Waking Up To Dead Fish Makes Me Feel Terrible

[Puffa77]

Hi there,

I have 10 tetras (neons and cardinal mixed really) 2 cory's and one cat fish plus a molly and a baby puffa (figure 8) they get on well and I have a 60cm tank, (am getting a new one soon yet to set up). My current tank has been established for the best part of this year, and I cant understand why my water chemistry has changed. I place water softner/safe with every 10% water change every 3 days. I hoover my sand (no gravel) I have 2 plants, bog wood (small piece) and shells, rock and the tank looks interesting and the fish love it. Theres hinding places, and all sorts for them to explore. My plants are clean, they look healthy, they've been nibbled but thats okay I keep a close watch on their condition. I have soaked bogwood, and cleaned other rocks with tank water, I have an powerful reputable filter, airpump and I feed them flake food, and live frozen food, (mussels for my puffa and beefheart) Other fish foods.
I intentionally have the cory's because they help keep the tank clean, the tank is roomy but the decor is i believe just perfect for them

Recently, I have been suffering a high in water hardness. I hardly get alge on my tank - and need not change, the water looks clear and crisp. I cant see any obvious reasons as to why my tetras loose colour then die. My heater is on at 27.c

I usually dont leave my water airpump on at night, however tonight i think i will as its my last resort. Perhaps the case is my plants are consuming oxygen whilst producing carbon dioxide and there is not enough oxygen to go around for all my little ones.

I specifically want my tank to have thriving tetras, and they all look good, but in the morning - i see one or two have died. especially recently.

1) I dont use plant booster, although thats a new product i did by last week which i used once. I used the right dose - perhaps I shouldnt.
but i have bought me tetras since and they have died. the last time I used the booster was a week and a half ago.
2) I was also recommended to use peat, a liquid form which would help decrease the level of hardness in my water. But, without knowing too much about it, perhaps this has ruined my water chemistry leaving it all unbalanced? I used it once, and a little today - to the right dose for a 10 gallon tank. (about 5ml)

These are the only things I can think of.
But besides this, I ask the retailer where fish are bought and there ph level - and its 7.0.

My reading tonight (i use API 5-1 strips) perhaps not the most accurate? Any advice what to use instead? or anyone please tell me what is wrong

Reading with my strips
GH between 120-180 ( i live in an area where water is quite hard)
Kh 180
ph 6-6.5
no2 0.5
no3 80


I suffer terribly when one of my little ones die because they are dependant on me. I wish to give them a fantastic home, but I have no idea all of a sudden my fish dont seem to last long. My Molly, I had since birth in my tank (i took mother and father back because i didnt want to overstock) is perfect, absolutely beautiful, he has grown big and very handsome, his colour is optimun, and feeds (like my other fish) 3 times a day - perhaps a little less depending on how much they consume at a time.

I now feel quite frightended to go to bed just to wake up and see some die. Tonight, I will leave my air pump on, but its nosey is there anything else I can do?

Any suggestions would be great.Thank you so much for reading

Puffa77

 

[ebrcknrdg]

Shells arent good in a tank

Nitrate far too high at 80ppm. Do water changes every day (25%) to try and get it under 50ppm, closer to 0 if you can. Although test strips are useless and expensive. Get a liquid master test kit. Mine is an API one i got off ebay and cost me £17. It will do 800 tests

How are you introducting new fish?

 

[greatfish123]

Try doing a large water change to reduce the nitrites and the nitrates as 80ppm is pretty high tetras. Also, reducing pH while having high hardness is not a good idea as the water does not have good buffering capability.

P.S I have my tetras at a pH of 8.0. Though they dont spawn, they are non the less happy.

 

[ebrcknrdg]

Yeah stable high or low PH is better than trying to get say a PH of 7

 

[Puffa77]

Shells arent good in a tank

Nitrate far too high at 80ppm. Do water changes every day (25%) to try and get it under 50ppm, closer to 0 if you can. Although test strips are useless and expensive. Get a liquid master test kit. Mine is an API one i got off ebay and cost me £17. It will do 800 tests

How are you introducting new fish?

