Need Help

[LionessN3cubs]

My last fish died yesterday. No idea why I lost them one at a time. They sickened one at a time spaced out over 8 months. Each one died shortly after a water change ....IE I did a water change on saturday. Partial, added dechlorinator as always...just have no clue. The only thing I can think is that something is wrong with my tap water even tho all the ammonia and nitrite counts coming out of the tap were 0. Maybe there is some kind of bacterial thing in there or something. Even the apple snail got sick and died a few months ago. I knew this one was getting ready to go because he was swimming all screwy, on his side and such. Just like the others at the end.

I'd like to get more fish and try again. Being as how I dont know what killed them, I dont know what I should do. I plan on replacing the filter media...I have a medium sponge filter in the tank too so it should suffice for bacteria colony so cycling shouldnt take long before I add more fish.. I also plan on washing all the decorations and replacing the rocks.

I do have a general medicine here but not sure if I should use it as I'd read that I'd need to replace my sponge filter after using the medicine...is that right? I dont want to do that really

any help or suggestions would be great.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Sounds like internal parasites to me.

I will give Wilder a shout and see how she can help you out.

-FHM

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish died within 24hours of you doing a water change, then it is either the new water, or something that is happening during the water change.

How often did you do water changes and gravel cleans?
Was the new water dechlorinated before it was added to the tank and how much time elapsed between adding the conditioner and adding the new water to the tank, ie: did you add dechlorinator and then add the water to the tank, or did you stir the water up and wait 30 minutes?
How much water did you normally change?
Did you use a bucket for the water changes and is it a fish only bucket?
Did you have any moisturising creams, oil or anything else on your hands when you did the water changes?
Did the fish gasp at the surface after the water changes?
What symptoms did the fish show after the water changes, and before they died?

It could be a chemical contaminant in the bucket or water.
Don't chuck the filter media out just yet, you can clean them and re-use them.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Nice write-up Colin_T!

Did you notice after the fish had died, any irregular things on the fish?

Was there any bloating?

Was there and discoloration at all?

I agree that is has to do with something with the water chagnes.

-FHM

 

[LionessN3cubs]

If the fish died within 24hours of you doing a water change, then it is either the new water, or something that is happening during the water change.

How often did you do water changes and gravel cleans?
Was the new water dechlorinated before it was added to the tank and how much time elapsed between adding the conditioner and adding the new water to the tank, ie: did you add dechlorinator and then add the water to the tank, or did you stir the water up and wait 30 minutes?
How much water did you normally change?
Did you use a bucket for the water changes and is it a fish only bucket?
Did you have any moisturising creams, oil or anything else on your hands when you did the water changes?
Did the fish gasp at the surface after the water changes?
What symptoms did the fish show after the water changes, and before they died?

It could be a chemical contaminant in the bucket or water.
Don't chuck the filter media out just yet, you can clean them and re-use them.

Okay...When I had 5 adult fish in the 10 gallon tank, I did about 15-25% weekly because they kept having babies.

Once I was down to 2 fish, I did 25% changes twice a month. All water stats in between have always been 0's acrossed the board.

I never did let the new water sit for 30 minutes before adding dechlorinator. I put the dechlorinator in first, and let the water run from the spigot into the bucket ...it stirred it up so that it was mixed. Added immediatley.

I have a fish specific bucket bought brand new never used for anything else, and I dont put my hands in the tank or in the new water during water changes since I use a gravel vacuum..no need to.

This last fish did indeed hang out at the surface for 2 days before he died.

With ALL fish there were symptoms. Lethargy, color leached away, then they swam goofy before dying.

I've swished the filter media in old tank water as I was told to do...but it seems to not be doing much to clean it.

 

[Colin_T]

it could be chloramine in the tap water. Do you use a water conditioner to remove chlorine or chloramine? Check with your water corporation and see if you have chlorine or chloramine in the tap water.
Water conditioners/ dechlorinators will break down chlorine & chloramine as soon as the conditioner comes in contact with the chemical in the water. However, it is a good idea to stir the water up with the conditioner in and allow the water to mix for a while before using it.

To clean the sponges you should squeeze them out in a bucket of tank water. If you just swirl/ swish them around it won't get much gunk out. Squeezing them out repeatedly will get the gunk out.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

okay,

so before I go buy new fish, what exactly do I need to do to this tank or should I just buy and hope for the best?

 

[Colin_T]

I would wipe the inside of the tank down with a sponge. Do a couple of complete gravel cleans and water changes. Then fill with clean water and add some conditioner. Wait a day or two and add a couple of cheap fish. 6 x tetras or barbs would be the fish to start with. Both are more sensitive to chemicals than gouramis and livebearers, and they have fewer diseases and health issues compared to those fish. This means if they die from similar symptoms soon after you add them, or after you do a water change, you can be pretty certain it is chemical poisoning rather than a disease. However, it could also be a disease and the water change is knocking the fish around and the disease is then killing them, or vice versa.

If the fish are fine then it could be something that got into the tank and has been removed by washing it out with the gravel cleans and water changes.
If the fish start dieing again in about 6 months time, then it could be something horrible like tuberculosis (TB). But see how they go and if any look unwell try and post a pic of the sick fish.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

well ...I found probable cause for the fish dying.

Emptied the tank, picked up the blue shark decoration I had in there (bought at walmart dummy me) and a great big GOB of paint came off of it. Bet it was leaching nasty chemicals in the water. So, thats out the door needless to say.

So, I bought new river pebbles for the bottom rather than clean the ones I have...super hard for me to clean them when I dont have a hose and a tiny sink so just starting over. Plus Im just ready for something different anyway so I bought more natural colored ones.

I did also buy a new filter media cartridge because I can squeeze the old one out. 1 side is a stiff plastic backing so at best I can swish. I know I'll have to cycle again, thats okay tho...I still have the sponge filter in there that has to have SOME bacteria on it. I gave that a qood squeezing out. I've washed everything in hot water, and refilled the tank with fresh tap water. I didnt let the water sit for 30 minutes but I did use the handle of my algae scrubber and mixed it up and let it sit for 10 minutes. Hope thats good enough! It'll be awhile before Im adding fish anyway.

Thanks for the help all!

 

[OldMan47]

Something else that sometimes happens around here is the water company doing a "shock treatment". What happens is that if they are concerned about bacteria getting into the water supply, they will up the chlorine treatment to several times the usual amount for a week or more to kill off the bacteria. During that time, a water change can be deadly to the fish. The fish will swim as if they were completely off balance, or maybe like they were drunk, and eventually will die. They don't show the typical oxygen distress of an uncycled tank but show the chemical impact of a lethal dose of chlorine instead. We never test for chlorine but if I know the water company might be doing a shock because of a water main leak or something similar, I will hold off doing a water change for a couple of weeks.