Fish Keep Dieing Within 3 Weeks.

[LtShark1980]

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Tank size: 10 gallon
pH: 7to8
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 5
nitrate: 0
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 76

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Unknown. Nothing visible. Within 3 weeks no matter what fish are added they all die. Tank has been running for approx 5 months. Yet every time anything new is added they all die within 3 weeks. They are healthy and fine the night before. Then we awake to everything dead.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
25% once a month. If water is low we do add more during the month.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: aquarium rocks, one pirate ship, one large rock, one fake turtle, 2 fake plants.

Tank inhabitants:
None, everything is dead again.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): changed to a new filter 2 months ago to have a better exchange rate.

Exposure to chemicals:
None.

Digital photo (include if possible):

 

[jag51186]

If nitrite is 5, that's your problem. Your tank isn't cycled properly and you are getting a toxic spike. Have a read of the Cycle your Tank section. There are some really good sticky topics over there.

Also, how many fish are you adding at a time? 10 gallons is very small.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yes, have to concur this does look like to be a cycled tank issue due to having nitrite at 5 and nitrate at 0. A cycled tank will normally show 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a reading of nirate.
 
But first I need to ask what kind of water testing kit are you using?
 
Did the fish you had show signs of gasping, lethargic swimming, staying at surface of water, red gills before they dies?
 
If so, then these are symptoms of ammonia/nitrite poisoning.
 
Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all toxic to fish.
 
Basically this means you need to get your filter and tank cycled in order to have the correct bacterias needed to control ammonia which is what fish produces, waste and breathing essentially is what comes from fishes every day.
 
Have a read of this and I would suggest you follow this in order to start cycling your tank to get it ready for fish.
 
Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank

 

[LtShark1980]

I am using parts of a salt water test kit and ph test for freshwater. None of the betta have died and using the same spring water for those. The fish got lethargic and stayed towards the bottom. The cichlid. The algea eater was fine then just died in the morning after a water top off.

 

[StevenF]

 
 
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
25% once a month. If water is low we do add more during the month.

In addiition to nitrite, your limited water changes once a month may be causing the the water harness to increase to unhealthy levels.  Most people do a water change once a week.

 

[LtShark1980]

I also run a successful 72 gallon bowfront tank. I change it the same way. Changing water once a week seems very unlikely.

 

[jag51186]

I also run a successful 72 gallon bowfront tank. I change it the same way. Changing water once a week seems very unlikely.

 
And yet it is the standard for most of the serious hobbyists. The fish are dying from nitrite poisoning. You put in new fish, the bacteria process their waste from ammonia into nitrite...there is not a large enough colony of bacteria to process the nitrite into nitrate, which is less harmful, so the fish die from nitrite toxicity.

 

[betta fish]

Also in a smaller tank such as a 10 gallon there is less water to dilute the waste so things get bad much quicker compared to a 72 gallon, you really do need to be doing those water changes once a week.

 

[robertsmith50]

I always get some feeder gold fish to get the bio filtration cycling. They are very cheap and very "dirty", so they get the bacteria colony running very strong. i leave them in for about 6 weeks, then discard them to a local pond to live out their days. I have also had good luck with some of the bacteria colony jump starter products that are sold OTC. The best one I have used is Quick start made by API.

 

[jag51186]

I hope you don't just dump them in the neighborhood pond or something?