Unexpected Fish Death Need Advice!

[EmmaNic286]

My family have had 2 Black Skirt Tetra's and a Plecostomus for something along the line's of 3 months now. We took them in emergency circumstances as the previous owner had to move out of her home in a hurry and had no-one else she could give them away to.

To begin with they all seemed to be doing reasonably well. I did note that during the day the Black Skirt tetra's seemed extra shy and as a result not too active - so had mild concerns. But the rest of my family didn't feel there was a need to be after I discussed this with them - especially as apparently their behaviour at night was a lot better. It also occurred to me that maybe the size of the tank was a factor - as from the start I thought it was far too small to house that many fish (and we were going to get a new one)so at the time I let it go.

Yet today slap bang out of the blue, one of the Black Skirt tetra's suddenly died! We aren't sure why. It seemed to be ok this morning. Next thing we knew in the afternoon it was suddenly lying on top of the tank - totally lifeless. I'm wondering at this point if it might be something to do wth the water. We've been doing weekly water changes (changing roughly about a third or so of the water at a time), been keeping it at the recommended temperature, and using the water filter that came provided with the tank when we first got it. But from the start I thought we should get one of those master water testing kits, just to make sure. Unfortunately, it's really not been easy for us to find one's at easily affordable prices, so my parents chose not to get one to begin with - though at the time I really thought they should. However, today I decided to order one - as am seriously concerned this might be the reason.

However, as unfortunately the kit isn't going to be arriving straight away - I was wondering if there are any other safety measures I should take in the meantime for the sake of the other fish? I seem to remember reading at some point that if the body of a dead fish has been in a tank for some time it can increase Amonia. Though the water wasn't changed that long ago, should we do another water change? If so, wondered if anyone would be happy to give advice on how big a water change would be best to do? And also if there's anything else we should ideally be doing we're not aware of. As unfortunately we're not very experienced at this kind of thing.

Many thanks for reading!

Emma

 

[BethK]

If you're worried about the water stats, do a daily water change to keep the water cleaner. I would say a 30% water change each day but someone else might advise better.

 

[Lolly123]

Hello,

Can you post a little more info on your tank setup, how long has it been running, size, inhabitants, filtration etc? And as soon as you get your kit, test your water stats, the more info you can give on your tank, the easier it will be for people to advise you.

I have black skirt tetras and they need to be kept in groups, around a minumum of 5 would be ideal. Singular fish or very small groups will cause them to become shy and stressed.

I would also be concerned about your plecostomus, they can get very big and are completely unsuitable for small tanks, they also need a good diet of sinking pellets, green peas, zuchini, alot of green basically, and bogwood is said to benefit them too. If you are not able to upgrade in tank size in the coming future, you are going to have to rehome him as you said yourself your tank was small.

I would say regular water changes are a good idea and I would advise to keep a high standard of maintainence at all times, especially if your water quality is worrying you. I am glad you bought a good kit, try and explain to your parents that things may 'look' fine, but how can you possibly monitor what is truly going on in your tank, if you have no way of testing.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[OldMan47]

If you have recently done maintenance on the filter, it is possible you reduced the ability of the filter to deal with ammonia or nitrites. A fish found floating is always a reason for concern in one of my tanks. Since I have test kits, I immediately try to spot the chemical problem but as Beth said, a water change is almost always going to help you. Unless your tank is fairly small, a single remaining black skirt and a single plecostomus is not likely to be a very big biological load. As long as you stay on top of water changes and avoid overfeeding you can expect your water quality to stay fairly good. I seldom test a tank once it is well established because I have learned to judge the water quality from the way my fish behave and I change enormous amounts of water if I begin to suspect that anything is not as it should be. I don't mess around and do tiny 50% changes, I really do large water changes instead. The fish almost always look far better after a large water change.

 

[EmmaNic286]

Thanks for the responses so far guys. Much appreciated.

@ Lolly123

My mother was given this tank containing the 2 blackskirt tetra's and plecostomus (no other fish) around 3 months ago. It literally happened as a total spur of the moment thing and wasn't planned. I had misgivings about it at the time, as we've never owned fish before and knew nothing about looking after them. But as the lady who gave them to my mother said if we couldn't take them she'd have to return them to the pet shop - and my mother hated the thought of anything bad happening to them in that instance - she made the decision to take them.