Thank you so much for your reply. As for the test kits, yes i think i will invest - they're not giving me right readings i dont think. ANd I will do a water change tonight too, just before i go to bed and a little hoover, perhaps this will sustain them tonight.
Literally from the shop into the car - with no music on, i keep them upright until they are home, sitting the bag into the tank for at least 20mins, then cutting the edge of the bag so they can swim out adding some of the tank water from the shop. I also switch off lights until they have settled, usually 20-30 mins and then feed them possible add a little anti stress coat liquid, and leave it as that. its worked so far, my cory's and puffa seem to be doing great. sadly my cardinals are not so. I have 10, and 2 died last night, they all seem well just a little frightend to see what happens today.

Yes, I have 3 shells, primarily told by shop because puffas have thangs and they need snails and shells to sharpening them on. Personally i think thats a little strange surely they can sharpen on bogwood or when they nip at rock. But some coral was suggested by shop because it will do wonders for the tank.

I can always post a photo but its a littlw later now x
Thank you.

 

[ebrcknrdg]

Shells arent good in a tank

Nitrate far too high at 80ppm. Do water changes every day (25%) to try and get it under 50ppm, closer to 0 if you can. Although test strips are useless and expensive. Get a liquid master test kit. Mine is an API one i got off ebay and cost me £17. It will do 800 tests

How are you introducting new fish?

Thank you so much for your reply. As for the test kits, yes i think i will invest - they're not giving me right readings i dont think. ANd I will do a water change tonight too, just before i go to bed and a little hoover, perhaps this will sustain them tonight.
Literally from the shop into the car - with no music on, i keep them upright until they are home, sitting the bag into the tank for at least 20mins, then cutting the edge of the bag so they can swim out adding some of the tank water from the shop. I also switch off lights until they have settled, usually 20-30 mins and then feed them possible add a little anti stress coat liquid, and leave it as that. its worked so far, my cory's and puffa seem to be doing great. sadly my cardinals are not so. I have 10, and 2 died last night, they all seem well just a little frightend to see what happens today.

Yes, I have 3 shells, primarily told by shop because puffas have thangs and they need snails and shells to sharpening them on. Personally i think thats a little strange surely they can sharpen on bogwood or when they nip at rock. But some coral was suggested by shop because it will do wonders for the tank.

I can always post a photo but its a littlw later now x
Thank you.

Once youve floated for 20 mins start adding water slowly to the bag from your tank. Just a bit at a time for another 20 mins or so. Its probably stressing them adding them so quick. I wouldnt feed them the same day you get them theyve most probably been fed at the shop. Just feed your other fish before adding the new ones. Im sure shells and cora; leak calcium and you dont want that in a freshwater tank

 

[Puffa77]

HELP!!!

Your not going to believe my luck but the heater has just exploded in my tank. I have removed it and my fish are okay. I cant believe this! Please tell me if i am doing this right as i have never been in this position before, i am staying up all night now just so my fish do not get cold - boiling water and mixing it with tap water so it is warm and of course adding conditioner.

Oh my gosh what am i going to do !!! help! I cant stay up all night i have an important day in the morning but i dont want my fish to die. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!


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[SouthernCross]

Why did it explode? Just freak accident? OR

Are you turning it off awhile before you do water changes? Exposure to cooler air if it becomes unsubmersed and its still on can cause it to crack. Not to mention when you are working in the tank you should turn it off anyway for electrical safety reasons.

Your nitrite reading worries me. As in, if you have nitrite, your tank is NOT cycled. If you don't understand what I mean by a cycled tank, take a gander at the stickied threads on cycling in the beginner's forum. It may be the nitrite killing your fish. Yet you say your tank has been running over a year, so in theory if you're doing all your maintenance right it should be cycled. How are you cleaning your filter? Do you replace the sponges or just clean them by giving them a squeeze/rub in old tank water? If you replace them or clean them too well you lose all your beneficial bacteria, which then causes spikes in ammonia and nitrite and that can kill your fish. BUT I see you have the dodgy test strips so they might be giving you crappy readings anyway. I agree with other posters, invest in another kit like the API liquid kit, I have it myself, its good value for money and does a way better job.

An easier way of keeping your fish warm tonight (make sure you go get a replacement heater tomorrow!) rather than bust your ass with all those water changes is to get a hot water bottle (or even just a heavy duty plastic bottle - thin stuff will deform/melt with hot water in it) and keep filling that up with really hot water and submerse it in the tank - it will act like a heater in the meantime.

I don't know much about puffers, but it sounds to me like some of the stuff you've been told is dodgy. Do some more research on their requirements, the search function on this board would be a great start.