Dead Half Eaten Platty

[pink guppy]

Hi im a newbie here,

we have a tropical tank for my sons who are autustic the colours of the fish help relax them and my sons will sit there watching them for ages!

Tank size: 35 litre
pH:dont know
ammonia:dont know
nitrite:dont know
nitrate:dont know
kH:dont know
gH:dont know
tank temp:73F

Fish Symptoms : fish are acting as usual
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% water change every 2 weeks

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: stress coat and bacteria thing?!

Tank inhabitants:1 large pleco (6 inch), 4 guppys, 3 danio, 2 swordtales upside down cat fish and 1 green tiger barb that 2-3 cm and some kind of shark that we dont know what it is he looks like a bala shark but has a black stripe along his body and there is a tinge of red on his tail and fins. was a sunset platty

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):there was 2 green tiger barbs 2-3 cm each

The reason i dont know some of the readings is we take samples of the water to our local tropical place and they test it for us there, also test it before buying new fish.


The problem started on tuesday last week we brought the 2 green tiger barbs and they are small, the new barbs went in fine, when we got up wednesday morning one of the barbs was missing, searched entire tank and no trace of him at all. did water change on sunday and still no trace of him.

Got up this morning and the platy was dead floating on the water, he had a big whole in his side with his body bits hanging out

we were looking at getting a bigger tank but a little worried now if we have a killer among them. any help much appreciated

Thanks

 

[FishyWishie]

If the fish has died of natural causes it may well have been snacked on post death, however the shark would seem a likely possible candidate.

That stocking seems a lot for such a small tank though i must say.

 

[KittyKat]

Aye, the tank is heavily overstocked, also the stocking is incompatible and could be improved for the benefit of the fish.

Without knowing the water parameters, it is more difficult to tell as to what the cause could have been.. I am inclined toward bad water quality, the shark or natural death.

 

[pink guppy]

Aye, the tank is heavily overstocked, also the stocking is incompatible and could be improved for the benefit of the fish.

Without knowing the water parameters, it is more difficult to tell as to what the cause could have been.. I am inclined toward bad water quality, the shark or natural death.

please dont think im being rude but how can it be stocking incompatible? they are all com fish except for the green tiger bard when i asked the tropical fish shop where we get them from i was told the green tiger barbs wouldnt be a problem as they can only be aggressive with fish smaller than them selves and we dont have any ohter fish smaller than them.

like i said we dont know what type the shark is but when we brought him we was told he was a com fish

 

[scotty]

to be honest with you i would take all the fish back to you lfs,and maybe get a nice shoal of colourful rasboras,depending on how long your tank has been cycled for may limit your choice

scott

 

[KittyKat]

Aye, the tank is heavily overstocked, also the stocking is incompatible and could be improved for the benefit of the fish.

Without knowing the water parameters, it is more difficult to tell as to what the cause could have been.. I am inclined toward bad water quality, the shark or natural death.

please dont think im being rude but how can it be stocking incompatible? they are all com fish except for the green tiger bard when i asked the tropical fish shop where we get them from i was told the green tiger barbs wouldnt be a problem as they can only be aggressive with fish smaller than them selves and we dont have any ohter fish smaller than them.

Would you put a lion with a lamb because they are both mammals? No: the lion will eat the lamb. Just because fish are fish, that doesn't mean that they are all the same.. after all, lions and lambs look basically the same too, right?
Different fish have different requirements, some are aggressive, some are peaceful, some like living on their own, others with their own kind, some can even not survive without their own kind.

