Sick Cory And Rainbow Shark

[_VFE14_]

Hi all, before I start let me give you my water conditions.
 
78 Litre tank
Nitrate - 0 (was 0.25, seems to of come right down)
Ammonia - 0
PH - 8.0 as normal
Nitrite - 10
Tank temp - 85 as it always has been.
Water changes are done at 15% a week.
 
Fish in tank right now are 2x baby plecos, 2x Pakistani loach, 4x clown loach, 1x cory, 2x convicts (babies, plan to move to bigger tank downstairs once they have grown some more), 3x tiger barbs, 1x rainbow shark
 
2 days ago I noticed I had a dead cory and clown loach, looked at the body and had no obvious visual problems so that is still a mystery, at the same time I noticed my other cory wasn't well at all, he is now in a net so he can hopefully recover, he seems to be flipping from one side to another, when he does swim he only manages a couple of seconds before falling back down again.
Today I have noticed my Rainbow shark also acting out of character, he seems to be staying upside down on the side of the filter, not keen to move at all. People have suggested possible swim bladder, I have tried deshelling peas but it seems to of made no difference. Does anyone know what the problem is and how I can fix it?
Any help would be so greatly appreciated.

 

[fluttermoth]

Please don't think I'm attacking you personally; it sounds like you've had pretty much the same introduction to the hobby as many other people.
 
I'm afraid your little tank is in no way big enough for the fish you have.
 
Plecos, depending on the species, need at least a three foot/100l tank (and that's for the smaller species like bristlenoses; some, like common and sailfin plecs, grow to around 18" long and would need at least a five foot tank to be able to live out their lives comfortably.
 
Clown loach also grow to around a foot long, and are a social species, so need to be kept in groups of at least six, as do corydoras. Pakistani loach, like most loaches are very social and, if not kept in the right numbers, in an appropriately sized tank, will become stressed (due to lack of space) and aggressive.
 
Convict cichlids can be very aggressive, especially if you happen to have a breeding pair; they would need a tank at least four foot in length, to allow the other fish to keep out of 'their' territory.
 
The rainbow shark also needs a large territory and will become stressed and aggressive if cramped and forced to share space with other bottom dwelling fish.
 
Did you cycle your tank before you added fish, and what are you using to test the water?
 
I'm afraid the fish you have are never going to be able to live happily in a tank the size of yours

You're going to have to either;
 
look at getting a much bigger tank (something in the 5'x2'x2' range), if you want to keep your current fish or
 
rehoming pretty much all the fish you have now and restocking with suitable fish; small things like guppies, small tetras, dwarf corydoras, if you want to stay with a small tank.
 
I'm sorry that this is probably not what you want to hear, but I have to say it in the best interests of your fish, and it's always the welfare of the fish, rather than the wants of the keeper, that are the highest priority on this forum. We strongly believe in promoting the absolute highest standards of fishy welfare and long term health/happiness here.

 

[CSnyder00]

First, let me welcome you to the hobby. I started with a 29 US Gallon tank and had two bala sharks, two red fin sharks, 6 harlequin rasbora, and a common pleco. WAY OVERSTOCKED. Had ich problems and ammonia spikes, ended up only saving two fish from the entire ordeal. I had to get a 55 US Gallon to do so and ended up where I no longer have any of them.
 
I agree with the previous post. You will need to rehome the fish or get a MUCH bigger tank. Those species while okay in certain community tanks, will not do well together as one community. You are going to need to rethink your stocking quickly. Give us some ideas and we can get you some numbers and help.

 

[_VFE14_]

fluttermoth: Thank you for your reply. I want to point out this isn't a permanent situation, basically somebody on a facebook page was going to get rid of them in a not so humane way, I took them in just to stop that. We have a 450Litre tank downstairs a couple of weeks away from being ready, this is where they will all be transported too. I know clownloach and Pakistani loach like to be in larger groups, if I could I would add to it but it would only make situation worse, knowing me I will end up with about 10 clownloach in the larger tank haha!
The small tank is my first one, my family have kept them since I was little and I wanted to give it a try, I was warned when I bought it that its only suitable for certain fish, I did plan on tetras and guppies before I found myself in this situation!
I am just hoping they can just survive another couple of weeks and then be happier in a bigger home .
I did do a water change, I continue to do them every week at about 15%, I test it using an API master testing kit from pets at home?
Thank you for putting it so nicely too
Also, thank you CSnyder00, I completely understand both of your concerns.

 

[fluttermoth]

Ah, rescues, I understand. It can be very difficult in these situations (I've had  a lot of rescued fish myself) and I can see you're trying your best to do the right thing by these fish.
 
As your water tests are coming back fine, and you're using a good test kit so they should be fairly reliable, I suspect it's aggression that's causing your fish deaths
 
The convicts or the tiger barbs are probably the culprits. I'm afraid the deaths probably won't stop until you get the fish in a bigger tank where they have more room to get away from each other
 
I would definitely recommend you do much larger water changes, or your nitrate levels will be shooting up (along with acidification and softening of the water and build up of hormones released by the fish, leading to stunting). 50% twice a week wouldn't be too much; more if you can manage it.

 

[_VFE14_]

I'm a sucker for fish people can't be bothered to re home properly! Just thankful I'm in a position to have them in a suitable tank
I have noticed over past week the barbs were chasing the corys a lot, was worried about the shark being aggressive in such a small tank but he seems to be leaving the fish in peace (touch wood), he also seems a lot more like himself today too.
I thought more of a water change would be suitable, I was advised 10% a week but didn't look like much in a small tank!