Any Advice Or Help Appreciated

[vix]

Hello,

We have had various problems with our tropical fish ever since we started, obviously we didn't know much about it and still don't. We have had various fish and lots have died (which upsets me, as its obviously something we are doing wrong), this morning i found my Red Tailed Black Shark half dead swimming around on its back. We have had 10 neons in total, 10 guppys in total, a goldfish (the culprit that started it), a catfish, and a siamese fighter die so far. My hubby was in charge of the tank but were obviously doing something wrong and I plan to find out what.

At the moment in our tank we have 2 Clown Loaches, 3 x Plec, 1 x Black Moor Goldfish, 1 x Guppy, 1 x Bristlenose Catfish, and a nearly dead Red Tailed Black Shark.

Any advice would be appreciated greatly, these fish dying all the time greatly upsets myself and my 3 children.

 

[david94]

Hello,

We have had various problems with our tropical fish ever since we started, obviously we didn't know much about it and still don't. We have had various fish and lots have died (which upsets me, as its obviously something we are doing wrong), this morning i found my Red Tailed Black Shark half dead swimming around on its back. We have had 10 neons in total, 10 guppys in total, a goldfish (the culprit that started it), a catfish, and a siamese fighter die so far. My hubby was in charge of the tank but were obviously doing something wrong and I plan to find out what.

At the moment in our tank we have 2 Clown Loaches, 3 x Plec, 1 x Black Moor Goldfish, 1 x Guppy, 1 x Bristlenose Catfish, and a nearly dead Red Tailed Black Shark.

Any advice would be appreciated greatly, these fish dying all the time greatly upsets myself and my 3 children.

hi how big is the tank and how long is it set up ?

 

[vix]

Ok sorry if a bit vague, this was my hubbys project but left for me to sort out, the tank is 2ft x 1ft x 1ft and its been set up for just over a year. It started off with cold water fish ie goldfish son won from the fair. Many thanks in advance

 

[dwarfgourami]

That will be a 60 ltr tank= 15 US gallons= 12 UK gallons. Part of the problem is likely to be that you have too many, too big and too messy fish in there. Clown loaches, plecs and goldfish all require much bigger tanks- not too mention the fact that the goldfish should be in a cold tank and the clown loaches need quite warm temperatures, so somebody is bound to have their health adversely affected, whatever the temperature of your tank. Clown loaches and goldfish simply cannot be kept in the same tank.

What is your water changing regime? Does your husband dechlorinate the new water?

Your first job is to test the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. If the ammonia or nitrites are over 0.5 ppm or the nitrates more than 10 pm that of your tap water, you need to start partial water changes, replacing old tank water with dechlorinated tank water.

You may need to euthanise the shark- he sounds in a bad way and I take it you have no facilities to treat him. Putting him in a separate container with tank water, and then adding some clove oil is probably the most humane way.

Then you need to find a new home for the goldfish, the plecs and the clown loaches.

To give you an idea, a tank the size of yours should only house c. 15 inches of small non-messy fish. If you decide to keep the bristlenose, you will need to count him for a bit extra as they are quite messy fish. A reasonable stocking would be the bristlenose and maybe 5-6 male guppies, but you mustn't buy any replacement fish until the tank has been running without problems (after the rehousing of the messy fish), and with no readings of ammonia or nitrites for about a month.

Sorry that you've had such a bad experience. Once a tank is balanced, it is a lovely thing to have. But those of us who have small tanks like this (I have the same size) have to be very careful about our background reading, as only certain combinations will work.

 

[vix]

That will be a 60 ltr tank= 15 US gallons= 12 UK gallons. Part of the problem is likely to be that you have too many, too big and too messy fish in there. Clown loaches, plecs and goldfish all require much bigger tanks- not too mention the fact that the goldfish should be in a cold tank and the clown loaches need quite warm temperatures, so somebody is bound to have their health adversely affected, whatever the temperature of your tank. Clown loaches and goldfish simply cannot be kept in the same tank.

What is your water changing regime? Does your husband dechlorinate the new water?

Your first job is to test the water for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. If the ammonia or nitrites are over 0.5 ppm or the nitrates more than 10 pm that of your tap water, you need to start partial water changes, replacing old tank water with dechlorinated tank water.

You may need to euthanise the shark- he sounds in a bad way and I take it you have no facilities to treat him. Putting him in a separate container with tank water, and then adding some clove oil is probably the most humane way.

Then you need to find a new home for the goldfish, the plecs and the clown loaches.

To give you an idea, a tank the size of yours should only house c. 15 inches of small non-messy fish. If you decide to keep the bristlenose, you will need to count him for a bit extra as they are quite messy fish. A reasonable stocking would be the bristlenose and maybe 5-6 male guppies, but you mustn't buy any replacement fish until the tank has been running without problems (after the rehousing of the messy fish), and with no readings of ammonia or nitrites for about a month.

Sorry that you've had such a bad experience. Once a tank is balanced, it is a lovely thing to have. But those of us who have small tanks like this (I have the same size) have to be very careful about our background reading, as only certain combinations will work.

Thank you for the reply the problems are mainly we havn't a clue what we are doing we started off with a fair goldfish and some other coldwater fish were added. We were then given a tropical tank set up along with the plecs and the clown loaches. And some other fish which we believe were eaten by another member of the tank.

I really couldn't tell you the exact water chaning regime my hubby does, but i will speak to him when he gets home. He puts different chemicals in the water, again i will ask him what these are later.

