Re: Fish Dying

[Champ74]

Dear all

I am new to the site and would like some general advice.

I have owned a tank for the past year and a half and in the past 6 months my tropical fish have been dying. I change the water on a monthly basis I test the water with a Nutrafin tester, I also clean the filter system and check that its working properly. I recently bought a fish sucker and within two days it died.

I would appreciate any advice.

Many thanks.

Steve.

 

[balajake]

How much water do you change monthly ? usually 30%/40% per week would be reccommended.

what are your ammonia and nitrite readings ?

 

[Primous]

Your nitrites are the issue here.

 

[fluttermoth]

How big is your tank, and how do you clean out the filter?

 

[balajake]

I don't want to sound like i'm patronising you, you might already understand about cycling,testing your tank and for ammonia, nitrites etc but if you dont then this is an excellent place to start learning.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

you should give this a good read and then come back with any questions you need to ask. it can be absolutely puzzling trying to get to grips with nitrites and nitrates and ammonia and cycling your tank. believe me i was very daunted when i first started out and thought everything my fish shop told me was correct even though it wasn't, they just wanted me to buy fish and spend my money. soe fish shops are great but sometimes asking in forums where people don't want anything from you except to help you get the best out of your aquarium.


this forum and its members can help you with understanding water changes, cleaning your filter correctly, your test results and helping you find out why your fish die. if there is anything you don't yet understand then its all here if you ask

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Your nitrites are the issue here.

There's no way you could know that from the information given.

 

[soybean]

Your nitrites are the issue here.

There's no way you could know that from the information given.

That's exactly what i was about to say too how do you know?!

 

[deftuch]

how do you clean your filters out. if you use tap water then you can be sure thats the reason why!

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I change the water on a monthly basis
Steve.

This would be my guess of the problem without further info,

 

[Rummynose]

There are a lot of reasons why your fish could be dying.

These reasons could depend on tank size, stocking, whether you quarantine your fish before introducing them to your tank, how you maintain your tank, the readings of your tests, what the tap water from your city is like....

Fromn the information you have given it could be that your nitrates are allowed to rise to high. Doing only monthly water changes is really not enough. That is especially true for a tank that is stocked to capacity, or over-stocked.

Maybe your city's water is already starting out with very little mineral content and if these minerals do not get reintroduced into your tank on a weekly basis it can affect your ph. Some fish can't handle very low ph and die.

Can you give us some more information on your tank and your stocking? I think with more information we can help you figure this out! Oftentimes it has to be by method of ellimination, so if we can rule things out it makes things easier. If there is something you are doing wrong, then you can correct it and finally enjoy your tank.