Colour widow tetras dying

[Vikasr]

About 6 months back I got a new 75 L tank and put 12 color widow tetras and 2 sucker cats.

1 suckercat and 1 tetra died in the first 1-2 months. Rest were looking healthy.

In last 1-2 months I have lost 4 tetras and 1 suckercat. Before dying, all the tetras showed the same symptoms - swimming upside down / on side / couldnt maintain proper swimming posture / flicking of tail to one side. Looks like swim bladder disease.

However, all 4 tetras that died got the disease one after the other, i.e. 2 fish never got the disease at the same time. So in the tank, only 1 fish would show the symptoms / disease at a time.

Water parameters:
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: about 25-50
Ph: 7

Giving pellets or flakes.
Temperature 26 C to 28 C. In the first few months the temperature used to be over 28C due to hot weather.

Last few months lot of algae has been coming on the substrate. The tank is near a large window so gets lot of light. Plants are all plastic, no real plants in the tank.

Can anybody suggest the solution?
Thanks

 

[GaryE]

What is your water change routine. A chain of deaths, algae - it suggests possible overfeeding and under water changing.

 

[Vikasr]

I change about 40-50% water every 20 -25 days. Done by siphoning from the gravel.
Incase its overfeeding / under water changing, would the fish show swim bladder disease symptoms before dying?

 

[GaryE]

There is no swim bladder disease!

The swim bladders inflate with gas from the intestine to balance the fish. If there is an intestinal or digestive issue (a blockage, constipation, a tumour, an infection) then the feed to the gas bladder can be blocked. It isn't one disease as people believe, but like dropsy, it's a symptom of a whole range of different causes.

Most commonly, it's inflammation from an infection that throws the system off, and most often, that is a result of poor water quality. Forget the test kits - they only look at a narrow aspect of the problem. I never go more than 10 days without water changes.

 

[Vikasr]

Okay. So I understand I need to change water more frequently and maybe reduce feeding quantity in general.

Apart from above, would you suggest I do anything else now to speed up the recovery / avoid more deaths in the near future, until the water quality improves, which would take a few days or weeks? Any particular medication you would suggest?

 

[GaryE]

No medication. Water quality will improve rapidly, with each change. If that is the problem (there is always that "if") the deaths should slow.

There is a viral disease, untreatable, that seems to cause spinning, and if it is that (it isn't common) it will do what viruses do, with no remedy. But the odds say to address the easy solution and hope.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome to TFF

ANY amount of ammonia in the water = uncycled tank = stress on the fish

What kind of test kit are you using? What kind of water conditioner?

Post pics of the fish, I have no idea what "color widow tetras" or "sucker cats" refers to...

 

[Vikasr]

Welcome to TFF

ANY amount of ammonia in the water = uncycled tank = stress on the fish

What kind of test kit are you using? What kind of water conditioner?

Post pics of the fish, I have no idea what "color widow tetras" or "sucker cats" refers to...

For ammonia I am using API and for nitrite and nitrate I am using some test strips that has no brand on it.
No water conditioner but while changing I only use fresh RO water.

Sucker cats are plecos and pics of colour widow tetras attached.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Glofish

You need to be testing for nitrItes and nitrAtes using a liquid test kit, get one of these: https://apifishcare.com/product/freshwater-master-test-kit

Your tank is not cycled, see "Fish In Cycle" here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycle-your-tank-a-complete-guide-for-beginners.475055/

And lastly, straight RO water will not have essential minerals and organics that fish need to survive

There are those who do use RO water for their fish tanks successfully, with the addition of minerals, but I have no experience with RO water

 

[Vikasr]

Yesterday I changed 50% water and also had to change the filter sponge as it was getting bad due to repeated cleaning. Cleaned the gravel substrate too in the aquarium (without taking out of the tank) using siphon after churning by hand to kick up dirt and mainly lots of algae. The filter is a simple pump that sucks water from the bottom and pours it out at the top where there is an open sponge kept flat in a holder, and the water just filters through and drips through the sponge. Water is always from RO system as tap water here leaves hard white deposits on glass within 2 days.

Today the water parameters are still the same.... 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 25-50 nitrate, about 7 ph.

Cant understand whats going on.

I understand that levels for nitrite and nitrate may be a bit off due to strips being used but ammonia reading should be correct.

Should I still do a Fish In cycle?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Should I still do a Fish In cycle?

Yes...and get the test kit I linked above

Read here about re-mineralizing RO water: https://aquariumsphere.com/how-to-remineralize-ro-water-aquarium/

 

[Vikasr]

Would it be better to use Prime or other such detoxifying conditioner instead of adding nitrifying bacteria as suggested in the Fish in cycle thread instructions? Somebody suggested to me that adding nitrifying bacteria doesnt always work.
Please suggest. Thanks

 

[Essjay]

Water conditions like Prime detoxify ammonia but only for around 24 to 36 hours, then it becomes toxic again. The ammonia stays in the water whether detoxified or not. Bacteria 'eat' the ammonia removing it from the water.

The reason that some bottled bacteria don't work is that they contain the wrong species of bacteria. Only two products are known to contain the correct species - Dr Tim's One and Only, and Tetra Safe Start. I don't know if they are available where you live.



Bottled bacteria are only needed when there are no bacteria already in the tank - that is, when setting up a new tank. If a tank has been running a few months it already has all the bacteria it needs.

 

[Vikasr]

I just checked Ammonia levels of the source water, more so for curiosity.

While changing water I always use RO water as the tap water has high hardness and leaves tough white marks everywhere.

RO water: ammonia 1.5 - 2.0
Tap water: ammonia 4.0

Maybe that's the main problem. Changing the water probably does not reduce ammonia at all.

Day before ammonia in tank was 0.25 and today its reduced, but not to zero.
Today nitrate is 20-40.
Havent tested nitrite.

But what can I do when the water source has such high ammonia?

 

[Essjay]

Ahhh, I understand now.

A water conditioner like Prime (there are others as well) will detoxify that ammonia for around a day. When Prime is used to treat the new water added to a tank, it gives the bacteria in the tank time to 'eat' all the detoxified ammonia before it has chance to become toxic again. If the tank has been running for a longer than 2 or 3 months, it will already have enough bacteria to eat the ammonia so you don't need to add any bacteria from a bottle.