Fish Emergency

[denverbres]

Hi All.

I was hoping my first post would be more of a how are you all doing kind and introduce myself but unfortunately I have a bit of an emergency with some of my stock...

I've recently cycled a new 180l Juwel Vision tank, had the water tested and given the all clear to start to stock. I already had some Molly's a Siamese fighting fish and some tetras in my old tank so transferred them over without any issue and have gradually added community friendly stock (3 juvanile angles, head and tail lights, couple of gourmies (spelling) )

Last week, one of the Molly's took ill, his / her head got a bit swelled and it's body was kind of kinked if that makes sense? it died after 2 days.
Yesterday I noticed that my fighting fishes tail fin had kind of curled up into a tube shape but he was moving around normally so I added some fin rot additive to the tank. Before leaving for work this morning, he was sitting down at the bottom of the tank hidden away, he sometimes does this and I know it's part of their make up that the do it so I thought nothing of it. I just got home and he was in the same place, but alive. He moved out swam for a couple of minutes but settled at the bottom of the tank again in a different spot and generally looks sorry for himself.

Also (as it if could get any worse) one of the OTHER mollies is now lying on it's side at the bottom of the tank. He is still alive and breathing but there's no life there.

PLEASE HELP!

recap:

1. A mollies head swelled, body twisted and died a couple of days later
2. Siamese Fighting Fish's tail fin is curled into a tube shape and he's sitting (right way up) at the bottom of the tank and doesn't look healthy.
3. Another molly is now on it's side, breathing but lifeless

Background:

Tank was second hand and in use up to an hour before I picked it up. I didn't wash the filter media or coral sand deliberatly so that the cycling process would have a kick start.
I also "washed" the filter media from my old tank in the new tank's water to give an extra kick and squeezed the cotton from a plant in the old tank into the new water.
I perform a 20% water change once a week, and this was done on Saturday morning.
I did a water test before posting (PH, No2, No3, KH and GH) and all parameters were perfect. I don't have an ammonia test but based on water change just done saturday I would have thought it was good?

I hope someone can help!

Thanks in advance
Denver

 

[lilfishie]

Welcome to the forum, shame its not happier terms


first thing i would do is another a water change

i am thinking it ammonia due to too many fish at once

on a side note, bettas angels and gourami are not a good mix

 

[KittyKat]

How old are the mollies?

I assume your nitrite is 0 ppm, what are your pH and nitrate? Numbers please.

 

[JoanMorse]

I want to thank you for this informative...I really appreciate sharing this great post.

 

[denverbres]

sorry about the delay coming back guys
Thanks for your responses.

Turns out the water had indeed spiked for some reason. I was given a bag of nice dirty mature water which seems to have done the trick. About half a dozen water tests later on my new water test kit and it seems to have stablised again. I also bought a huge piece of pre-soaked bog oak to help keep the Ph level in check.

I'm going to give the tank another 4 weeks before restocking to cover the losses.

@ lilfishie - Thanks, noted. Unfortunately I lost my fighting fish.
Based on your info I won't replace him with another.
What would you recommend as good tank mates for Angles?

 

[KittyKat]

You are probably best off just topping up your tetra schools.

Do be aware that if two of your angels pair off at some point in the future, they will probably try to kill the third. This is why I will only recommend angels for large tanks, and then only in groups of 6+. Some people do keep them in smaller tanks, of course, and you could always end up having 3 females or 3 males.

 

[Pugsly101]

Hello all, I have not long started my tank it is a 140 litre tank. I started this tank with 10 harlequin 6 head tail light tetra 10 danios and 4 yoyo loaches and 2 aquatic frogs. Couple weeks down the line my frogs died was told this is normal they mite have just not acclimatized. So another week past and I tried to introduce new fish 10 neons 2 more frogs 2 algae eaters 1 khahri loach a think it's called. Since then my fish have been disappearing my khahri loach died within hours, the yoyo loaches were looking as though there were attacking it. I over a week now am down to 1 neon and have lost my frogs and am down to 1 algae eater but strangely there is no remains. The only thing I have seen is the yoyo loaches eating 2 tetra. I have also lost 1 of my larger danios. Water ph and heat are nominal this us my first tank do i am worried am I nit caring for them right?