The tank we've got is one of those small hexagonal shaped types. Not sure exactly how big it is. But would guess it's a little over two feet high. And probably around half that width wise. We've been doing weekly water changes since we've had it, changing about a third of the water at a time, using Aquasafe to keep the water safe for the fish and keeping it at the recommended temperature range for tropical fish.

On the filter, I've actually only just found this evening that the tube that I thought was one isn't - meaning we've never had one! I could have sworn a little while back one of my parents told me it was - but apparently not the case. I've also found out that apparently a few people my dad spoke to when we were first given the aquarium, who own fish, told him filters weren't needed for small tanks. I'm pretty shocked that he believed them! As at the time he and my mother purchased books on tropical fish that make it plain how important it is to get one. I've tried to convince him he's been given incorrect advice and stress that we really need to get one, but having a tough time of it at the moment as he believes otherwise. Still luckily my mother is agreeing with me. I'm going to try and get hold of one as soon as I possibly can, as I've done a little on line research and can see that the internal one's for small tanks can be purchased at inexpensive prices.

By the way totally agree on your points on the plecostomus and on blackskirt tetra quantity numbers. Unfortunately because we didn't pick out either the fish or equipment, but were given them, we're having to temporarily work as best as we can with what we have right now - though we're planning on getting a bigger tank and adding more fish as soon as we possibly can.

Also totally see your point on the testing kit too. I've thought the same from the start, but couldn't get my parents to take my point of view seriously. Again, I think it was down to being given incorrect advice from people my dad knew. I didn't agree with them, and wasn't happy at all about the situation - but frustratingly there wasn't much I could do about it at that time. Still, hopefully it won't be too long till the kit I just ordered arrives now! Thanks alot for the thoughts on that. Again much appreciated. Will let you know how things go

@Oldman47 It's very helpful to hear your point of view. Will most definitely consider increasing the water change percentage too. Many thanks for your advice!

 

[zophie]

Hi Emma,
It seems like you have a problem on your hands- but don't freik out. The key to solving any problem is to relax! First of all, you need to get a test kit. I am assuming your tank is not cycled - you can read about cycling in the begginers resource center. For now, I reccomend small daily water changes- about 25% every day. Tetras can live in fairly small tanks, but your Plec can NOT- I really think you should either re-home him/her, or take him/her to a local fish store. I'm sure your Tetras can live fine in your tank, but you will have to make a few adjustments. Is there any way that you could show us a picture of your tank-0 it would help us loads.

Zophie

 

[EmmaNic286]

Hi Emma,
It seems like you have a problem on your hands- but don't freik out. The key to solving any problem is to relax! First of all, you need to get a test kit. I am assuming your tank is not cycled - you can read about cycling in the begginers resource center. For now, I reccomend small daily water changes- about 25% every day. Tetras can live in fairly small tanks, but your Plec can NOT- I really think you should either re-home him/her, or take him/her to a local fish store. I'm sure your Tetras can live fine in your tank, but you will have to make a few adjustments. Is there any way that you could show us a picture of your tank-0 it would help us loads.

Zophie

Hi there Zophie

Thanks to you too for sharing your thoughts.

Frustratingly I found out this morning I'm not going to be receiving my test kit for at least 7 days and it could be longer than that. Thinking at this rate, the daily water change of 25% is a very good idea as a temporary measure till it finally gets here. Thanks for the tip! I'll be doing that. And thanks for suggesting I read the section on here on Cycling. I've just had a look and found that very helpful.

Again thanks for the mention on the Plecostomus issue. We are aware of this, and my mother is planning on getting a new bigger tank for him and the other fish as soon as she can possibly manage it. We haven't been able to do this sooner because of financial issues. But this is something we're aiming to do in the near future. Luckily right now the plecostomus is still only small, so he should be ok where he is just for the short term. But you're totally right - he can't stay where he is for the long term. It's out of the question. And the previous owner really should have chosen a bigger tank to begin with.

Unfortunately right now it's very difficult for me to transfer pics from my digital camera onto my laptop, so at this time am not able to put up a picture.