I had just finished cycling my tank with three serpae tetras, so we added a couple more serpaes and three really small Julii cory cats. They did extremely well for two days and I monitored the water closely.
Yesterday, I went home from work at lunch to find all the fish happily swimming around. When I got home from work just three hours later, one of the cats was on it's side on the bottom of the tank, barely alive. He tried to swim and only made it around in circles and spirals before crashing down into the gravel again. He was gone within a half hour. He had no visible signs of sickness (nothing growing on him, no sores, etc). The other fish still looked great.
I had to go out for a bit last night and when I got home, a second cat had the exact same symptoms (lying on his side, not able to swim straight) and he also died fairly quickly.
I tested the water: ammonia-0, nitrites-just starting to register after being at zero for days, nitrates-5. They had warned us that adding more fish might start a mini cycle, but the nitrites are under .25. I did a partial water change to get it back down to zero...
The only other thing that I can find that is revelant is that the serpaes have been sort of picking on each other and the cats. They nip at the tail fins...
What could possibly be going wrong?
Yesterday, I went home from work at lunch to find all the fish happily swimming around. When I got home from work just three hours later, one of the cats was on it's side on the bottom of the tank, barely alive. He tried to swim and only made it around in circles and spirals before crashing down into the gravel again. He was gone within a half hour. He had no visible signs of sickness (nothing growing on him, no sores, etc). The other fish still looked great.
I had to go out for a bit last night and when I got home, a second cat had the exact same symptoms (lying on his side, not able to swim straight) and he also died fairly quickly.
I tested the water: ammonia-0, nitrites-just starting to register after being at zero for days, nitrates-5. They had warned us that adding more fish might start a mini cycle, but the nitrites are under .25. I did a partial water change to get it back down to zero...
The only other thing that I can find that is revelant is that the serpaes have been sort of picking on each other and the cats. They nip at the tail fins...
What could possibly be going wrong?
. But any ways wish you have better luck then me.
