farmchick Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Hi all A friend of mine has set up a new tank and followed all the rules while setting up. Established a healthy bacteria, allowed it to cycle properly and then added a few sacrificial guppies. The guppies were all fine after a few weeks so she has now added her community however there are random deaths occuring with no visible signs as to why. She is either having a REALLY bad run or there is something going wrong somewhere. I suggested that they invest in some test kits which they have done and all the readings are fine. We thought it may have been the chlorine when doing water changes and she is now using aged water and still the deaths are happening This morning she has lost her big male GBA (approx 12cm) and last week lost a clown loach and 2 opaline gouramies. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what is causing these fish to die? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 Any symptoms before they go? What size is the tank and how many/what fish does she have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmchick Posted May 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 its a 120 litre tank running an internal filter and an external aqua one cannister filter. She has 3 gouramies 3 small clown loaches (that I know will get a bigger house when they grow :lol: ) 2 khuli loaches 5 leopard danios (or maybe less, I think one of them was also a casualty) 1 lonely 10cm female GBA So, not overstocked at all and a pretty good mix of fish with no aggression shown at all. Apparently the male GBA was just belly up this morning One of the gouramies last week was at the surface but not gasping and dead the next morning. That was a couple of days after a water change so we put that one down to the chlorine but maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Has your friend tested ph, hardness etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmchick Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Has your friend tested ph, hardness etc? Yes, and all is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 How often is she doing water changes and how is she doing them and cleaning the filter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmchick Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 How often is she doing water changes and how is she doing them and cleaning the filter? up until now she had been doing roughly 10% every couple of weeks but straight from the tap (town supply water) and not doing a gravel vac. we recommended to her that she do a 20% every 2 weeks with a gravel vac using aged water. It has been since then that the fishy deaths have happened She hasnt cleaned the filters at all since setting up the tank as they both have really good flow. I told her that unless the flow dropped there was no need to mess around with them :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 Is she heating the water first - Using a jug, or hot water tap? Could be copper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 are there any plants or is there an airstone in the tank? must have something to provide oxygen or have a current that disturbs the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmchick Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 are there any plants or is there an airstone in the tank? must have something to provide oxygen or have a current that disturbs the water there is a filter in the hood of the tank and also a cannister. both are breaking the surface of the water and therefore oxygenating the water. There are plants in the aquarium but not a lot. Could be copper?] I hadnt thought of that. The aged water is cold and going straight into the tank from the plastic drum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 So how long has it been since she started siphoning the gravel? I wonder if she has been releasing toxins in the substrate as a result of not having done proper cleaning befoehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr pleco Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 just to add to that also whats the Ph of the aged water and where is it being collected from have both yr aged water and yr tap water tested for ph /ammonia/chlorine and mineral density you may find the aged water is from a well that is contaminated or a watertank that is getting contaminated from rust on the roof or a buildup of sludge at the bottom of the watertank could be an arial spray or anything pls post yr parameters as what may seem fine to you may tell us anotherstory and give us a better picture of events p.s just because the filter has good flow dosent mean it dosent need cleaning does the filter contain carbon at all ? and if so when was it replaced ? and how does she clean it if she has at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZ_Loach Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 what food are you feeding? are there any rocks in the tank and if so what are they Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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