My Tropical Fish Keep Dying

[chuck123]

I have been keeping a variety of tropical fish for about 10 years. Included are tetras, angelfish, goldfish, bettas. About a year ago, I had an incident where all my fish died. I was treating one of the fish for what I thought was a fungus, but the medication killed all of them.

I don't know if it is related, but now since I have been getting new fish, they seem fine for about a week, then will start getting white patches and then die. I have tried to treat with various medications recommended by our local pet shop, but have lost quite a few fish and would like to get to the bottom of the problem. I even changed the filter system, new gravel, and new plants. If anyone has any ideas to try, I would certainly appreciate it. I am afraid to buy new fish and get attached to them only to find they are going to die within a few weeks.

I have a 10 gallon freshwater set up.

 

[mr130gallon]

did you clean the whole tank after the fish died? it sounds like ich (white spot) to me

 

[fatheadminnow]

What did the disease look like? Was it patches of white stuff, or was like white specs of sand?

What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

-FHM

 

[snowflake311]

So your tank is fully cycled? How many fish do you add at one time? Fluffy patches is fungus caused by poor water and weakened stressed out fish.

 

[chuck123]

I suspect the disease is ich. I am wondering what I can do next so it doesn't happen again.

When I set up the tank again, how long should I wait before I add fish? Last time I waited a week. I added 3 rasbora fish. They seemed healthy until I did the partial water change after 2 weeks, then they developed the white spots and died one by one, even though I tried medication, ammo lock, stress zyme.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

How long have you been letting the tank sit empty between stockings?
Are you taking the tank down completely each time?
Are you cycling the tank before you add the fish?
What is the normal frequency that you do partial waterchanges and how much of the tank volume do you change each time?

 

[chuck123]

I do a partial water change about every two weeks. When I do, I take 2 gallons of water. When I started having problems with the disease, I was emptying the tank each time and filling it with fresh water. When I did refill the tank, I would let the tank sit empty for 1-2 weeks with the filter on, etc. before adding fish.

 

[raptorrex]

I have been keeping a variety of tropical fish for about 10 years. Included are tetras, angelfish, goldfish, bettas. About a year ago, I had an incident where all my fish died. I was treating one of the fish for what I thought was a fungus, but the medication killed all of them.

I don't know if it is related, but now since I have been getting new fish, they seem fine for about a week, then will start getting white patches and then die. I have tried to treat with various medications recommended by our local pet shop, but have lost quite a few fish and would like to get to the bottom of the problem. I even changed the filter system, new gravel, and new plants. If anyone has any ideas to try, I would certainly appreciate it. I am afraid to buy new fish and get attached to them only to find they are going to die within a few weeks.

I have a 10 gallon freshwater set up.

so you have Angels, goldfish, tetras and bettas, all in a 10g tank? to me, its not hard to see why you have a problem. only two of the fish you mention, can live in that amount of water. ignoring the fact, one is a temperate fish, not suited to being kept at tropical tamp.

 

[drobbyb]

When I did refill the tank, I would let the tank sit empty for 1-2 weeks with the filter on, etc. before adding fish.

This killed your beneficial bacteria, and you are in a fish in cycling situation. The fish probably keep getting sick because of stress from the ammonia/nitrite.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Agreed^

-FHM

 

[chuck123]

I had a feeling the tank was not cycled properly. Right now the tank is empty no water, etc. How would I go about starting over so I can get the tank cycled properly?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I had a feeling the tank was not cycled properly. Right now the tank is empty no water, etc. How would I go about starting over so I can get the tank cycled properly?

Hi,
Aside from the cycling issue, what did you clean the tank with? (Just making sure you didn't use soap!)

 

[chuck123]

I had a feeling the tank was not cycled properly. Right now the tank is empty no water, etc. How would I go about starting over so I can get the tank cycled properly?

Hi,
Aside from the cycling issue, what did you clean the tank with? (Just making sure you didn't use soap!)

No, I did not use soap. Just rinsed thoroughly with water.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I had a feeling the tank was not cycled properly. Right now the tank is empty no water, etc. How would I go about starting over so I can get the tank cycled properly?

Hi,
Aside from the cycling issue, what did you clean the tank with? (Just making sure you didn't use soap!)

No, I did not use soap. Just rinsed thoroughly with water.

Okay, then as you mentioned above, cycle the tank before adding fish. FWIW, I put fish in while my tank was still cycling and did *daily* water changes to keep the ammonia levels down.

Be sure to pick up an API ammonia test kit to keep an eye on your levels.

Oh, and if I were you I'd either clean the tank with vinegar (not sure of the ratio of that to water - hopefully someone can chime in) or just spend the $15 and get a new tank.

Good luck!