Help, My Fish Are Dropping Like Flies!

[charlyking]

This problem started a while back with the odd fish dying. I have tested my water and it all seems ok and I have tried water changes to resolve the issue. My tank is about 60 litres and has been set up for 2 years, we set up using fishless cycles.

Fish i've lost in the past are mainly guppies but also a tetra, molly, cory, barb, two loaches and probably others that I cant remember right this second. I didnt have these all in my tank at one time as I have been restocking. I genuinely thought it was just bad luck as the odd one died here and there but now its happening constantly.

The guppies I have start to look really thin, like they have never been fed although I feed them regularly. They then hang at the top of the water almost looking bent and hanging on for dear life. The fish then usually dies that day. I have a female guppy that has a huge belly. She has been pregnant in the past and initially I thought she was pregnant again but she has not had anymore babies but still has a huge stomach.

Other behaviours I've noticed in dying fish are irratic swimming. Twirling round and round and all over the place and then dying that day again.

I'm really gutted that I have lost so many fish and that they are still dying. Please could someone give me some advice so I can try and stop this. I have barely any fish left but I dont want to re-stock again until I fix this.

 

[Mowbz]

Can you post the test results, and other bits. Using the Emergency form might help

 

[charlyking]

Request Help

Tank size: 60 Litres
pH: 7
ammonia:
nitrite: 0-0.25
nitrate:
kH: unknown
gH: unknown
tank temp: 26

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): Thin fish, irratic swimming, looking bent, swollen belly

Volume and Frequency of water changes: 50% once a month

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: None that i'm aware of

Tank inhabitants: I have 3 tetras, 2 babies guppies, 2 adult guppies, 2 Kuhli Loaches, 1 dwarf gourami, 1 bottom feeder

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): none

Exposure to chemicals: None

Unfortunately I have ran out of my other testing kits, need to buy some more today. I must add I have a lot of algae in my tank. I clean it frequently but it grows back VERY quickly. Sorry I couldnt provide more information at this moment.

A pic of my female guppy

 

[the_lock_man]

Two things I can say based on that post.

You are showing a nitrite reading. Given the filter is 2 years old, something must have happened to the filter bacteria to give any sort of nitrite reading. THe fact that you have a lot of algae points to having ammonia in there as well, pity you couldn't give an ammonia reading, that would be an interesting piece of data to have.

Maybe you forgot to dechlorinate your water at one WC recently, and it killed off the filter?

The other thing is that a 50% water change per month is not enough. I personally do 30% a week, I know others do more than that. This could have allowed nitrate to build up to dangerous levels, particularly in a 60l. Again, it's a pity that this test was also missing.

 

[PyroBrit]

THe fact that you have a lot of algae points to having ammonia in there as well, pity you couldn't give an ammonia reading, that would be an interesting piece of data to have.

Ammonia and algae? I thought it was Phosphates and Nitrates that were the prime cause of Algae.

 

[the_lock_man]

THe fact that you have a lot of algae points to having ammonia in there as well, pity you couldn't give an ammonia reading, that would be an interesting piece of data to have.

Ammonia and algae? I thought it was Phosphates and Nitrates that were the prime cause of Algae.

Nope. Ammonia + light = algae. Hence why you don't have your lights on in a fishless cycle. No phosphates or nitrates in the tank at the start of a fishless.

 

[charlyking]

Thanks for your replies. My partner is picking up some more testing kits so will get some readings this way a bit later. Algae has been a big problem especially since the sun catches my tank most of the day. I actually get balls of algae in the bottom which i've not seen before when i've had tanks. I hoovered all the algae off the bottom and cleaned the glass and filter but it comes back so quickly.

 

[Tizer]

you say you clean the filter...how?

 

[the_lock_man]

Algae has been a big problem especially since the sun catches my tank most of the day.

That would explain the algae more, then, maybe there's not ammonia after all. Post up that and the nitrate result, the more info you give, the better.

 

[charlyking]

I rinse out my filter with tank water from my water change

 

[nehpets81]

The guppies I have start to look really thin, like they have never been fed although I feed them regularly. They then hang at the top of the water almost looking bent and hanging on for dear life. The fish then usually dies that day. I have a female guppy that has a huge belly. She has been pregnant in the past and initially I thought she was pregnant again but she has not had anymore babies but still has a huge stomach.

Other behaviours I've noticed in dying fish are irratic swimming. Twirling round and round and all over the place and then dying that day again.

I'm really gutted that I have lost so many fish and that they are still dying. Please could someone give me some advice so I can try and stop this. I have barely any fish left but I dont want to re-stock again until I fix this.

Did you ever find out what was going on here? I think I am starting to see similar things happening in my tank. Did any of your fish seem to be standing on their heads at any point? Did the fish flick themselves on any of the tank furnishings?