Newbie, Fish Dying And Need Advice

[angel child]

Hi, I have a fish taken and wonder if someone can help me.

I've had the tank set up for about 6 months now and in the last month have spent each weekend buying new fish to go in it.

Last sunday I brought 6 mollies, 3 male 3 female the next day I noticed one missing, though perhaps that one may have jumped out the bag in the shop, the following day another was missing, checked the fish tank and filter couldn't find it. Noticed the filter wasn't working as good so put a different filter in still using the same sponges from other filter.

A few days after buying the 6 mollies I went out to replace the two missing mollies. I noticed two kept swimming up the filter, I thought one of them had a fungal infection although this was only shown after I had rescued them form the filter so treated the aquarium but also wondered if it was due to them spending a long time in filter before I noticed where they were. They continued to keep swimming up the filter after I rescued them but they were not making a recovery, sadly they died.

Today I notice filter not working so well, so take it apart, still not working so took the whole filter apart and noticed 2 dead rosy barbs in the top, they were allfine yesterday, eurgh it was horrible. So checked other filter and hey presto two black fish in there too.

Are the fish swimming up there because they are weak or are they getting sucked up there, apart from the look of fungal on one fish all other fish seem fine and with no disease.

Water was checked last week and fish store said it was fine.

The temp is slightly hig due to light bulb but going to get that changed tomorrow.

The only other thing is last week for the first time I added plants to the aquarium too, they are falling apart and look awfull.

Help please I do not want to lose any more fish.

Tonight I have put a fish net tight over the filter and hopefully if any more die they will not end up there.


Other fish in tank .........

3 rosy bars who play and fight/dance??? like mad
3 white mollies 1 male, 2 female who are very friendly but just lately seem to hide
1 orange mollie female, I black male mollie
1 small pleco
2 small danios, these were first fish I brough other 4 died
6 black widowTetra's who spend their time chasing each other around
2 blue tailed sharks

 

[WILDER]

Never let a lfs tell you your waters stats are fine ask for the results to be written down.
I would invest in a liquid test kit of your own.
How high is the temp as a high temp can reduce 02 in the water.
How many gallons is the tank.
If the fish are struggling to swim the filter to strong for them, good thing putting tights over the outlet tube.
Point the flow towards the glass it breaks the current.

 

[QuotheRaven]

Oooo no point in me posting when I see Wilder and Tolak viewing the post

But whats the size of the tank and is it cycled are really the obvious first questions.

 

[Tolak]

Please fill this out to help us help you. When a lfs says the water is fine it could mean many things, their definition of fine and mine could be worlds apart.

Tank size:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

 

[angel child]

Tank size:140 litres
pH: don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
ammonia: don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
nitrite: don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
nitrate:don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
kH: don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
gH: don't know as let shop test it, but will get test myself
tank temp: 30

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): Rosy barbs chase each otehr and nip fins of each other. All fish seem to be fine apart from now the white mollies are tending to stay towards the bottom of tank. The black mollies after I got them out of the filter, they were still alive just about but swam back under the filter, had no energy, looked like there was whiteish colouring on skin of one of them but didn't look like coton wool growth??

Volume and Frequency of water changes: Every 2 weeks after having it for 2 months have been doing 25% partial water chnage, sucking up mess form gravel, this is done previous day to when new fish are brought into tank, water temp same as in tank and chlorinated

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:
3 rosy bars who play and fight/dance??? like mad
3 white mollies 1 male, 2 female who are very friendly but just lately seem to hide
1 orange mollie female, I black male mollie
1 small pleco
2 small danios, these were first fish I brough other 4 died
6 black widowTetra's who spend their time chasing each other around
2 blue tailed sharks


Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):last week also boiled for 30mins some slate put that into tank, done vinegar test it come up fine, put some new plants in for first few days all fish attacked them especially pleco who would slide his body up and down them, they look very bitten but also, loose stems coming apart, look like they have a type of fur on some of them where they are coming apart. Don't know what they are called though.

Exposure to chemicals: Anti fungus stuff added in middle of last week, anti fin rot added about 3 weeks ago due to fins looking a bit rotten on rosy barbs due to their fin nipping. Partial water change done yesterday.

Digital photo (include if possible): Sorry no pic's but willhopefully be able tpo send some soon.

I am very new to this, rushed in at very begining and lost few fish to tank not being ready so please excuse me not knowing what's going on.

Thnaks again

 

[WILDER]

Get stats tested soon as possible.
When you say blue tailed sharks do you mean red tailed sharks.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing on ornaments.

 

[WILDER]

Oooo no point in me posting when I see Wilder and Tolak viewing the post
Type faster to beat tolak lol.

 

[angel child]

Just had a google search it's called a bala shark.

No rubbing against ornaments.

Today i've ditched all the dying plants with the intent of perhaps getting some more today, any ideas on new plants easy to keep that bluck sucker wont attack? put a new bulb in tank as I don't think the other one was giving enough light and changed the water 25%.

Any other advice? Fish all seem quite healthy although white mollies are still staying mostly near the bottom in a small corner

 

[WILDER]

For advice on plants go to the plant section.
Hard to say what going off without water stats.
Them bala sharks need a bigger tank.
Get your water tested and tell them to write the readings down for you.

 

[algae eater]

Do you have an aeration bar in your tank? That can make all the difference.

 

[angel child]

Hi i'm a bit late getting back to this one.

I brought a water liquid testing kit today and I have the results now although i'm not certain as I found it quite hard to tell what colour the liquid was matched against on the colour chart, duh

PH 7-7.5
NITRIT NO2 0.1
NITRATE NO3 50-110
AMONIA NH3 0.6
Water temp 30

I treated the water as it said with double dose of Nutrafin Cycle so will test again tomorrow to see how water is doing.

Can somebody if they have time explain my water redaing to me, thanks

 

[WILDER]

Your tank saying not cycled as you have ammonia and nitrite reading which should be 0.
If you are doing water change once a week and there still not 0, sounds like your filter not coping with the load of fish in the tank.

 

[angel child]

Hi Wilder, new to this and fish keeping and rushed in atthe begining, still now possibly.

Could the uncleaned water sponges in filters be causing the problem??

Was told by friend not to clean out sponges in filter but i'm guessing maybe I should be especially after finding the dead fish in their???

Can someone advise me please on cleaning out the sponges, how often etc

 

[WILDER]

Take one sponge out of the filter only one for now and give in a squeeze in old tank water.

 

[angel child]

Thanks Wilder, will do my normal change this weekend and do that with the filter.

I just found it really difficult with the readings today but guess it should get easier with time, saying that doing the water checks on my kids pool water was always difficult and it's only matching a colour, lol