Fish Compatibility?

[tobinfish]

Hi! I have a fish question that I can't seem to figure out. I am not a novice at aquariums but it has been a while since I have had one.

I set up a large 50 gallon about three months ago. When the tank was stable I added about 3-4 platies and what I thought to be a Danio (now Im not so sure...hes tiny, about 1/2 inch long and thin silverish body and some red on the fins and tail with a very active personality--but doesnt seem aggressive).

About 2 weeks later I added a pleco. I found a skull remains of him about 1 week later. I checked the tank and everything was fine.

About 2 weeks later I stocked it with 3 more platies, another pleco, a red finned shark and two small silver sharks.

All the fish have slowly been disappearing. I am down to 3 platies (I think the originals) and the danio mystery fish. I have been rechecking the tank and everything is stable and I do not find any remains so I suppose they are being eaten....but I am confused as platies are docile and I dont see any aggression from the mystery fish. I want to restock the tank but I also dont want the fish to keep disappearing. Any advise?

 

[Fish Guy]

Hmm well if your parameters are fine it is quite a mystery. Could you get a pic of this " danio " ?

 

[tobinfish]

Hmm well if your parameters are fine it is quite a mystery. Could you get a pic of this " danio " ?

Will try to take a pic tmo but he is fast!

 

[This Old Spouse]

This should be interesting ...

 

[tobinfish]

ok. next to impossible to photograph but finally id as a bloodfin tetra. thoughts??

 

[Fish Guy]

Well I the Bloodfin Tetra didn't eat those missing fish, the only thing I would say is that those fish may have been sick at the time of purchase and the current tankmates would have just nibbled away at them after they died. What are your water parameters? I know you said they are fine, but it does seem to sound like a paramter issue, if you are losing all those fish as they are being introduced.

 

[Wills]

Hi yeah sounds like a rough start to setting up a tank.

Are you sure its a Bloodfin Tetra? If its been confused with a Danio it could be a White Cloud Mountain Minnow?

With regards the parameters - if you found a Pleco skull, your parameters would not be fine as the corpse would have rotted and created a massive Ammonia spike.

What are your water parameters? And what test kit are you using?

Wills

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I was thinking White Cloud as well.

White Cloud

Bloodfin tetra

 

[tobinfish]

definitely a small blood fin. Anything that I have read says they are peaceful.

I thought it was weird that other than the pleco to not find any remains. I have a 1 1/2 year old son so we spend a
lot of time looking at the tank. I would have thought to have seen the dead fish before they were consumed if it was a water quality issue.

#41####. I really hope it wasn't my fault with the tank. I have been using the mardel test strips and the colors have all seemed to match the ideal spots on the code strip. I have been testing it weekly since the tank was stable after the first few fish were added. I will test it again tonight to see where it is but I am now a few days past due on my cleaning.

 

[This Old Spouse]

If you read throughout this forum you'll see that the test strips are horribly unreliable to give accurate measurements of your water parameters. You absolutely need to get a pro liquid test kit. There's still a debate about which one is best, but the Nutrafin seems to be the top favorite. I use the API Master Test kit and that does well enough until it's time to get a new one.

Either one is fine. Test strips are not.

As for fish remains, you might look around your tank to see if you find any remains. Fish have been known to jump out of a tiny hole in a tank, seemingly disappearing into thin air.