Please Help

[jungleistmassiv]

Hi everyone

on friday I went to an aquatics centre and purchased 4 panda corys and 6 glowlight tetras. The cories went into my 60 litre tank and the tetras in my 30 litre tank with my 2 ADF's.

Yesterday, one of the cories and 2 of the tetras died, and I woke up this morning to find 2 more cory dead, another swimming on the gravel on its side, and all of the remaining 4 tetras dead

I have tested the water in both the tanks, and they are between the parameters set in the instructions for the kit, the temperature of the tanks is 25-26 degrees, and none of my other fish are suffering with any ill symptoms.


Have I been unlucky and got a bad batch of fish? I looked in all the tank in the aquatics shop and they all looked healthy and well cared for.

Thanks in advance

Rich

 

[Lynda B]

Oh Rich, I'm so sorry for your loss. First of all, immediately return the fish to the store. Bring them a water sample. Just because your water readings are good, doesn't mean that your water is compatible with the store's water. How did you introduce the fish from the bags to your tank?

My husband bought 3 corys from a very reputable lfs a few weeks ago, and the very next day, one was very pale and just not looking good at all. We then noticed that he had ripped fins. He must've been extremely stressed, therefore extremely vulnerable.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

panda cories are very very delicate, need careful acclimitisation to a mature tank to survive.

what are your stats for ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrat 9don't just say fine, we need actual numbers) fine for one fish is not fine for another

 

[jungleistmassiv]

thanks for the help guys

I introduced them slowly into the tank, let the bag come up to temp for 20 mins, then slowly added tank water to the bag, then released them after another 20 mins. Can't get to the lfs this week, as my gf is using my car for work

have just done another water test -

60litre tank

Nitrite - 0mg/l
Nitrate - 10mg/l
Hardness - 10-16GH range
Carbonate Hardness - 6KH
PH - 8


30litre tank

Nitrite - 0mg/l
Nitrate - 0mg/l
Hardness - 10-16GH range
Carbonate Hardness - 15KH (a bit high perhaps??)
PH - 7.6


Thanks in advance

Rich

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what about ammonia?

what test kit are you using the lack of ammonia reading implies you are using test strips (as they often don't have one) which are really inaccurate. need a good liquid test for reliable results.


how long have the tanks been set up?

 

[jungleistmassiv]

yes i am using the test strips. OK i shall get out this evening and buy myself a better test kit. The 60 litre tank has been set up almost a year, and the 30 litre tank, about a month. But if there was something wrong in the tank, wouldn't all my fish be suffering??

Thanks
Rich.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

not nescessarily

i think it's likely to be one of three things

1 - the fish bought were from poor stock or were somewhat un-well when purchased (not nescessarily manifesting signs of illness but harbouring a disease) this reduced their natural ability to cope with change and therefore the acclimitisation process and they died from the shock of a change in conditions.

2 - the old fish in the tanks were harbouring a small amount of a bacterial/viral infection or something along those lines which as it has progressed slowly they have almost developed immunity too so it doesn't affect them. however new fish don't have this immunity and therefore pick up the illness and die

3 - there is some problem with the water parameters which as it has developed gradually your existing fish have become accustomed to, again the new fish are not accustomed to and then die

 

[jungleistmassiv]

ok thanks for your help.

But as i have had my 30 litre tank set up about a month, my ADF's have been in for 2 weeks, and I added the tetras on friday, seems odd that a disease could have built up in that time, the ADF's became immune to it, and it was too much for the tetras.

The last remaining cory looks really happy tho, swimming round all the tank and interacting with all the other fish, which isn't something which any of the other cory's did from the moment i put them in the tank.

I'll get out tonight and try and find a decent water test kit, and i'll let you know how i get on.

Thanks for your help

Rich

 

[Miss Wiggle]

perhaps my comments were more relevant to the older tank

how did you cycle the newer tank?

good test kits to look for are the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit, or the Nutrafin Mini Master Test Kit. Just make sure it's liquid tests and covers, ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a minimum

 

[jungleistmassiv]

ok cheers for that. To cycle the new tank, I did it the same way I have cycled the 5 tanks me and my dad have had, just by setting it up and leaving it running for 2 weeks. Before i added the ADF's i did a water test with the strips. I have never had a problem doing it this way!

Thanks

Rich

 

[Lynda B]

Did you introduce any type of ammonia to the tank when you cycled it, or did you just leave it running with water? If it's just water, there's nothing there to help your good bacteria grow.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah the tank wasn't cycled before adding fish then

i started my first tank on my dad's advice by leaving it two weeks and adding stock slowly, it's a well recognised and practised method, however relativley recently a new technique called fishless cycling has started up, there' a link in my sig you should read about it. IMO it's safer for the fish.

I suspect the fish in the 30l died from ammonia poisoning as the bacteria caught up, decent test results may confirm this, however any ammonia reading may have gone by now.

 

[jungleistmassiv]

ok thanks.

I have read your posts in your sig about cycling. So do you recommend daily water changes then while keeping an eye on the ammonia/nitrate/nitrate levels?
Sorry to sound stupid but its very confusing!! Just guess i've been lucky that i've never had a problem before

thanks

Rich

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you don't sound stupid, in the words of a wise man (can't remember who lol) the only stupid question is a question not asked.

I'd rather answer a basic question 3 times for someone who is prepared to listen and take the time to learn than not be asked at all. Sure others would agree

yeah i think your right that you've previously been lucky.

get a test kit tonight and then you know what you are dealing with, post the stats here and we'll tell you what to do.

if you get any reading for ammonia or nitrite then do a 20% water change, and keep them up every day until the levels are consistently at 0.

other alternative is to transfer mature media from the bigger tank's filter to the smaller one which will cycle it instantly (it's called cloning), however it's risky with deaths in the bigger tank recently. while you can carry across the good bacteria you may also carry across whatever disease has killed the fish in the big tank. personally i'd stick to water changes, however they're your fish, only you can decide if you want to risk it.

 

[jungleistmassiv]

right!!

Got myself to the lfs and back on my trusty push bike, and got an API freshwater master test kit

I have done the tests for the new 30 litre tank, and the results are as follows:

PH - 7.6
Ammonia - between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L
Nitrite - 0.25 mg/L
Nitrate - 10 mg/L

So do you suggest a 20% water change?

I'll do my 60 litre tank now.

Thanks
Rich