3 Dead And 4 Missing Over Night

[Tommy Gun]

How long ago did you make this upgrade? About 2 months ago

And you never had this problem before?

Have you ever smelled fresh silicone? Did the tank smell like that when you bought it?

Do you have any algae problems? Is your tank very algae-free?

What are you feeding your plecos? Are you feeding your plecos? (many plecos will resort to sucking the slime coat off tank mates if it is not getting enough to eat - could account for the injuries and maybe why your gourami is sticking to the upper areas of the tank....if that is the case). I have tried a few pieces of cucumber but they don't seem to touch it

You might want to try algae wafers or even some sinking pellet food. Your plecos are omnivores

FYI - it is NOT the bubbles from the airstones that adds oxygen...if it was, they would get much smaller as they rose to the top...but it is the movement they make on the surface that helps. So, if you have a lot of surface movement already, you don't really need them....unless you like the look; which is fine; I do as well. If you have no water movement under the surface, perhaps that might help a little bit. No None but the surface moves quite a bit

You might want to get some movement in the lower areas of your tank as well. Are your filter intakes in the middle or lower areas?

Can you explain what your tactics are as far as maintenance....in detail? Weekly 25% water chnges, checking the water with my test kit every 3 or 4 days, Scraping the front glass once a week, vacing the gravel when doing water changes. Have just cleaned my filter aswel

Sorry for jumping around, but was your filter pretty dirty? Did you squeeze the sponge out? Was it pretty dirty water that came out?

How often do you monitor pH, Gh, and Kh? (could they be changing frequently or rapidly?) Ph is tested every 3 or 4 days with everything else, Have never tested Kh or Gh. Havn't got anything with my kit to do this?

That's right....I didn't either. Might be something worth looking into. Changes in two or more of these three can cause osmotic problems

===============

As you can tell, I really think there is something wrong with your water chemistry here. From everything you have said, it seems hard to believe that you have no nitrates becuase you have no plants, you do have fish, and you aren't doing massive water changes just before testing for them. On the other hand, there really isn't much that screams illness either. I cannot think of one singular ailment which #1) has no symptoms or #2) would affect all of your fish equally. I was 100% on board with the angels eating the smaller fish, but that doesn't explain the other problems you have. My suggestions are:

- Keep up with water testing; maybe on a daily basis for a while (take notes if you have to, for comparison later)
- If you notice a fish or a few fish acting oddly, do a water change (take notes as to everything you see)
- Keep up with the filter cleaning (I think you might see a difference from that alone)
- Ensure that your water temp is holding 24/7 (night time is usually a suspect)
- Wilder might have better suggestions, but you may want to quarantine the gourami - or add some salt to the tank for a possible fungal infection (if it looks like fungus near the mouth, that is indicative of a bacteria infection and should be treated asap...but be sure of what you are doing first. If you have to, you can quarantine in a fish bowl or tiny tank for a short period of time)
- Try feeding your plecos some other foods (if they are very nocturnal, feed at night) and maybe try some frozen foods for all of your fish once a week-ish
-Ensure that all of the water in your tank is making its way through a filter and I would probably point one of your filter returns downwards...if possible...using the airstones to make up for the lost surface movement, if any. It doesn't take much movement for gas exchange, but then you would want to make sure that newly oxegenated water is reaching other areas of your tank. (By the way, do your plecos dart up to the surface often?)

 

[rodg98133]

My plecos never go near the surface. I check the temp nearly everytime i look at my tank and it seems to stay the same.

With regards to the silocone - No it didn't smell of it becuase the tank was second hand and had been used for discus for 18 months before. I cleaned the tank with mild bleach and then rinsed VERY well before i filled it.

Cheers mate i just hope it works out ok.

 

[dusky]

My plecos never go near the surface. I check the temp nearly everytime i look at my tank and it seems to stay the same.

With regards to the silocone - No it didn't smell of it becuase the tank was second hand and had been used for discus for 18 months before. I cleaned the tank with mild bleach and then rinsed VERY well before i filled it.

Cheers mate i just hope it works out ok.

Any used tanks I get i clean them with Milton fluid and lots of hot water on the assumption that if its safe for babies then it will be for fish

 

[WILDER]

So you didn't sterlise the gravel in boiling water.
Where did you get the gravel from?

 

[Topazlizz]

Sorry, I have nothing more to add to the problem solving, but I simply had to write in to say that this is one of the most educative threads I have ever read - Tommy, your knowledge of water chemistry is just amazing, and Wilder, you're great with illnesses! Thanks to both of you - but especially Tommy as the chemistry is so important to me at the moment!
Dusky, if these guys can't help you, I don't know who could. The best of luck to you!

 

[Tacklebury]

Sorry, I have nothing more to add to the problem solving, but I simply had to write in to say that this is one of the most educative threads I have ever read - Tommy, your knowledge of water chemistry is just amazing, and Wilder, you're great with illnesses! Thanks to both of you - but especially Tommy as the chemistry is so important to me at the moment!
Dusky, if these guys can't help you, I don't know who could. The best of luck to you!

Absolutely agree with the above.

Its people like these 2 chaps that drive Internet forums to the level they now are and provide a wealth of information that simply is not available ANYWHERE else.

I hope you get your tank sorted, with the help and advice you seem to be getting it should be sorted soon.

Simon

 

[rodg98133]

I did a big water change yesterday and cleaned the filters and also added the tonic i was on about and so far all looks good. No dead fish, No fish hanging around in corners. I feel bad because i feel it may have been the dirty filters that caused my problems.

