Dying By The Day

[Wadsleyowl]

Hi folks, I registered on the site a while ago on behalf of my Son but I need some advice. This may be a long thread so please hang with me.

He has a 30 litre tank which has been established about 12 months now. We have had a variety of fish from small neons to phantoms. We have only ever had about 10-12 fish at the most. A few have died which we have replaced but now we have a problem.

We added 4 neon's & 2 guppies two weeks ago & since then one by one they have all died. I took a sample of the water to a aquatics shop instead of the store where I got them from "embarrassed to say Pets at home "

The neon's look as if they have rotted away litterally over night, some just were floating. The local aquatics store tested the water sample & said it was quite good, I do change a qtr of the tank each week & use tap safe and boiled water that has cooled down. The guy said it could be fin rot so I have been putting in a course of ESHA 2000 since Sunday 8 drops on day one & 4 drops since.

As the days have gone by this week fish stopped dying on Wednesday. However the remaining Phantom has what looks like salt on it's fins. White spot I guess.

So here are the questions

Can I add a treatment for white spot as well as fin rot or will mixing the two cause more problems?

If things have gone too far & they all die (well, the remaining ones anyway) do I need to treat the tank with anything, or will a complete water change suffice & basically start again.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

Ps I'm sorry I can't give the water stats as I don't have a kit. Going to get one tomorrow though.

 

[WILDER]

Your tanks overstocked.
Can you say how many fish and which type you have.
I would invest in some liquid test kits of your own.
You can use a whitespot med with the esha 2000 if you get the esha whitespot med, thats the only one I know you can mix with a bacterial med.

 

[WILDER]

eSHa Exit
Anti Whitespot Treatment


eSHa EXIT is an effective treatment against all 'Spot' (Ich) diseases. EXIT also cures Velvet.


EXIT can be used in combination with 'eSHa 2000 - Fungus, Finrot and Bacteria Treatment'. This combination provides you with a broadly effective tool to treat most diseases your fish will encounter.



Acts fast against Whitespot and other Spot Parasites
Safe for use with sensitive tropical fish
Treats 1000 litres. (220 gal.)

 

[Underwurlde]

Just want to back Wilder up here so you have some greater confidence in what she's suggesting....

Andy

 

[Wadsleyowl]

Many thanks for your help. All we have left are 3 Neons 1 phantom (on it's last legs) & 3 small orange tetras. We were origionally told a maximum of 13 fish in a tank that size, and small ones at that.

 

[WILDER]

Tetra are shoaling fish so shouldn't be kept really in anything less than a 10 gallons.
There not that many fish that are ideal for just over a six gallon tank.

Usually it once inch per gallon. it depends on the adult size of the fish.
I would get some liquid test kits and test your water as that a good indicator if your tanks overstocked.
When you say the neons are rotting do you mean there fins or body aswell.

 

[Wadsleyowl]

Tetra are shoaling fish so shouldn't be kept really in anything less than a 10 gallons.
There not that many fish that are ideal for just over a six gallon tank.

Usually it once inch per gallon. it depends on the adult size of the fish.
I would get some liquid test kits and test your water as that a good indicator if your tanks overstocked.
When you say the neons are rotting do you mean there fins or body aswell.

Both fins & body. Gutted now tbh as we were told that a 30ltr would be a good starting point & neons would be fine. So if they all end up dying, what would your suggestions be & how many fish?

 

[WILDER]

You could turn the tank to cold water and get some cloud minnows.
Or a betta and some corys.
Or just one dwarf puffer fish.

Neons are small fish but they do need room to shoal. Though they only shoal when stressed.
If there bodies have rotted it would be kinder to end there misery.

If you do a thread on fish for a 30 litre tank, loads of members will give you advice.

Best piece of advice to offer it research the fish for yourself on how big a fish will grow, and what fish you can keep with them.

 

[Wadsleyowl]

Many, many thanks.

 

[WILDER]

Have all the fish died with the rotting bodies. Are some still alive.

 

[WILDER]

Can I ask why you boil the water.
Is it possible to load a pic up of the sick fish.

 

[TigerIssey]

As Wilder has said Tetras are completely unsuitable for a tank that size, this is due to the way tetras swim. Tetras are forward moving fish hence they need a lengthy tank to act normally. You have been given bad advice there, Wilders suggestions for fish are good, people will be very helpfull in suggestions for you. However first of all we need to help you out.

The neons that died, had they lost there colouring before dying?? A photo of the remaining neons would be good.
Is the phantom the only one showing signs of ich (white spot) at the moment??
Could you take a picture of the orange tetras, will help us see what they are?
As Wilder already said, why do you use solely boiled water??
Are the orange tetras showing any signs of illness at the moment?

The 2 medicines Wilder suggested are good and will cover a broad range of bacteria and external parasites.

Are there any other symptoms such as cloudy eyes, glancing, rapid darting, ulcerations on body, bloating, scale protrusions or gasping at the surface.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to get the test kits Wilder mentioned earlier.
Hope you do ok till you can get the stuff you need sorted.

 

[saz326]

It really sucks whan stuff like this starts to happen. I wonder whether the tank was ever so slightly overstocked and after 12 months it just couldnt handle itself anymore.

Sometimes you can do your best to keep your pets happy (no matter how small they are) and yet it still doesnt quite work out.

Please dont let this all put you off fish keeping. It is definately worth carrying on. Maybe you could start a "savings pot" and put a few quid in every week. Its quite impressive what can be bought on a budget at the moment. Bigger tanks are getting cheaper (second hand ones can be a bargain). The bigger your tank is, the easier it is to maintain and care for your fish.

If the worst does happen and the remaining fish die off, then dont rush out to buy more fish. Take a little time to research all the varietiy of fish you can have (look at their upkeep requirements - some are dead easy to look after). wait until you have a test kit (liquid are easier and more reliable), buy a few basic meds to look after the fish should they get ill, and then get the fish. (once the tank is cycled ofcourse)

Once you can get a bigger tank, the small one could be converted into a hospital tank or grow-out tank for any babies you get. nothing ever goes to waste in thie hobby.

Good luck. (sorry for long message)

 

[Spishkey]

esha 2000 should only be used for 3 days, youve been using it for longer? this is not so effect on its own but can be used in combination with esha exit which is a whitespot medication

 

[Wadsleyowl]

Can I ask why you boil the water.
Is it possible to load a pic up of the sick fish.

I boil the water then when it's cooled down I add tap safe each week. I was told to use boiled water from the shop. Possibly bad advice again.

I have again had the water tested today & another aquatic store said it was fine, but I am gonna get my own kit thia aft & test it myself & post the results. I used ESHA whitespot last night & again this morning. So far, nothing else has died, I will try to take some pics & post them. Once again many thanks for all your help guys & gals