Fish keep dieng !!!

[willywonka099]

Well my fish keep dieng ............ 7 fish in 3 months ..... I think it may have been the gravel that sat in the shed for a long time ... $23 us dollars total in fish !!!! My dad thinks it just may be cycling .... he suggested if any more died (4 left) to dump the gravel steralize everything and ad new gravel .... I was wanting to add some corys for a long time now but that will have to wait

 

[Tempestuousfury]

What type of gravel do you have? Size and appearance?

Do you have a water test kit? If so, check out the levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

Had your tank finished cycling?

How big is the tank? What fish are in it?

 

[parker313]

If your tank's not done cycling and you completely clean out the tank and replace the gravel, then you're just setting yourself back to square one. A thorough gravel vaccuuming would be better to get out any rotted food or fish poo.

 

[willywonka099]

I vaccum every week ... ph is fine I ahve no other testers ... I think it may be a chemical ro something on the gravel I don't know ....

 

[Tempestuousfury]

You could do that. It is possible that it might have been contaminated. However, it is a good practise to buy and use test kits for the water in case you need to find the true cause of a disorder.

 

[parker313]

You *need* to get some good testing kits or take the water to your lfs and ask for the specific result numbers. I thought my water params were just fine, but I kept having fish dying. I took my water to my lfs and they tested it for me with their good tests (not my dipstrip tests) and they told me my nitrAte was 50+ whereas my tests showed it <20.

No wonder my fish were dying.

If you don't know the specific test levels, there's really no advice that can be given b/c advice would be dependant on those test levels.

 

[David]

Honestly, be thankful you only lost 23 bucks worth. Since I started my tank I have lost 1 $2 platy, 4 $5 clown loaches, 6 $2 cardinal tetras, and a $20 discus. Adds up to $54 of fish. Enough to buy a decent-sized used tank (w/o equipment). Granted, the clown loaches were petco's fault, and I know not to buy from them again, as was the platy (the worker injured it with his net), the cardinals, were mine, I admit it. The tank was probably not yet fully cycled at the time, although I believed it was. I did not know cardinals were that sensitive. My discus was killed by another one that I later bought, and still have. Well I'm sorry for your loss, we all go through losing streaks I'm sure when first setting up our tanks.

 

[willywonka099]

Well i beleave i will get a testing kit ...... nitrate nitrite and amonia (&ph i have but it comes with neway) for $25 so at this point i HOPE it IS my water levels b/c i will have learned something and I can use it for future tanks