 

[WILDER]

Bless them.
Good luck.

 

[Tommy Gun]

I am vey glad to hear that. I think that you will probably see at least some improvement through more freqent and dilligent water changes. Think of water as being the same as the air we breathe. Some chemicals and pollutants are going to harm us in a short amount of time while others will have less obvious impacts on a day to day basis so the best bet, by far, is to strive for the most ideal situation. The act of performing water changes not only reduces toxins and such but replaces benificial elements (major/minor trace elements such as electrolytes and much needed salts). In the long run and with few exceptions, you cannot really perform too many water changes or keep your filters too clean as far as detritus goes. All in all I think that a lot of us look at our filters as doing much more than they really do. Unlike an oil filter, for example, the goal of our aquarium filters is not really to remove particulate matter, but just to create a place where water will flow past a population of nitrifying bacteria or carbon - and even then, it isn't really removing anything from an aquarium's water column so we have to do that ourselves....for the most part.

 

[hystolady]

Just been watching my fish and one of my other angels i think is dying. It was lying on the bottom the all of a sudden it was swimming round really fast, upside down, chnaging direction suddenly then fell back down to the bottom and is now sat there. My dwarf gouramis keep picking at it then it swims off again after about a minute. Does this indicate anything different?

Hi!! i lost lots of fish over Christmas without any symptoms but was advised that it could have been caused by those plug in air fresheners!! I had this type of air freshner in same room as fish so ditched them and hey presto no more dead fish yet........touch wood!!!!

 

[dusky]

Just been watching my fish and one of my other angels i think is dying. It was lying on the bottom the all of a sudden it was swimming round really fast, upside down, chnaging direction suddenly then fell back down to the bottom and is now sat there. My dwarf gouramis keep picking at it then it swims off again after about a minute. Does this indicate anything different?

Hi!! i lost lots of fish over Christmas without any symptoms but was advised that it could have been caused by those plug in air fresheners!! I had this type of air freshner in same room as fish so ditched them and hey presto no more dead fish yet........touch wood!!!!

Oh gosh, yes i remember reading that on back of a particular one in supermarket now!!

 

[Tacklebury]

My fiance has a bit of a thing for these air fresheners.

In our front room we have 2 in opposite corners. One was sat directly beneath my old tank and i have to admit i never had a problem with them. I have now changed to a bigger tank and sadly i've used all the plugs so little does she know its sat on the floor hidden behind the tank.

That'll teach her!!

 

[Tommy Gun]

Hi!! i lost lots of fish over Christmas without any symptoms but was advised that it could have been caused by those plug in air fresheners!! I had this type of air freshner in same room as fish so ditched them and hey presto no more dead fish yet........touch wood!!!!

I agree that this is something to look into....however, I think it would take a ton of plug in airfresheners to make a big impact. In fact, if you are using carbon filtration this should not be a big problem at all. However, it is important to note that carbon can and will lose its ability to absorb anything so we have to change them often. Granted, I realize that most carbon media manufacturers clearly state that the carbon needs to be replace on a very specific schedule like every other week or once a month. HOWEVER, this is truly an impossible prediction to make because it all depends on how much material that is present and can be removed by carbon. For example, someone could have four air fresheners in a room and another person might only have one.

Besides, I smoke in the same room as my tanks and nothing negative has come out of that yet (keyword: yet)

I think this is a good tip though.....you should probably change your carbon filter more often becuase it is going to remove chemicals from the water that my be harmful to your fish, but we do not test for it and hence, do not think there is a problem. Make sense?

 

[dusky]

Hi!! i lost lots of fish over Christmas without any symptoms but was advised that it could have been caused by those plug in air fresheners!! I had this type of air freshner in same room as fish so ditched them and hey presto no more dead fish yet........touch wood!!!!

I agree that this is something to look into....however, I think it would take a ton of plug in airfresheners to make a big impact. In fact, if you are using carbon filtration this should not be a big problem at all. However, it is important to note that carbon can and will lose its ability to absorb anything so we have to change them often. Granted, I realize that most carbon media manufacturers clearly state that the carbon needs to be replace on a very specific schedule like every other week or once a month. HOWEVER, this is truly an impossible prediction to make because it all depends on how much material that is present and can be removed by carbon. For example, someone could have four air fresheners in a room and another person might only have one.

Besides, I smoke in the same room as my tanks and nothing negative has come out of that yet (keyword: yet)

I think this is a good tip though.....you should probably change your carbon filter more often becuase it is going to remove chemicals from the water that my be harmful to your fish, but we do not test for it and hence, do not think there is a problem. Make sense?

I'm 99% sure that it was the glade candle that warns on it not to put in room with fish tanks in. One wouldn't of thought that a small amount of smoke would harm them but there must be something afoot for a warning to be on it.

 

[fishfriendlyones]

Just been watching my fish and one of my other angels i think is dying. It was lying on the bottom the all of a sudden it was swimming round really fast, upside down, chnaging direction suddenly then fell back down to the bottom and is now sat there. My dwarf gouramis keep picking at it then it swims off again after about a minute. Does this indicate anything different?

Not that we are experts by any means as we are having some difficulties too, but the gouramis we found can sometimes be the problem - we had them and they were fairly aggressive toward the more non-aggressive community fish like the neons, angels, etc. - they would eat them and chase them, especially at later evening hours.