So, lets have a look at your stocking:
* 1 large pleco (6 inch) - a 6 inch pleco requires at least a 36 inch long aquarium to be happy
* 4 guppys - ok, although a known fragile fish
* 3 danio - schooling fish, which means they should be kept in groups of 6+ and are active, so at least a 36 inch long aquarium is recommended
* 2 swordtales - get too large, require at least a 36 inch long aquarium
* upside down cat fish - will almost definitely grow too large, depending on exact species
* 1 green tiger barb - schooling fish, so 6+ should be kelp, and too aggressive for guppies
* some kind of shark - see below

like i said we dont know what type the shark is but when we brought him we was told he was a com fish

I have never seen a freshwater shark who could be classed as a "community fish". They usually get large and are often very aggressive. Most shops are not interested in the welfare of fish, they are interested in you coming back for more when they die.

If you really do have a 35 litre tank of approximately 40*30*30 cm in size, then you should be looking at having only 8 small fish like ember tetras OR espei rasboras (which do not grow over 2cm), and either some shrimp or a small (dwarf or honey) gourami and no more. Anything else would very likely be unfair to the fish.

 

[scaeriefaerie666]

i understand your predicament, so often things can be perfectly fine and then go really really wrong very quickly. It's a mistake that most people make, and its not something that you should be chastised for - but it is an experience you will need to learn from.
Basically, your tank is heavily overstocked - so you will want to get a bigger tank regardless of this. A lot of your fish will get very big - especially the plec - and for the sake of your sons you would benefit from keeping them happy and healthy.
Sharks are not, and should never ever be labelled as community fish. They are territorial and agressive. But this is a mistake that the shop has made, and if you're not an expert it's easy to believe what the labels tell you. If you have just tipped the balance into overstocked, and the shark has felt cramped / stressed / threatened it WILL have eaten other fish to fix the problem. Honestly, and everyone here will agree, you realistically should look at rehoming, in the place of something much more docile. But it's your call, its your tank. However, if you don't you're looking at losing more fish and upsetting the children more.
If there were no other signs of illness (i.e. missing scales, bloating, irregular swimming or sores) on the fish that you found dead then i would safely assume it has just been attacked, and that the only problem is the attacker.
Keep a really really close eye on the fish, watch out for any chasing or nipping from any of the fish( though not the danios as they chase anyway as part of their nature) and you'll find the culprit sooner or later.
I'm so sorry for your loss, i understand how stressful it can be when it goes wrong with no signs of warning, and it's not right that you should be chastised for a mistake that most people make. Just before you buy fish in the future, simply google a quick care sheet. It will tell you so much more than the people in the shops do, trust me!
xxx

 

[pink guppy]

i understand your predicament, so often things can be perfectly fine and then go really really wrong very quickly. It's a mistake that most people make, and its not something that you should be chastised for - but it is an experience you will need to learn from.
Basically, your tank is heavily overstocked - so you will want to get a bigger tank regardless of this. A lot of your fish will get very big - especially the plec - and for the sake of your sons you would benefit from keeping them happy and healthy.
Sharks are not, and should never ever be labelled as community fish. They are territorial and agressive. But this is a mistake that the shop has made, and if you're not an expert it's easy to believe what the labels tell you. If you have just tipped the balance into overstocked, and the shark has felt cramped / stressed / threatened it WILL have eaten other fish to fix the problem. Honestly, and everyone here will agree, you realistically should look at rehoming, in the place of something much more docile. But it's your call, its your tank. However, if you don't you're looking at losing more fish and upsetting the children more.
If there were no other signs of illness (i.e. missing scales, bloating, irregular swimming or sores) on the fish that you found dead then i would safely assume it has just been attacked, and that the only problem is the attacker.
Keep a really really close eye on the fish, watch out for any chasing or nipping from any of the fish( though not the danios as they chase anyway as part of their nature) and you'll find the culprit sooner or later.
I'm so sorry for your loss, i understand how stressful it can be when it goes wrong with no signs of warning, and it's not right that you should be chastised for a mistake that most people make. Just before you buy fish in the future, simply google a quick care sheet. It will tell you so much more than the people in the shops do, trust me!
xxx

thankyou for your post it is exactly how the situation is.

