My Fish Keep Dying!

[Betty1987]

hello i am new to this site but i have a few problems! first i will intruce myself i am becky and i started my fish tank in march 2011 this was a present for my birthday!

well i had tetras mickey mouses and i cant remba the other names of the other ones but they had a tint at the end of their tails! and the fish with a black line across them (tetras) i also got 2 algue eaters!
these all have been fine since i went and got some more on sunday (just gone) i went and got some assorted orange troipcal fish i got 5 of these and some Pentazona Barb fish and 5 of these, was all fine till monday eve/tuesday morning. i lost 2 fish at first then i lost another 6 a few days after. so i did a water change and gave them some food as i thought this would help! i also got rid of the pentazona barbs at this point.
woke up this morning and another fish had died so i went out and when i got back one of my algue eaters had died too. i dont understand why this is happening now?!

i guess i am asking what is the cause of this and what to do next? i was going to get some more fish but i dunno weather i should as these may die or kill the others, any suggestions??>

 

[guppi]

Might be that you have added to many fish at once, and your filter can not cope with all the extra ammonia being produced. Have you got a water test kit.?

 

[Betty1987]

Hey i havbent got one anymore no, i used too! I added 10 fish at once maybe thats y. but the barb things were a yellow rating so i thought maybe it was that! the other were a green rating!

 

[coldcazzie]

Hi Betty1987, and to the forums! I have moved your post to our New Tank section so you can get some more advice from our members

 

[onidrase]

What size is your tank? It seems like you've got a lot of fish, and a lot of beginners tend to start out with smaller tanks. It might also be a bit over stockked. How many of each fish do you have?

 

[phishyphil]

hello i am new to this site but i have a few problems! first i will intruce myself i am becky and i started my fish tank in march 2011 this was a present for my birthday!

well i had tetras mickey mouses and i cant remba the other names of the other ones but they had a tint at the end of their tails! and the fish with a black line across them (tetras) i also got 2 algue eaters!
these all have been fine since i went and got some more on sunday (just gone) i went and got some assorted orange troipcal fish i got 5 of these and some Pentazona Barb fish and 5 of these, was all fine till monday eve/tuesday morning. i lost 2 fish at first then i lost another 6 a few days after. so i did a water change and gave them some food as i thought this would help! i also got rid of the pentazona barbs at this point.
woke up this morning and another fish had died so i went out and when i got back one of my algue eaters had died too. i dont understand why this is happening now?!

i guess i am asking what is the cause of this and what to do next? i was going to get some more fish but i dunno weather i should as these may die or kill the others, any suggestions??>

Sorry for your losses. A Few Questions to ask you Becky. Please Respond to these so oothers can help you here:

1) What Size Tank do you have? (Dimensions, Litres)
2) Did you cycle the tank?
3) Have you added any medications to the tank?
4) Have you tested the water with a master kit for Amonia, Nitrate and Nitrite?
5) What do you currently Have left in the tank fish wise?
6) How often do you do water changes?

Answer these for a detailed answer

 

[onidrase]

Hey i havbent got one anymore no, i used too! I added 10 fish at once maybe thats y. but the barb things were a yellow rating so i thought maybe it was that! the other were a green rating!

What do the ratings mean?

 

[fluttermoth]

Hey i havbent got one anymore no, i used too! I added 10 fish at once maybe thats y. but the barb things were a yellow rating so i thought maybe it was that! the other were a green rating!

What do the ratings mean?

I think it's a way some fish shops mark fish for compatability issues; green fish are peaceful, yellow may be nippy or territorial, red means very aggressive.

 

[phishyphil]

Hey i havbent got one anymore no, i used too! I added 10 fish at once maybe thats y. but the barb things were a yellow rating so i thought maybe it was that! the other were a green rating!

What do the ratings mean?

I think it's a way some fish shops mark fish for compatability issues; green fish are peaceful, yellow may be nippy or territorial, red means very aggressive.

Fluttermouth is correct here. Pets@home mark there fish in this way i know as one

 

[Betty1987]

hello sorry for the late reply. i got up this mrning and i have lost 3 more!!
in answer to ur questions -

i have a 40cm fishbox tank
wat do u mean by cycling?
i havent added any treatment well not since like may!!
i do a water change every week or somwtimes more often depending how the fish are acting.
i have 2 orange assorted fish left, a algue sucker and 4 fish (not sure what they are called but they got yellow and black fins)


i hope this helps!! i have just looked at my tank my algue eater seems to be chasing my other fish around!

 

[phishyphil]

Okay I think We know what the problem is. Have you ever read up or spoken to anyone about the Nitrogen Cycle and how to cycle your tank? Basicly it appears that your fish are dying due a build up of Ammonia (Deadly in small Amounts), Nitrite (Not as deadly but still pretty bad), Nitrates (Only lethal in large amounts and varied upon pH Levels)

You will need to read up on "What is Cycling", "How to cycle". I recomend a Fissh Less cycle, buy you will already be going through a Fish In Cycle so maybe you will have to go down this route.

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION HERE ESPECIALLY ON CYCLING!

This is more than Likely the Cause of your deaths. Can you upload photos of your Tank, and your remaining Fish please so we can Identify what you have and see how compatible they are. Do not worry about the problem, It happens all the time, Although it is a learning curve, fish keeping requires ALOT of research and not just a case of buying a tank, filling it and adding fish.

What filter do you have in the setup?

 

[Betty1987]

I know what u mean, i have been checking that and was all ok, i havent done it for a while but its just wierd how my fish have all of a sudden started dying since i put them 10 fish in! before that they were all happy etc.

i have a interpet filter and heater. i will upload a pic now

 

[phishyphil]

What have you been Checking? Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite levels? If so How? And What Readings are you getting? How long did you wait before you added fish to your tank when you first set it up?

 

[Betty1987]

i havent done any tests since march, i had loads troubles with my tank when first set up, had to take water to be tested but then got the ok after about 2 months after setting it up and have had no problems since i added them fish in.

 

[phishyphil]

I think You need to get your water Checked again. It sounds like something is severely wrong. Why not purchase a test kit a measure your water levels yourself? £25 will get you a decent Master kit which will Test Nitrite Nitrate, Ammonia, pH. Easy to do.

How do you clean your filter Media? E.g. Sponges, Ceramic rings etc?