Help! Fish Dying!:(

[annekarene]

please help, i have lost 7 fish in the last 24 hours. Last night they were all fine, infact i was in awe at the large fins of my longfin danio and two of my kuli loaches were dancing around the front of the tank. This morning one long fin danio had no tail, looked like a nasty attack, the other danio almost dead with cloudy skin. I then found a dead kuli loach and later in the day 2 guppies, no marks or discolouration on them, apart from being dead they looked totally fine. Two plecos followed suit. The only sympotoms are the wounds (for 2) and sometimes cloudy skin. My water has been tested twice, all fine, did a water change, checked temperature and added melafix...nothing seems to be working! I am desperate.

 

[iffles]

Hi, some extra info would be great to help work out what it is - copy and paste the table below to a post and fill in whatever you can. I would do a large water change anyway tho - clean water is important.
Copy and Paste the following:

Tank size:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

 

[annekarene]

Hi,thanks, sorry im rather ignorant about a lot of this, relatively new at it!, done my best to answer what i can.

Tank size:90L
pH:havent got a kit, went to two stores and said the following three were spot on.
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:26-27degress celsius

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
First fish was danio this morning, tail ripped off, still ate and swimming ok, other danio had white discolouration, gasping and resting on high leaf before dying. Following fish - plecos, kuli and guppies had no outward sign of problems.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
I change 30% every week, but did a 40% today (4 days after 30%)
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
I have carbon, ceramic noodles and added melafix today
Tank inhabitants:
gouramis, kuli loaches, guppies, plecos, tetras, head and tail lights, danios(gone), golden barbs, bristlenoses.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
a pleco and gourami (13days ago)

Exposure to chemicals: Melafix

 

[bricko]

Hi,thanks, sorry im rather ignorant about a lot of this, relatively new at it!

, done my best to answer what i can.

Tank size:90L
pH:havent got a kit, went to two stores and said the following three were spot on.
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:26-27degress celsius

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
First fish was danio this morning, tail ripped off, still ate and swimming ok, other danio had white discolouration, gasping and resting on high leaf before dying. Following fish - plecos, kuli and guppies had no outward sign of problems.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
I change 30% every week, but did a 40% today (4 days after 30%)
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
I have carbon, ceramic noodles and added melafix today
Tank inhabitants:
gouramis, kuli loaches, guppies, plecos, tetras, head and tail lights, danios(gone), golden barbs, bristlenoses.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
a pleco and gourami (13days ago)

Exposure to chemicals: Melafix

Hi Annekarene,

I think you need to invest in e tesk kit, get a liquid one as the strips are very unreliable.

What quantities of the above mentioned fish do you have?

Certain plecos are large messy fish and would require a tank MUCH larger than 90l

Certain Gouramis are large also and would require a larger tank

Did you quarantine the new fish prior to adding to new tank? Are these fish ill / dead?

Sound like you may be quite a bit overstocked in which case amonia and nitrite spikes would occur VERY quickly, if you took your water to be tested straight after a water change then it may look fine but could be quite toxic a few days / hours later.

Hope this helps

Regards,

Mark

 

[WILDER]

Immediate water change and increase aeration.

Invest in some liquid test kits of your own as not all lfs are to be trusted.

Take a sample of your water for now and ask them to write the readings down for you.

Cloudy looking body can be bad water quality, parasites, bacterial, ph shock.

Gasping is a sign of bad water quality, over dose of meds, toxins, parasites, bacterial, ph shock.

Your tanks sounds overstocked to me aswell.

 

[annekarene]

Hi all, thanks so much for all the advice.
I took the water in before i changed it, but I will
take it in again today to be sure. I will buy a
test kit, can anyone recommend a good one I can get
in New Zealand?
As for fish numbers, I was told i could have up to 35
and i have (had) 24 in my 90Litre tank.
Here are the numbers..

Tetras - 5, gouramis (dwarf)- 2, Loaches - 3
Bristlenoses - 2, danios - 3, taillights - 2
Harlequins - 2, golden barbs - 2, plecos - 2.

I have lost no more over night, it still seems very odd,
the new fish i bought were one pleco and one
gourami, the gourami has survived and seems fine, then
again they all seemed fine before they died. The
new ones were quarantined first. I have had more fish in
the past and did fine for months and months, many bred
(bristlenoses, plecos etc...)
I will note down anymore i loose today.
Could it be the food (3months old)? Or the carbon filters? (5months old)

thanks again for all the advice.
Will do my best!

 

[WILDER]

Your tanks overstocked for less than a 20 gal tank.

Research the fish before you buy. Adult size and if the fish are compatiable with the fish you keep.

Api are good value test kits. Except the nitrate test kit. I buy the tetra brand instead.