Fish Dieing

[roo03]

Hey ive recently started my own aquarium for the first time, my tank has been set up for a week now and all the water levels are good. the problem is i bought some rosy tetras to begin with, they seemed happy for a couple of days but this morning 2 have died on me, can anyone help/give advice thanks. Adam

 

[kelvinrankin767]

Test your water and put the stats up here, but first do a water change 50% or more, you would of needed to do a fishless cycle preferbly before you put fish in but you are in a fish in cycle now and that is alot more dangerous because any spike in water stats could result in the death of your fish. Get a good test kit if you havent got one yet.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

We need specific reading for ammonia; nitrite; nitrate using a test kit, ideally a liquid one and not the paper strip variety... Rather than "water levels are good."

How big is the tank?
Did you "cycle" the tank before buying any fish, or add any product like Tetra Safe Start to add some toxic processing bacteria to your tank?
Have you been adding de-chlorinator to fresh tap water before putting that water in the tank?
How many Rosy Tetras did you buy?
Have a look at the size of one eye for each fish you have and then guestimate how many food portions of this size you are giving your fish daily.

It should do no harm (and possibly a lot of good) to fill a fish-safe bucket (never had any chemicals in it) with de-chlorinated water; carefully catch your fish and put them in it; empty your tank of its current water and then add fresh de-chlorinated water of a similar temperature...ASAP

 

[roo03]

Ive tested the water using a 6-in-1 tester dip stick, all was in the safe zones, not too sure on how to put stats on. Yeah ive cycled the water for 5 days to begin with and used all the additives to remove the chlorine and used a filter start product too.
The tank is a 64 litre tank, i just bought 4 to begin with and was planning on getting more fish in the next few weeks.

 

[FreshyGirl27]

Hey ive recently started my own aquarium for the first time, my tank has been set up for a week now and all the water levels are good. the problem is i bought some rosy tetras to begin with, they seemed happy for a couple of days but this morning 2 have died on me, can anyone help/give advice thanks. Adam

Well Adam, if you tested the water, and are Sure that nothing is wrong, then it isn't your fault. Tetras aren't as hardy as Gouramies or livebearers. They might have just died of stress. If all of them rapidly died, it might be poor adjustment. Next time, Float the bag for 20-or-so minutes and add about a tablespoon of tankwater into the bag every 5 minutes, then net them out. It is important to keep a thermometer and heater to maintain the correct temp. and give the right food 24 hours after release to allow them to settle.

 

[roo03]

Just an update to let you all know, after some research it seemed to be a lack of oxygen in the tank, the tank is plenty big enough, ive just added some neon tetras to the tank and now they all seem pretty happy

 

[Liverbird36]

Hi Adam, you sound like you are in fish-in cycle situation which means your filter isn't cycled yet. This is a process that can take at least a month to complete. It's all about developing the correct bacteria in the filter to ensure deadly chemicals such as Ammonia and Nitrite are not present in the aquarium. Take a look in the beginners resource centre for all the advice you need on how to fish-in cycle a tanlk. In the meantime, you need to be testing your water a couple of times a day to ensure your Ammonia is kept as close to zero as possible. Post any readings you get on this thread so that other members are able to advise on the water changes needed.

Bear in mind that with a fish-in cycle, you could be doing large water changes daily, sometimes even twice daily. If possible I would strongly recommend getting a liquid testing kit such as the API Master test kit. Dip strips are very unreliable. When I first got my tank set up I used the dip strips and when I swapped to the liquid test kit the strips were a massive way off the mark, showing that my nitrite/ammonia levels were in the safe zone but the liquid test results showed them as extremely high. I appreciate it's an expense, but it's one that is really worth it. I wouldn't be without it. Ebay sell them for around £18 but if you go to your LFS you can pay anything up to £30 as muggins here did.

I would also recommend that you don't add any more fish until cycled as this is going to increase the bioload on the filter which at the moment is not able to take it. More fish also means more Ammonia in the tank. The beginners resource centre is great for giving you helpful tips and advice. I only know the basics when it comes to fish-in cycling so won't be of any in-depth help to you. The members on here are extremely knowledgable and will be able to give you all the help you need, Don't be afraid to ask for it. Good luck with your fish keeping.

 

[Rafael Dilone]

Aside from the fact that you should wait a longer time to add such fish as tetras, you should also buy from a quality Local fish store. A good indication is to look at their tanks and judge weather or not their tanks are in good stable conditions. A good fish store keeps their tanks in great shape regardless of the fact their tanks are cramped with fish for sale. Make note of when they receive their new fish and NEVER buy fish the same day they arrive in the store. At least wait 5 days(i wait around a week) so you can see which have already acclimated to the store tanks since some are guaranteed to die. Take into account that some of these fishes comes from half across the world and with all that stressed some are sadly going to die. So do research on the good Local fish stores near you and speak with the employees there or owner to see how much they actually know. Sadly many stores have no idea what they are selling. But once you take a look at their tanks you get somewhat of an idea of what they know to some degree.

Also learn to drip acclimate your fish. Especially the sensitive species. Regardless do it to all fishes

Here is a vid showing how to do so. It is rather inexpensive. All that it takes is patience.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

That video brings back memories of four months or so ago, when I watched that clip by chance!