Keep Finding Dead Fish

[LittleEmma16]

a couple of weeks ago i lost a female guppy, cause of death is still unknown, this was 2 days after i cleaned my tank. so a couple of days later i went and brought a new female guppy to even out the ratio of my female guppys and the male and i also brought 5 neon tetras.
everything seemed okay they all looked quite happy then 2 days later there was a missing tetra, i thought he was just hiding in the plants until i looked slightly closer to find it was actually dead in the plant, i put it down to maybe the stress of being moved from the pet store to my tank, so just to be sure i had a family member take a sample of thee tank water to be tested and i was told it was almost perfect [i dont know any specific numbers]and id told them how i fed them and cleaned them and told i was doing nothing wrong so ive carried on doing this.
then tuesday morning i fed them, everything was fine, fed them but never really looked to closely wednesday then yesterday [thursday] i could see something was stuck in the plants, at a distance it looked to be a leaf then as i stepped closer it was my male guppy, then a hour later i found another neon tetra dead.
can anyone help me?

 

[phoenixgsd]

ok a few, well alot of questions for you, how big is your tank? is your tank cycled? how did you clean your tank, what are your waters stats? (you need to know this) have you done a water change? if not do one, as poor water quality is usually the prime suspect for unexplained deaths, do a massive water change with temperature matched dechlorinated water

 

[LittleEmma16]

its about 50/60ltrs, how do you mean when you say cycled? like the filter??
i clean my filter and ornaments in the same tank water [obviously in a seperate bucket tho]
i dont know my water stats, i had someone get my water tested for me and they were told it was just about perfect and nothing to worry about,but not actually told numbers.
i did the water change 2 days before i lost the first fish

ive told the pet shop everything i do with my tank eg how i clean it and how i feed them and they said im doing nothing wrong, and they dont even know why im loosing fish and after testing my water last saturday their really confused! as am i!!!

 

[turtlegirl]

its about 50/60ltrs, how do you mean when you say cycled? like the filter??
i clean my filter and ornaments in the same tank water [obviously in a seperate bucket tho]
i dont know my water stats, i had someone get my water tested for me and they were told it was just about perfect and nothing to worry about,but not actually told numbers.
i did the water change 2 days before i lost the first fish

ive told the pet shop everything i do with my tank eg how i clean it and how i feed them and they said im doing nothing wrong, and they dont even know why im loosing fish and after testing my water last saturday their really confused! as am i!!!

How long has the tank been running? Your best bet is to buy a master test kit and test the water yourself, exact readings will help us help you.

What do you add to the water? Dechlorinator? anything else? Did the LFS test for ammonia or just a 5 in 1 test?

How big is this tank? what is in it? What type of filter are you using?

 

[alistairw]

Everything you have been told by Phoenix and turtle girl (hello again TG!!!) is correct. It is imperative we know your tank specifications, how long it has been running and most importantly, your water stats. You must be able to test your water so you can keep it in tip top condition for the benefit of your fish.

Have a read of the beginners resource centre. This will tell you all you need to know about cycling etc. essentially, cycling is the process of establishing a colony of bacteria in your filter media that is able to convert the ammonia produced by fish into nitrite and then nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are lethal to fish I think your fish are during of ammonia poisoning.

Have a good read of the section and do some massive water changes, 90%! Multiple ones if necessary till the ammonia is at 0 ppm - this is why you need a test kit (the most important tool to the fish keeper).

Good luck! You have done the right thing posting on here.

 

[turtlegirl]

Everything you have been told by Phoenix and turtle girl (hello again TG!!!) is correct. It is imperative we know your tank specifications, how long it has been running and most importantly, your water stats. You must be able to test your water so you can keep it in tip top condition for the benefit of your fish.

Have a read of the beginners resource centre. This will tell you all you need to know about cycling etc. essentially, cycling is the process of establishing a colony of bacteria in your filter media that is able to convert the ammonia produced by fish into nitrite and then nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are lethal to fish I think your fish are during of ammonia poisoning.

Have a good read of the section and do some massive water changes, 90%! Multiple ones if necessary till the ammonia is at 0 ppm - this is why you need a test kit (the most important tool to the fish keeper).

