My fish are dying....

[GuppyLover23]

Okay, here's the tank background...It's a newer tank started in Dec.....I currently have 1pair of guppies, 1 sword, and 3 platties......I've checked the ammonia in the tank frequently and it's fine, my ph is a little high, but other than that the tank seems to be okay.......well, except my fish seem to be dying one at a time. My female guppy who is prego seems to not be doing too well at the moment....she spends a lot of time at the bottom of the tank "resting". I have no idea why my fish seem to be dying on me....... if anyone can help that'd be great. The other fish dont look like they are sick, no ick or anything, but some of them dont seem to be quite as active as they could be. Any ideas what it could be (also they just seem to die out of the blue......as in the day before they are healthy and the next morning.......a gonner)

 

[Kryten]

Have you checked the nitrate and nitrite levels? As for the pregnant fish, do you blame her. My sister in law is heavily pregnat and has a bad back 24-7, now she sits on her butt and rests, I think you get my point. Maybe fish are different but it may explain things somewhat. Also, how regularly do you change the water in the tank, it should be about 25% per week

 

[semper fi]

when you say that your ph is a little high what is a little high? could be the water is too acidic for them. also need to have a cave or some kind of spot in the tank where your female will feel comfortable with her babies and to give her a rest from the other inhabitants. like kryten pointed out being pregnant may be cute to some, but it is awful uncomfortable. you could seperate the pregnant one from the rest of the community, would especially do this sif you are planning on keeping the fry. the others may eat them. also what is your temp? do you heat the water? lower temps can cause the inhabitants to become listless and inactive.

maggie

 

[cichlidmaster]

My sister in law is heavily pregnat and has a bad back 24-7, now she sits on her butt and rests

Hope your sister in law isn't reading this

CM

 

[GuppyLover23]

Well the PH is more alkaline........and yes I heat the water and it's maintained a comfy level at about 78 degrees.....I use cycle bacteria in my tank and I do change the water regularly.....as far as keeping any of the fry it doesnt really matter too much at this point.....

 

[Kryten]

She won't be reading (I'm on my knees praying)

Do you have many plants, and do you give them plenty of light, as this all helps in providing oxygen. Too much Carbon Dioxide won't help. About 10 hours of artificial light a day is healthy

 

[CFC]

It sounds like it could be down to some kind of internal bacteria connected disease,we once had a problem that sounds similar with gouramis that kept popping their clogs for no apperant reason ,we treated it with a anti internal bacteria treatment (it was the interpet number 9)and the problem went away

Kryten you should be praying pregnant women can be nasty

 

[GuppyLover23]

No, no plants, well plastic ones, but they dont need much =) and maybe it could be a bacteria of some sort.......cant hurt to try that route

 

[Kirstie]

I really don't know what cpuld be wrong with your fish. My fish went through exactly the same thing and they all seemed to be fine within a week or so. Try cleaning out your filter, there may be some harmful bacteria in there that is trapped and is poisoning them. If you are treating them with medicine for ich or something MAKE SURE YOU TAKE OUT THE CARBON AND THE SPONGE. The temperature of the tank may also be a little too high or low. If none of those seem to be the solution to the problem and they're still dying, buy some aquarium salt. If they are freshwater tropical fish, then they will always thrive in salt. BUT READ THE DIRECTIONS ON THE BOX CAREFULLY.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[semper fi]

another thing that needs to be removed fromthe tank before adding salt for treatment is any scaleless fish as the salt will burn them.

have any of the fish that are in the tank new to the tank? if so, they could be your culprit. brought a little something home with them. good reason why you should always quarantine any fish for atleast three weeks before adding to the community tank.

maggie

 

[cichlidmaster]

Kirstie,

Just curious as to why you would recommend removal of the sponge filter while medicating. Almost ALL medications are safe for your biological filter so removal of a sponge filter is not necessary.

If a person is using a medication that is not safe for a biological filter, than removing it WITHOUT placing it in another tank will only kill off the bacteria making it useless anyway so you may as well leave it in the tank!!

Is there another reason why you suggested removing it???

CM

 

[GuppyLover23]

Thanks for the advice everyone.....me and my LFS think we have it narrowed down to some sort of fungus, and since treating with meds and doing a light water change, the fish left seem to be doing alright....We'll see though......thanks again!

 

[cichlidmaster]

Glad to hear it!!!!!

Keep us posted GuppyLover23.

CM