many fish in their and all their waste builds up and becomes deadily to them. The genereal rule for fish under 2inches is one inch per fish per gallon. So maybe all you should have in there is 7 guppies with maybe 2 small bottom feeders.

 

[newland]

Sorry i did mean nitrite and not nitrate

I've done 2 * 15-20% water changes water with about 6 hours between them

My nitrite level is now 0.1 and the fish are looking a bit happier.

I'll do another 15-20% water change tomorrow and test again after that.

How long should i keep doing a water change each day for?

Also when you said:
"The genereal rule for fish under 2inches is one inch per fish per gallon"

What did you mean?
Do you mean 1 inch of fish per gallon or no fish over 1 ince per gallon.

 

[CathyG]

Apart from being overstocked, you have also added too many fish too soon...even an established tank may start to cycle again under the same circumstances due to there being insufficient bacteria levels to cope with the sudden increase in waste. An uncycled tank is more vulnerable and you have an overstocked tank of livebearers, be prepared for more...

Invest in a test kit for (at least) Ammonia and Nitrite, in the first instance, then Nitrate and pH in a week or so (preferably liquid tests, they are more accurate) Testing your own water will save you money in the long run, and alert you sooner to any problems. Keep up the water changes in order to ensure Ammonia and NitrItes stay below 1ppm, and reduce feeding. Nitrates will be the least of your worries right now. Good luck!

 

[snowyangel]

How long should i keep doing a water change each day for?

Also when you said:
"The genereal rule for fish under 2inches is one inch per fish per gallon"

What did you mean?
Do you mean 1 inch of fish per gallon or no fish over 1 ince per gallon.

Keep doing water changes until your ammonia and nitrite reach 0 and stay that way. You must have some nitrate appear in your water as your safe end product to let you know you're done cycling.
When I give the one inch per fish per gallon rule it means if you have a 2 inch fish, its will need 2 gallons of water, or if you have 1 inch fish its needs atleast 1 gallon. So five 2 inch fish could fit in your tank etc.

 

[newland]

Thank you to everyone who has partipicated in my topic and helped me along the way.

I'm now learning things that no one told me when setting this up.

So am i correct in thinking that if my small guppies are about 2/3rds of an inch then i would be able to hold a maxium of 7 guppies in a 10 gallon tank.

This seams really low to me.

I've got 9 guppies, 1 moly and a platty left. Is this still to much?
The tank still looks pretty empty on fish. We are on about galons and not litres.
Can someone give me an example in litres?

Also is it best to add fish in small quanties. ie 2 at a time? Whats the maxium as when my tank is set-up correctly and i need more fish i don't want more to die.

Thank you All
Newland

 

[Ferris]

10 gallons is approx 45 litres and I wouldn't add any more fish than you already have, you are pretty much on the limit and will need to do regular water changes to keep things balanced (once a week should be OK once things settle down).

When adding fish, 2's and 3's are ideal, too many and you upset the biological balance of the tank. If you want more fish though, you need another tank. Hope this helps

 

[gaya]

I've got 9 guppies, 1 moly and a platty left. Is this still to much?

It's pushing it a bit but once the tank cycles you could probably get a way with it but I wouldn't add any more. If anything I'd return a few guppies for another platty so he had a friend but that's just me. don't forget about the ratio for gups 2-3 female for every one male. good luck!

 

[BigFishSmallPond]

Sounds like High Nitrite. Those sound like the same symptoms i had with high nitrite.
Correct me if I'm wrong but that seems like alot of fish in a short time/small tank.

 

[gale]

So am i correct in thinking that if my small guppies are about 2/3rds of an inch then i would be able to hold a maxium of 7 guppies in a 10 gallon tank.

This seams really low to me.

Actually the rule refers to adult size, so you need to take into account the size they'll be when full grown (no idea what that is-I don't have guppies). My 10 gallon is what I consider stocked (although not that full since these fish are small, they school, and they are not messy) and it only has 6 fish in it.

 

[SRC]

I put some duckweed in my 10 gallon after I couldn't get my nitrates down....they are excellent now. They don't decay and raise the level...they are one of the few plants that self absorb themselves....so they are good for absorbing extra nutirents in the water.

 

[Al Bundy]

From when you said they have a burst of energy then just sink to the bottom, it sounds like they may be stressed. I recently had a female guppy that I bought brand new from the aquatic shop and it was fine in the tank. But when I introduced it to my tank, it started to suffer with the exact same symptoms.

The other 3 guppies I added were all fine and still are.