We have regular water checks and they all come back fine, which is why we thought it was the fish killing each other, we see the clown loaches chasing and harrasing the other fish quite a lot.

Unfortunately the shark has died, which is rather upsetting he was only a baby and we have only had him since saturday.

 

[Bullrock74]

What temperature are you keeping the fish at? Chilling causes fish to lose the ability to swim normally since it adversely affects their swim bladders.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Sorry to hear about your shark. It's awful when they die on you.

About the water test, I would not trust the shop to do them. Strangely enough, we've had several members on here who have had their shop pronounce that their water is fine and then when they've done their own tests they've found out it is anything but. At the very least, you should insist on them writing down the exact readings for you. Though testing yourself with a liquid test kit is better. Personally, I cannot see how the water can be fine, given your current stocking.

 

[vix]

Ok have spoke to hubby, hope i have got everything right

The water changing regime is 25% ever 2 weeks full water change every 6 months.

The water is dechlorinated with safe guard.

And the temperature of the tank is 28 Degrees C, 82 Degrees F.

Will we purchase some of the home testing kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and let you know the results.

Many thanks for your replies, I only wish I'd decided to investigate and found this site sooner.

 

[boozybears]

Hang in there Vix! Many of us did the same thing.. we entered the hobby not knowing what we were doing and then ran into all kinds of problems ... good thing is you've found this forum now.

Listen to the advice you get in here (well, most of it anyway lol) and your tank will be up and running smoothyly again in no time!!

Good luck!

 

[Bullrock74]

Ok have spoke to hubby, hope i have got everything right

The water changing regime is 25% ever 2 weeks full water change every 6 months.

The water is dechlorinated with safe guard.

And the temperature of the tank is 28 Degrees C, 82 Degrees F.

Will we purchase some of the home testing kits for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and let you know the results.

Many thanks for your replies, I only wish I'd decided to investigate and found this site sooner.

Full water changes are a BIG no no...most everybody recommends a maximum of 25-30% water change at a time...never ever change all the water at once!

 

[blackguppy]

What I'd like to know is what kind of filtration you're using. I always use at least two different types in each tank. I love sponge filters, and I highly recommend aquaclears for their varied media. If you're using a disposable cartridge filter only, you're losing most of you're biological filtration with every change.

 

[vix]

Hi again, many thanks for all the replys and advice.

In the tank we have 1 black internal filter and there are two tubes at either side of the tank which hubby tells me is under gravel filters, sorry abit vague I am having to start from scratch and have no idea what these filters are called.

As for the water change we were advised by the shop to do full water changing which was why we did it, the shops seem to know very little which is rather confusing. How often should we be doing the 25% - 30% water change?

Another thing that is confusing me, is the tank being overstocked? It looks pretty empty to me. However I can understand the too many big messy fish theory. Which we are trying to sort out.

 

[phlawed]

Hi again, many thanks for all the replys and advice.

In the tank we have 1 black internal filter and there are two tubes at either side of the tank which hubby tells me is under gravel filters, sorry abit vague I am having to start from scratch and have no idea what these filters are called.

As for the water change we were advised by the shop to do full water changing which was why we did it, the shops seem to know very little which is rather confusing. How often should we be doing the 25% - 30% water change?

Another thing that is confusing me, is the tank being overstocked? It looks pretty empty to me. However I can understand the too many big messy fish theory. Which we are trying to sort out.

well your plecs are probably commons, which means they will grow in excess of 20". So 3 common plecs in a 24" tank you do the math. Your clown loaches are a large fish as well that will grow MUCH MUCH bigger. You should do a 10-25% water change weekly with a fully cycled tank (read pinned article on cycling if you dont know how). For a filter, you need to make sure you get a filter with a bio media in it (whether its a bio-wheel or bio-filter either will work for a 15g tank). As the tank looks empty, its because you have a bunch of baby fish in there that will grow to massive lengths compared to that aquarium. Without a larger aquarium all the fish i mentioned will DIE. Your shark that died enjoys planted tanks with lots of swimming room and would have also grown to 5+". Best thing you can do is, find each fish in your tank and research it to find its adult size and recomended tank size and aquascape. It sounds like alot of work at first, but trust me it gets easier especially if you are becoming intrested in this hobby. Do not trust your LFS workers. Remember that they are trying to get you buy, if the fish dies, that just means you will be back for more. The best thing to remember about the fish hobby is RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. I hope this helps and we really welcome all and any questions you might have. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by asking around and will help with any advise myself and others can offer.

 

[vix]

Again many thanks, we are trying to rehome most of the fish, so that we can start afresh obviously we didn't research nor think what size the fish would grow to. Already thinking of buying a larger tank, but i think we need to learn to keep this one properly first. I will start doing my research with notebook handy.

I am rather upset we have to part with the clown loach as they are so funny to watch and they add character to the tank.

 

[phlawed]

Again many thanks, we are trying to rehome most of the fish, so that we can start afresh obviously we didn't research nor think what size the fish would grow to. Already thinking of buying a larger tank, but i think we need to learn to keep this one properly first. I will start doing my research with notebook handy.

I am rather upset we have to part with the clown loach as they are so funny to watch and they add character to the tank.

the loaches will survive and be fine in a 15g as long as under 2.5" IMO, but will need rehoming very very soon. Loaches are very very acceptible to fish diseases like ick if stressed. More so than any other fish IMO But, if you like loaches, you should look into smaller loaches like yo-yo loaches or kohli loaches. Research them and it may fit what your looking for much better, unless you plan on getting a 75+g aquarium.