Dead Tetra

[Whufcandrew]

Hi all,

This is my first post and I am looking for some advice. I got home from work and found one of my penguin tetras dead and notice he looked quite yellow.

I have a 95 litre tank with external filtration system and is set at 26 degrees. The tank has been running for 3 weeks and contained 3 becon tetras, 3 penguin tetras, 3 tiger barbs , 2 Pakistani loaches and 4 plattys.

I have been careful to follow all my local aquatic centre told me. I was wondering if you think it's a one off or is there something else i need to look out for.

Thanks
Andrew

 

[jcabs100]

Tiger barbs are low in numbers and they probably killed your tetra these fish normally have to be in groups of 8 or more to keep there aggression low..also your low on every other number as well you have to have 6 or more of each tetra or else they'll feel unsafe and probably be stressed

 

[This Old Spouse]

I have a tank with 14 tiger barbs and 5 (used to be 6) red eye tetras. I tried the tigers in my community tank but decided they'd be best on their own. They're just fine now with the tetras, and it's a very interesting tank. They're the most responsive fish I have.

 

[Essjay]

The tank has been running for 3 weeks

Does this mean you got the tank three weeks ago and put fish in straight away?

I have been careful to follow all my local aquatic centre told me.

Your problem could be that most shops don't tell you about fishless cycling or even how to do a fish-in cycle properly.

If you bought the tank and added fish withing a couple of days, you are doing a fish-in cycle and this could be the cause of the tetra's death. Do you have a liquid reagent testers to measure ammonia and nitrite? If you don't, I would suggest you get them as soon as possible (liquid ones not strips; a 'master test kit' that has ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH is the most cost effective). And read this http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/224306-fish-in-cycling/


If the shop advised you about the fish you have, I would take their advice with a huge pinch of salt in future. The tetras and loaches are shoaling fish and you should have at least six of each of them. But only once your tank is cycled. And the loaches need a bigger tank than yours.

 

[Whufcandrew]

Hi thanks for the advice,

The tank was set up for seven days before adding fish. I treated the tank with chemicals as mentioned in the setup guide. I had originally a 60 ltr bio-orb and the tetras and loaches were transferred from there'

1 week later I added the barbs and plattys. So ithe new tank should have gone through its cycle.

Regarding the comment about the loaches they are smaller then the tiger barbs and spend most of there time hiding in the bamboo plant. I was informed by swollows aquatics and pets at home that they would be perfect for my bio-orb at the time and now have a tank tat is 60 % larger. All fish seem quite happy except the penguin tetras (only two left)

I do have a 40 ltr tank that contains 1 male Beta fish would it be a good idea to move the penguin tetras in with him ?

 

[Essjay]

The chemicals in the set up guide unfortunately are very unlikely to have helped cycle your filter. What would have helped would have been the media from the biorb, but as the media is the the granular substrate it's not that easy to put into another filter. Two weeks isn't nearly long enough for a filter to cycle. You need to test the ammonia and nitrite levels in the tank. If you haven't got a test kit, buy one. At the very least, get a shop to test them, but make sure they tell you the numbers. If they say something like 'fine' or 'OK' or even 'a bit high' that's not much use to you. You need the actual numbers. Anything other than zero for both is not OK or fine. If your levels are above zero you need to do a water change asap. And keep doing water changes whenever the levels are not zero. No shop will be happy to test your water twice a day for several weeks, so you really do need your own testers.

Because you have had a fish death, I would be changing at least 50% of the tank water every day until I knew what the ammonia and nitrite levels were.

If the loaches are these http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/357538-yoyo-loach/ you'll see they need a 70 gallon tank (around 250 litres) for a shoal. They should not have been recommended for a biorb. Firstly the bottom area is very small for the volume of the tank, and bottom dwellers need a larger tank bottom. Secondly the substrate is quite rough and loaches need smooth substrate, preferably sand. A rough substrate can damage their mouths. And third, they need to be in a group of around six.
The only loaches suitable for your tank are dwarf chain loaches.

I would be wary of putting the tetras in with your betta. Because they are in too small a shoal they might nip at your betta. And if your betta is a feisty one, he could object to strangers in his territory.

 

[Dazzler666]

I agree that water test is a MUST .... ASAP. Id also watch your PK loaches as i had two that when they began to grow they attacked and harassed my Betta (Sammy!! Now in fishy heaven!! ) to death so i wouldnt rule them out. Tigers CAN be aggressive when in small numbers but from watching my own tigers i think you would see it as they are not 'sneaky' fish but quite brazen whereas PK loaches are crafty in my experience.
Defo water changes needed as maybe your tank is cycling. Read up on cycling, dont just take advice from your LFS otherwise you will hit problems, i did!!
Hope you get it sorted.