Good luck! You have done the right thing posting on here.

To add on here, did you add dechlorinator when you changed the water?
(Hi again!)

 

[LittleEmma16]

the tank has been up and running for longer than 9 years, ive usually had cold water fish, but ive recently lost them both so i have decided to try tropical.
ive got in the tank atm 3 neon tretras, 3 plattys, 2 guppys, a siamese fighter and 2 hongkong plecs.
when i change the water i have been using API Stress Coat. im not sure what my filter is but ive been told its big enough for for tank.
i know this will sound bad, but i cannot afford a test kit, which is why ive had to have to get it tested by the pet store.

 

[alistairw]

I am no expert, but could the betta (siamese fighter) be killing your fish? I think they should really be kept on their own as they can be very aggressive.

I would really try and stretch to getting the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests as this is the only way you can be sure you have cycled your tank. It will save you a trip to your lfs every day. You really need to rule out the cycling issue so you can concentrate on other issues, such as whether its the betta harrassing your fish to death.

Whats the temp of your tank? Again, no expert, but I have a feeling that hong kong plecs (hillstream loach) should be kept in lower temp tanks (around 20 degrees) that are fairly fast flowing as this allows for high oxygen levels? The higher the water temp, the lower the levels of oxygen. Edit: there is a post on here by flutter mouth, one of the new moderators, that asks a question about hillstream loach. Maybe worth a read to give you more of an idea of what their needs are.

 

[phoenixgsd]

the tank has been up and running for longer than 9 years, ive usually had cold water fish, but ive recently lost them both so i have decided to try tropical.
ive got in the tank atm 3 neon tretras, 3 plattys, 2 guppys, a siamese fighter and 2 hongkong plecs.
when i change the water i have been using API Stress Coat. im not sure what my filter is but ive been told its big enough for for tank.
i know this will sound bad, but i cannot afford a test kit, which is why ive had to have to get it tested by the pet store.

A test kit will decide if you have a water problem or a fish bullying problem, so quite a essential peice of kit really, it is possible your betta is seeing colourful guppy flowing fins and mistaking them for another betta

 

[turtlegirl]

the tank has been up and running for longer than 9 years, ive usually had cold water fish, but ive recently lost them both so i have decided to try tropical.
ive got in the tank atm 3 neon tretras, 3 plattys, 2 guppys, a siamese fighter and 2 hongkong plecs.
when i change the water i have been using API Stress Coat. im not sure what my filter is but ive been told its big enough for for tank.
i know this will sound bad, but i cannot afford a test kit, which is why ive had to have to get it tested by the pet store.

Then you need to have the petstore test your water every single day and get the exact #s.

 

[LittleEmma16]

the plecs are fine, ive had them 3 months, they are pretty happy and tbh the fighter is fine, hes not bothered by the other fish.
the heater is on 24,
my male platty how ever does keep chasing both of my female plattys - not to sure whats going on there, one does look slightly more podgy than the other, preggers maybe?
i am going to go to another pet store and get them to check the water aswel so i can get a second opinion on my water quality and get some numbers

 

[alistairw]

You really need to get a test kit..........

 

[turtlegirl]

You really need to get a test kit..........

I hate to sound mean, however I am going to be blunt here.
If you had a dog, you'd take him/her to the vet if s/he was sick. If you had a cat, you'd do the same thing. A $20 test kit is your vet visit for your fish, it's a test to make sure you are helping them stay as healthy as possible. If you cannot afford it, I would reconsider keeping fish, they are pets just like a cat or dog.

I believe you are young, I would ask your parents to look at this thread if they are against spending the money on the test kit. Otherwise, ask neighbors or friends parents if there is anything you can do to earn a few dollars from them.
A test kit is important and part of fish keeping.

 

[LittleEmma16]

im 21. i can usually afford things for my fish, i ment this month had been abit of a struggle to afford the test kit. im going to get my water tested again tomorrow by another pet store and have a second opinion and also they will be able to give me actual numbers

 

[LittleEmma16]

ive had my water tested by another pet store and they said that the ammonia was 0, the nitrate was 0 and the nitrite was 0.
so their not quite sure either.