Tetras Dying1

[JJJ]

HI

I have a 40 Gal planted tank

Plants: 2 hygro bunches and 3 Cypts, and ambulia no CO2 injector

I have 4 seprea tetra and 3 red eye tetra, and a pleco two of the serpea tetras go fin rot 2 days ago, One is gone..


current water parameters, they have been like this for the last 2 weeks since I finished cycling

PH:6.8 -7
ammonia 0
nitrite=0
nitrate =10
kh=4dkh
gh= 9dkh
tremp 26 degrees celcius

Here is a little bit of history: I treated my tank about a month ago with external bateria treatment( see red eye dropsy or pregnent), A few other fish got itch, I ended up removing my sponge and starting a new cycle, Fish mentioned above are the only one that survived, now the serpeas are getting fin rot?
After the cycle the fish start eating again for about 4 days, then I got a ph spike 7.6+, I have managed to stabilise it the fish have not eaten since.
I have just been doing water changes and monitoring water parmeters, I still feed them once a day, hoping they may eat during the day
I do 30% water changes 2 times a week

I have been cleaning the filter sponge weekly in aquaruim water, as I have a hang on filter it tends to get glooged by the end of the week . the sponge is 6 weeks old. I have removed the carbon balls since the last treatment

I use ferts on my plants , flourish and excell as directed , I have some algea, the pleco is ok( a little pale) however the plants are still growing(a little dark)
Light on 6-10 hrs a day, with a 1 hour break in the middle.

The fish however do not eat( i have tried flake frozen brine, still active...they where fine after the cycle..

I don't know where to from here , do i begin treatment again?

Could they be still infected from the prevous fish was it contagioius?( the provious desease was Icke/Dropsy, could this be a side effect)

Is there too much CO2, at "lights out" they move to the top of the tank? during the day when light are on, they go everywhere.

I have noticed ramshorn snails, could they be a problem?

Do I require more fish to balance the cycle( 130 litre tank)?

I also have a airstone at the other end of the tank oppisite the filter to increase water flow, to combat cyano bacteria...

any opionions ,suggestion as I am starting to running short....



thanks.

 

[jacko9901]

do a water change to remove the nitrate and then see what happens then.

oh and

 

[Corleone]

... 40 gallon ...

PH:6.8 -7
ammonia 0
nitrite=0
nitrate =10
kh=4dkh
gh= 9dkh
tremp 26 degrees celcius

Nitrate of 10 is quite low, really - a great many people on the forum have higher in their tap water, and mine usually reaches the low 30's by water change day. Water changes aside from regular maintenance isn't really called for unless there's another water quality issue.

Here is a little bit of history: I treated my tank about a month ago with external bateria treatment( see red eye dropsy or pregnent), A few other fish got itch, I ended up removing my sponge and starting a new cycle, Fish mentioned above are the only one that survived, now the serpeas are getting fin rot?
After the cycle the fish start eating again for about 4 days, then I got a ph spike 7.6+, I have managed to stabilise it the fish have not eaten since.
I have just been doing water changes and monitoring water parmeters, I still feed them once a day, hoping they may eat during the day
I do 30% water changes 2 times a week

How did you stabilize the pH? Also, the cause of the spike will have to be narrowed down if you don't know it yet. I'd start by testing all your rocks and substrate with vinegar (Hydrochloric acid if you can get some) to see if any of it fizzes, in which case it'll have to come out. The pH in a tank normally wants to lower, not raise, so there could be a rock in there that's not generally safe for fresh water driving it up. Depending on how you stabilized it, and what drove it up, the pH might be fluctuating - especially if you have to continually control it. Fish will usually adapt to a stable pH outside their ideal range (7.6 is lower than my own, for example), but can be stressed by an unstable one, even in their ideal range. If that's the case, the stress could account for the loss of appetite, and could contribute to the diseases you've experienced.

Also, on the pH subject, what's your tap water pH, for comparison?

Is there too much CO2, at "lights out" they move to the top of the tank? during the day when light are on, they go everywhere.

This could be a problem. Plants use CO2 when they're photosynthesizing, but when the lights are out and that stops, they actually produce CO2 (they always do, but in lower amounts than they use during the day). It could be saturating the water. Edit: Misread earlier, you don't have an injector. If that's the case, try to increase surface agitation to improve gas exchange - adjust the filter output (or water level if it can't be moved), add a bubble stone or spray bar, etc.

I have noticed ramshorn snails, could they be a problem?

They probably came in on a plant. If your feeding but the fish aren't eating, then the snails will eat it and reproduce accordingly. Ramshorns are usually considered a pest, but any snail can be controlled - you can pull them out of the water as you see them or bait them with a piece of lettuce and pull it out with them on it. Probably won't wipe them out, but it'll keep them under control. For the short term, it probably safe to ignore them until other issues are resolved, unless they start destroying plants. They'll at least keep uneaten food from accumulating, and their own waste will also produce ammonia that will help sustain the biofilter and hopefully raise an alarm in the form of an ammonia reading if there's an issue there.

Do I require more fish to balance the cycle( 130 litre tank)?

More fish is more likely to unbalance the cycle - your ammonia and nitrite are processing to 0 now, but depending on how long that's been the case, the bacteria may not have grown enough to fully handle more fish, meaning adding fish might cause a minicycle.

This does lead well into my questions though:
How long since the second cycle finished? Were any of the fish through the first one, as well? Has anything been added since the second cycle finished. If a new fish eats while the old ones don't, it could be damage or stress from being through the cycle(s).