 

[KittyKat]

Hello all, I have not long started my tank it is a 140 litre tank. I started this tank with 10 harlequin 6 head tail light tetra 10 danios and 4 yoyo loaches and 2 aquatic frogs. Couple weeks down the line my frogs died was told this is normal they mite have just not acclimatized. So another week past and I tried to introduce new fish 10 neons 2 more frogs 2 algae eaters 1 khahri loach a think it's called. Since then my fish have been disappearing my khahri loach died within hours, the yoyo loaches were looking as though there were attacking it. I over a week now am down to 1 neon and have lost my frogs and am down to 1 algae eater but strangely there is no remains. The only thing I have seen is the yoyo loaches eating 2 tetra. I have also lost 1 of my larger danios. Water ph and heat are nominal this us my first tank do i am worried am I nit caring for them right?

What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature. How old is the set-up? Is it planted? Did you cycle it? (Sitting the tank full of water for a week is not a cycle.)

You are most likely overstocked and you are probably having problems due to an ammonia/nitrite spike.

Different loaches species are often not compatible with each other.

 

[Pugsly101]

Hello all, I have not long started my tank it is a 140 litre tank. I started this tank with 10 harlequin 6 head tail light tetra 10 danios and 4 yoyo loaches and 2 aquatic frogs. Couple weeks down the line my frogs died was told this is normal they mite have just not acclimatized. So another week past and I tried to introduce new fish 10 neons 2 more frogs 2 algae eaters 1 khahri loach a think it's called. Since then my fish have been disappearing my khahri loach died within hours, the yoyo loaches were looking as though there were attacking it. I over a week now am down to 1 neon and have lost my frogs and am down to 1 algae eater but strangely there is no remains. The only thing I have seen is the yoyo loaches eating 2 tetra. I have also lost 1 of my larger danios. Water ph and heat are nominal this us my first tank do i am worried am I nit caring for them right?

What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature. How old is the set-up? Is it planted? Did you cycle it? (Sitting the tank full of water for a week is not a cycle.)

You are most likely overstocked and you are probably having problems due to an ammonia/nitrite spike.

Different loaches species are often not compatible with each other.

Sorry for the double posting I am a forum chat noob was just my 1st ever post!! Yeah my tank is a used one had already been populated and cycling for over six months. I have had the tank myself now for 6 weeks and like a say this is my 1st problem with it!! It was just the fact that not all ma fish are dead yet!! And the are absolutely no remains of the dead fish left. As for the over stocking how many fish should be comfortable in a 140 litre tank I was thinkn 30-40 with fish that snot grow more than a couple inches

 

[KittyKat]

Hello all, I have not long started my tank it is a 140 litre tank. I started this tank with 10 harlequin 6 head tail light tetra 10 danios and 4 yoyo loaches and 2 aquatic frogs. Couple weeks down the line my frogs died was told this is normal they mite have just not acclimatized. So another week past and I tried to introduce new fish 10 neons 2 more frogs 2 algae eaters 1 khahri loach a think it's called. Since then my fish have been disappearing my khahri loach died within hours, the yoyo loaches were looking as though there were attacking it. I over a week now am down to 1 neon and have lost my frogs and am down to 1 algae eater but strangely there is no remains. The only thing I have seen is the yoyo loaches eating 2 tetra. I have also lost 1 of my larger danios. Water ph and heat are nominal this us my first tank do i am worried am I nit caring for them right?

What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature. How old is the set-up? Is it planted? Did you cycle it? (Sitting the tank full of water for a week is not a cycle.)

You are most likely overstocked and you are probably having problems due to an ammonia/nitrite spike.

Different loaches species are often not compatible with each other.

Sorry for the double posting I am a forum chat noob was just my 1st ever post!! Yeah my tank is a used one had already been populated and cycling for over six months. I have had the tank myself now for 6 weeks and like a say this is my 1st problem with it!! It was just the fact that not all ma fish are dead yet!! And the are absolutely no remains of the dead fish left. As for the over stocking how many fish should be comfortable in a 140 litre tank I was thinkn 30-40 with fish that snot grow more than a couple inches

30-40 is what I would keep in a planted tank (adult size of 2 inches), but you are already at 36 + the loaches on top (5* 6 inch fish). In theory, in a planted tank, that should not cause problems, but you added a lot of new fish at the same time, which can cause problems.

Now, these questions are really, really important, so please answer them: What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature. Is it planted?