Losing Fish

[Rod Boughton]

Hi, I have a 90 litre tank that has been set up now for about five weeks , I've added fish gradually but I keep losing fish, I added three guppies after the first week and they are thriving, I then added 10 neons a week later and a week after that they gradually died one by one, I then waited another week and then added 6 cardinals, then a few days later I added a flying fox and a pair of rams. There are 3 cardinals left and 1 of the rams died today.

I've done a water change each week, so where am I going wrong, I kept fish years ago and never had this trouble, I'm losing interest in my hobby already.

Rod

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi Rod

Sorry to hear of your losses

Neons have been mass bred without much care taken over quality and so are not the hardy fish they used to be. Rams are a notoriously delicate fish.

How did you cycle your tank or are you doing a fish-in cycle?
Do you have any test kits yet? A weekly water change probably isn't enough if you didn't do a fishless cycle; you probably need to be doing them daily.

 

[nurglespuss]

Hi there

Firstly don't lose heart! You just need a little patience and some more luck

Set up now for about five weeks (Is that 5 weeks total?)
I've added fish gradually but I keep losing fish (great that you added them gradually)
I added three guppies after the first week and they are thriving (brilliant news! some hardy guppies!!)
I then added 10 neons a week later and a week after that they gradually died one by one (ah yes, as the previous poster said weak neons are all over the place - plus adding 10 fish at once is a big hit on the tank)
I then waited another week and then added 6 cardinals (now, in my experience, cardinals tend to prefer a mature tank (as do neons) i.e. one at least 3-6 months old, I would say avoid fish like this for now)
then a few days later I added a flying fox and a pair of rams (Now I'll have to ask a question here, you've been adding fish in increasingly short spaces of time, after they die? Perhaps its time to figure out 'why' they are dying before you lose any more money?)

OK, so you have some fish alive in the tank, thats good!! Leave it at that for at least a month, doing a 10% water change every other day.

You are then (in effect) fish cycling your tank.

If any more die/look ill, get a really good look at them, just to make sure its not disease.

If you have the money (I don't) pick up a test kit (I use the strips - not massively accurate - but good enough for a hobby that is already expensive!) and see how your tank checks out

I hope that helps!

 

[Rod Boughton]

Thankyou fluttermoth and nurglespuss, for you replies and especially nurglespuss for your advice which I will follow.

I will leave the tank for a month and do 10% water changes every other day. I will try to get some test kits, any advice on what water quality I need to be aiming for.

 

[Rod Boughton]

Can anyone suggest a reliable but cheap testing kit that I can buy ?

 

[nurglespuss]

tetra
ammonia testing strips

These are what I usually use

Tetra and api both do general testing strips

 

[Harlequins]

TBH i think testing strips aren't very reliable compared to an api master test kit,which you can pick up on ebay for around £20.

You are in a fish in cycle,have a read of the link under my signature pic,the beginners resource centre will tell you about the nitrogen cycle and the fish in cycle you are currently in.

Do not add any more fish atm,a 5 wk old tank will not have cycled enough to handle the bio load for all the fish you put in.

Do daily w/c changes until you can test your water,and post back your results for ammonia/nitrite & nitrate.

Good luck

 

[Gilli]

Your tank is not cycled - you should be testing your water stats daily and doing daily water changes if there is any trace of ammonia or nitrites or you will continue to lose fish.

Neons should never be added to a tank that is not fully cycled and is anything less than 6 months mature.

 

[OldMan47]

If you cannot afford to buy a test kit, the liquid reagent type, you do indeed need to do daily large water changes until you can get past the initial cycling process as Harlequins suggested. I would take a look at your stocking levels. If you have only 15 to 20% of your final stock levels, you might well get by with daily water changes of only 10% to 20%. If you have more stock than that, you are probably facing 30% or larger daily water changes unless you have test results to guide you.
I can remember when we really did not understand cycling a tank and we would get tough fish that were likely to simply survive the cycle process as initial stockings. Those fish were stocked at about 15% of what we thought our tanks would eventually hold and we often lost over half of them cycling a new tank. After a couple of months we would start adding a small number of fish every week or two and would still lose a few fish, but not as many as with a new uncycled tank. Since I learned to test a new tank and guide my actions by the test results, I simply never lose any new fish to an uncycled tank. I bring home a pair of fish when I want a pair for breeding instead of the 3 or 4 of each sex that I once found necesssary for setting up a breeding pair.

 

[RustedKnight]

Don't give up, i've had plenty of problems and was on the verge of giving up entirely a few times, but I persevered and now am ecstatic with my tank, I love it and wouldn't want to be without it.

I'd wait for others to confirm anything I say, as i've only been fishkeeping a year.

But i'd consider adding some salt to the tank as a natural tonic to keep the fish's stress down whilst your tank is cycling. I was told something along the lines of 1 tablespoon of salt for each 5 gallons of water. Only to be added when doing a water change (I presume to help mix it up)

Aside from that, patience is the key to fishkeeping, it's too easy to get excited and overload your tank *guilty* and you need to take a step back, be patient, and think whats best for the fish, not me.. Since doing this myself, my tank and my fish both look great, and after waiting a few months i'm finally getting the focal point of my tank this coming friday, it's been a good target to look forward to.

I hope this has been of some help to you.

 

[kporteo]

But i'd consider adding some salt to the tank as a natural tonic to keep the fish's stress down whilst your tank is cycling. I was told something along the lines of 1 tablespoon of salt for each 5 gallons of water. Only to be added when doing a water change (I presume to help mix it up)

Id do some research regarding salt in your aquarium, theres very mixed views on this forum about it. Some fish cannot deal with salt fluctuations, some aren't too bad. Personally, I use it in my Biorb for my goldfish and shes never a problem but im not risking it in my tropical tank.

K

 

[RustedKnight]

But i'd consider adding some salt to the tank as a natural tonic to keep the fish's stress down whilst your tank is cycling. I was told something along the lines of 1 tablespoon of salt for each 5 gallons of water. Only to be added when doing a water change (I presume to help mix it up)

Id do some research regarding salt in your aquarium, theres very mixed views on this forum about it. Some fish cannot deal with salt fluctuations, some aren't too bad. Personally, I use it in my Biorb for my goldfish and shes never a problem but im not risking it in my tropical tank.

K

I found it to be fine with Tetra's, Guppies and Corydora's, but that is just me. I had no choice but to add salt though, as I was adding Bumblebee gobies into my tropical. So my water is constantly lightly salted, and everyone seems happy.

Again, wait for a response from more-knowledgable keepers than I.

 

[Harlequins]

I agree with kporteo - don't add salt unless you've researched it with the fish you've got,salt can be useful has a tonic in some cases,but when in a fish in cycle,daily water changes is the best way to go.
Some fish don't tolerate salt especially cories and can cause more harm than good.

Good clean water is the best tonic...

 

[nurglespuss]

Yes to be honest salt is a bit of a throwback to when I first started fish keeping, but it seems to be making a strange come back.

There are some benefits to bothe mineralising water, and providing salt, but in truly trace quantities (although Methyl blue-salt bath still works wonders for cichlid and goldfish ailments!).

I would say, if there is no specific need for salts, and if it won't help your current situation, don't add them.

Just take your time, regular water changes (regularity is the key - sometimes more so than frequency), and really there is no need to test everyday, you'll just burn up your wallet every other day is fine!

 

[Rod Boughton]

Ok so my month of water changes is nearly up and i still have the three guppies and the flying fox in good condition. I have just ordered an API freshwater testing kit which should be here within the next couple of days, so what results will i be looking for and whats the best way to bring the stocking level up, i dont want to lose any more fish.