Now With Test Pics!new Fish Added To My Tank Die Within 24 Hours..

[MrsM]

ok, ill find him a mate, and if i cant find him a friend then he'll get a guppy and make do haha...

 

[MrsM]

Well i put in a guppy.... He lasted a lot longer than the others, well over 15 hours, but he is dead now..... I dont know what is the cause of all these fishes not lasting a day.... Looks like the cory and snail have got a huge home to share, im not putting another fish in that tank! Thats it! Im done.....thanks for all your help trying to find out the cause, claire :'(

 

[snazy]

That's really horrible. Even ammonia and nitrItes can't kill that fast. There's something in the tank not affecting the cory or not as much to kill it.

 

[MrsM]

i know..the snail is also still alive checked him by picking him up and plonking him down somewhere else..he moved(so dont think there is any trace of copper from the ich treatment)..ive taken out all plastic plants from ebay now...just 2 from a chain store and my ship wreck remain....i cant rehome cory, ive grown attatched to him.. maybe the "toxin" in the tank has built up over time and cory has grown immune,so to speak...?? do you think?

 

[Aquascaper]

My advice would be to strip down the tank

Give everything a thorough clean and sterilize, replace all filter media with brand new ones, new substrate and then start a fish-in cycle with the cory (or a fishless cycle if you can bear to let the cory go or can temporarily rehome him).

I really have no explainations for what is happening and I think you've done everything possible to safeguard the fish but unfortunately it sounds like there's some toxin in the tank doing the damage that can't be pinpointed.

It's been such a long haul that I've forgotten if your tank was brand new or secondhand?

I know you're feeling defeated at the moment but please don't give up entirely, you clearly have a passion for fishkeeping and your child seems to enjoy them too. This is not a case of having to start all over again, you have gained so much knowledge whilst having this tank that you are not starting afresh, merely starting another tank.

If you need any advice on cleaning and restarting then let us know.

And finally, sorry I couldn't help solve this one.

 

[MrsM]

that post meant alot! im not going to give up..ive removed all crappy ebay plants...im going to run some fresh carbon, have a decent water change and let the tank run til next weekend....

the tank and heater filter etc were BRAND new....cost a fortune so im NOT giving up me and cory will win! thank you so much for your post

 

[Aquascaper]

That's the spirit

If you check the silicone next time you do a water change (or even just at the top) if there has been a lot of copper residue in the tank they will have a blue tint (if it was clear silicone).

 

[MrsM]

it was clear and yes its blue!! but surley if there was even a tiny trace of copper my snail would die?

 

[Aquascaper]

The silicone absorbs the copper well and I'm not sure how easily it leaches it back into the tank.

Running activated carbon in your filter should keep it under control though.

It's something you learn with marine fishkeeping, to check for blue silicone on secondhand tanks, as copper is devastating to a reef system which is why I thought I'd mention it.

I would possibly consider getting a small external filter for your tank and removing the internal. This will allow you to run carbon in the system fulltime without decreasing the filtration capacity as there's more room for media in them. It will also give you more room in the tank, less visual clutter, better surface agitation (with the spraybar) and better filtration overall. You can dump the filter media from the existing filter into the external to carry on the cycle without disruption as well.

Something like the All Pond Solutions 1400lph model (it's about £60 but I can tell you how to get 15% off if the voucher is still valid)

 

[MrsM]

im just reading up on copper leaching back into the tank...but i only dosed the tank 5 times...so the concentration of copper was tiny in the first place so how much copper can come back out into the water?...plus my snail? hes still alive and they die with the smallest hint of copper right?..

 

[Aquascaper]

I wouldn't think there's any issue in your tank tbh and running carbon in the filter fulltime will keep things under control.

 

[MrsM]

do you think it was the cheapy ebay plants?

 

[Aquascaper]

I can only guess that it must have been something man-made that is releasing toxins so could be. Decor would be the first suspect

 

[MrsM]

right....plan.....remove all deco from ebay...i have the ship wreck and 2 plants from a "chain store" so im guessing theyre ok....run fresh carbon in filter today, midweek and next weekend....test water daily(still)and if water is testing ok and is clear....try a guppy?....

OR fully sterilize tank with bleach and vinegar...new gravel.....new filter carbon ceramic and sponge...??and rehome cory..im not cycling a tank with him...

option one or option 2...or option one and if that fails...option 2?

 

[Aquascaper]

Option 1 will rule out the final variable I think so worth a try before a full clean. It could be the glue or base of the plants that's causing the issue but removing them is the only way to eliminate them from the equation.