Sadly the last green tiger barb has now gone, what we have noticed as weve been watching them very closely is that it is only happeneing at night, each time when we have found something wrong its been in the morning when we get up and turn on the tank light straight away. ther has been no chasing or nipping during the day.

as i said in my first post we are unsure what type of shark/fish it is so i put a photo up on here last night unknown fish

so now im trying to contact one of our largest tropical centres by us and get their advice about rehoming the shark fish and am hoping they might take him off my hands, i feel so bad for him all his name said was shark when we brought him.

definatley learned from this and the main one is never going back to that fs again as they dont seem to know what they are doing, and google more about the fish before we buy it next time.

 

[scaeriefaerie666]

it looks like a deformed cigar shark, but it almost definatley deformed i would say. And you'll get that with fish that want to be big, kept in small tanks. But definately, rehoming is where i would go.
Its all a learning experience, and as long as you know what not to do again then you should be fine. And its fine to go to stores where they dont know what they're doing (god knows, most don't) as long as YOU do. I can't tell you the number of times i've had to go in and point out that putting barbs in with siamese fighters is stupid, and that they should take the neon tetras OUT of the tank with the angel fish, or they will get eaten.
I hope it all works out for you soon. And just as a side note, it's probably best that you have no barbs now - as they'll start eating the tails of the guppies fairly quickly, and that's a horrible thing. Stay away from fin nippers and agressive fish, and you should be ok.
xxx

 

[sXeLifer]

A lot of the fish you have will outgrow the tank, the Shark the upside down cat and maybe the plec depending on its species. You have quite a few fish in there too, some of them are bound to scrap now and again. In future though when buying fish always fish that you can keep even when they reach full size so the bala can reach around 30cm make sure you can keep him when he gets that size then you wont need to pass the fish on to a LFS and cause yourselves a bit of upset. As for the platy being dead, I would put it down to maybe natural causes and the fish have had a nibble at him, perfectly natural of them to do so too.

 

[pink guppy]

Been on the phone to shirley aquatics and they are going to take the red finned cigar shark, taking him there tomorrow as hubby is at work at the moment and i dont drive.

Ive got one very large food/freezer bay 30cm x 60cm and will put him in that to take there tomorrow, a reall dumb question but do i need to blow air in to the bag ??

 

[KittyKat]

Been on the phone to shirley aquatics and they are going to take the red finned cigar shark, taking him there tomorrow as hubby is at work at the moment and i dont drive.

Excellent

Ive got one very large food/freezer bay 30cm x 60cm and will put him in that to take there tomorrow, a reall dumb question but do i need to blow air in to the bag ??

There is no such thing as a dumb question.. always remember that!

To bag the fish, fill the bag with about 1/4 water from the aquarium, then put the fish in (the fish should be covered with water). To close it, sit the bag on the table and straighten out the sides, then grip it quickly and firmly around the top so that it is as full with air as you can get it. Next step is to twist the bit you are holding until the bag is firm (as you would have had it when buying fish from the LFS) and to tie the top using rubber bands.

 

[pink guppy]

Been on the phone to shirley aquatics and they are going to take the red finned cigar shark, taking him there tomorrow as hubby is at work at the moment and i dont drive.

Excellent

Ive got one very large food/freezer bay 30cm x 60cm and will put him in that to take there tomorrow, a reall dumb question but do i need to blow air in to the bag ??

There is no such thing as a dumb question.. always remember that!

To bag the fish, fill the bag with about 1/4 water from the aquarium, then put the fish in (the fish should be covered with water). To close it, sit the bag on the table and straighten out the sides, then grip it quickly and firmly around the top so that it is as full with air as you can get it. Next step is to twist the bit you are holding until the bag is firm (as you would have had it when buying fish from the LFS) and to tie the top using rubber bands.

Thanks will do that tomorrow asap in the morning and take him there ready for when they open, just hope he doest kill any more fish tonight as its only at night that it has been happening at night.