The Choice

[SeanTrollope]

my tank had tree cories in it then they all died in a week. im looking at restocking it with 5 rummynose tetras and more cats or a betta. just want to see what others think

 

[Lillefishy]

How big is the tank, what are your water parameters & is the filter cycled?

 

[Wills]

What was the cause of death of the Cories?
 
Wills

 

[Mamashack]

Odd that they all died so quickly - suggests that something isn't right in the tank. Wouldn't get anything else until you've sussed it out.
Also what Lillefishy said in #2

 

[SeanTrollope]

the filter is cycled and the tank is ok in size for ether. i still havent found the cause of death althou i think it was ether something in the water or sickness. but that was a long time ago and the tank has just been running with one golden snail in it since then and has resently been planted for the first time. im going to wait for the plants to establish themselves before i add fish.

ps the filter has been running since the begining of the year

 

[Lillefishy]

If the filter has been running with nothing in the tank except the snail then most of the good bacteria will have died off, you'll have to re cycle the filter before adding fish.
You say the tank size is ok for rummynose & catfish, how big is this tank? opinions will vary on tank size for schooling fish, I personally wouldn't put Rummynose in less than a 3ft tank

 

[SeanTrollope]

yea i know that they need lots of space as they are fast and school and they also require large numbers. ok them ill cycle it just to be safe

 

[Mamashack]

The snail waste may have kept some of the bacteria alive. You may only need to challenge them or grow them on. Remove the snail and add 3 ppm ammonia then test in 24 hrs and if both ammonia and nitrite are 0 then it's cycled. When my first betta died, I kept a 7G going with a few amano shrimp and feeding them with flake every day and that kept the filter bacteria alive til I got a new betta 4 months later, but don't take my word for it - do the ammonia challenge first just to be sure.

 

[SeanTrollope]

what do u mean by ppm

 

[Mamashack]

ppm = parts per million - that's the units the test results are in usually. 
Have you got or done any water tests? 

Sometimes tests results are in mg/L, but essentially it's the same reading.

 

[SeanTrollope]

i have a N02 test that is all. havent done a test since the cats died but then it was still fine

 

[Mamashack]

Good basic testing kit includes: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.
Certain types of fish will need TDS and GH checks too, but the basic ones are the ones above.
Master test Kits are readily available on eBay. Amazon etc - definitely worth investing in a kit so you can help prevent other fish loss. It may have been something you could prevent from escalating to death.