Anthea Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I am new to this, and need some help. I have a newish tank, 165L, a good amount of plants, rocks and decorations for fish to hide in. I did a fishless cycle before introducing fish. My stats are Ph 7.5, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5. Temp 24. Dead fish 3 I started with 3 platies (after cycling), 2 females moved from a smaller tank, and 1 new male. The new male hid constantly, and I never saw him eat. The 2 females behaved normally as they did in their smaller tank. I then introduced 6 zebra danios. At first the danios schooled and played in the current, and the male platy even came out to play...then the danios stopped schooling and most went and hid in the bottom corner, and the male platy went into hiding again. Next day the male platy was dead, and the 2 females are bobbing around at the top, hardly swimming at all. Later that day 1 dead danio, next day another dead danio. Platies still bobbing around and not swimming much. I have tested my water every day...always the same. What am I doing wrong???? Please help me before any more die Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I would start by doing a 50% water change and filling the tank back up with warm dechlorinated water. How did you do the fishless cycle and did you do a big water change after cycling before you introduce fish. It pay to put your location in your profile so people know where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 I cycled the tank by adding fish flakes and then waiting until the Nitrates and Ammonia were 0...that was the advice I was given when I bought my tank. I didn't do a big water change before adding fish...I didn't realise I had to. I will do a 50% water change, and keep my fingers crossed... I am also lowering the water temp a couple of degrees in case they are a bit too warm...(I read somewhere that Danios and Platies like slightly cooler water) Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Nitrates or nitrites at zero? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 It might pay to use dechlorinator when doing water changes. Because of all the repairs being done to the water mains at present they are likely to be adding chlorine to sanitise the pipes in some areas.There is a meeting of the local fish club (totally tanked) on Sturday at Donna's place, someone there might be able to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Test your water late in the evening tonight (just before you go to bed) and see if the ammonia and nitrite is still at 0. When you waterchange your tank do you wash out your filters? If not, please do not but if you have been please let us know how you do it. How long did you have the danios for before the platys died? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Also, how long from introduction to death for the various fish? Generally if water conditions seem ok and a fish dies within a few days or a week of introduction it's most likely to be shock from insufficient acclimatization. I think most people tend to just dump fish in, or only give them a 15 minutes or so, which I think isn't much better than nothing at all. My new fish I usually give 3-4 hours. Float the bag in the tank for half an hour, then pour a cup of tank water into the bag every 15 minutes to half an hour, dump half out once it gets full. Continue for as long as I have time or until I get bored. I haven't had any fish die since I started doing this and it's not really any work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 @camtang - nitrites were 0 @alanmin - I use a water ager - although I don't think we even have chlorine in our water (burnside) @Adrienne - I was told to do water changes when the nitrates got high - they have only reached 5, and my tank is not quite a month old, so haven't done any before now...perhaps this is my problem? I understand that you should rinse out the filter stuff in tank water. I had the danios for a couple of days before the platy died, then 2 danios died as well. And this morning I can't even find one of the danios... @Ira - I left them for about 20 minutes, and did put some of my tank water in the bag half way through...the platy died about 5 days after being introduced, the danios one each day after 2 days in the tank. I have done a 50% water change, hopefully this will do the trick.... Checked water again, stats still the same...I use the API master kit, not strips, so it should be accurate. Oh, and when I fed them this morning none would eat anything Thanks for all of your feedback...I really appreciate it I'll update tonight how they are getting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hi Anthea, I don't believe you are doing anything 'wrong', it could be a mix of factors. The first rule of fishkeeping is 'if you don't know why, do a water change' so doing a good one as Ron advised is a good idea. It is possible that the danios have brought some sort of disease in to the tank with them, it does happen but not always. Ira may be right about shock causing it but I am wondering if it is the pH which is pretty high for the fish you have. Most shop tanks and established tanks have a lower pH than that. If the fish have come from tanks with lower pH then they will take a lot longer than twenty minutes to acclimatise to the new pH levels. Is 7.5 what the water in the taps is or do you have something in the tank keeping the pH high like a piece of coral rock, shells, or it could be rocks or substrate. Please do check your ammonia and nitrite tonight - sometimes a newish tank will 'spike' during the night meaning the fish die but during the day the tests are normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Well, after a 50% water change no more have died - there is one missing though, and I can't find it. I looked everywhere when I was doing the water change, but didn't want to take the plants, etc out and stress the fish any more than they already are. Could the others have eaten him overnight? They wouldn't eat anything when I fed them this morning... So I now have 3 danios left, and 2 platies. The danios seem a bit happier, and one of the platies is moving about a bit. The other platy is still sulking in the corner. @ Adrienne - I have just checked my ammonia and nitrites again, they are still 0. And you are right about the PH - my tap water is only 6.4. I have taken some of my stones out and put them in tap water, and will test it in the morning to see if the PH has changed. Feeling a bit more hopeful about them tonight...thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Is using decloranted water really important OMG I fill my tanks up from the hose !!!! And fish do die, I had a bad lot of guppies that just poped off one by one now I got fish from someone else they have been great. But dont do what i did when I got my first lot of fish and over feed Water changes are imporant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 So I have just tested my tap water with stones from my tank in it, and the PH has gone up from 6.4 to 7.5 overnight... (This is particularly annoying as the guy at the specialist aquatics place I bought them told me not to buy stones from a chain store as they would sell me stones which would raise my PH level, but that the stones he had wouldn't...lesson learnt, I won't be going back there!) BTW when I say 7.5, I mean that it is 7.6 or above on the low PH test, and 7.4 or below on the high PH test...I see that it only tests for a range, not specific numbers, so I assume it is about 7.5...hope this is right. So, short of replacing all of my gravel, and rocks, is there anything I could/should do about this? I have read that even experienced fish people can find using chemicals to change PH tricky, so there probably isn't much hope for me (and I prefer not to use chemicals if possible anyway)...Is there anything else I can do? Or should I rethink which type of fish I have? (Although the 2 platies that are still alive came out of a tank that also had 7.5 PH and they were quite happy in there) Also..they still won't eat...3 days now...isn't this unusual...perhaps they have found the missing danio and are feasting at night??? Feeling a bit frustrated and worried about my wee fishies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 5, 2014 Report Share Posted February 5, 2014 Water changes will keep the pH under control if you have removed the cause. Fish hiding or eating is not right. Could be sick or it simply could be the fact that there are not enough of them left for them to feel safe enough to come out. Personally I would phone the shop who sold you the stones and speak to them, tell them about your test. The shop may not be at fault, the stones could have been in contact with limestone or dust or there could be something mixed in that they were unaware of. Ask them what pH their tank water is at, they should know. It could be pH shock, the platties could just be a coincidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Oh, dear, another platy dead when I got home from work. I went to two pet shops today, and asked for suggestions...they both said that the stones I had shouldn't alter the PH of my tank... The shop I bought the fish from (has a very good reputation, and is a specialist fish shop), said that they had no problems with sick fish that they were aware of, and that their tanks are about 7.2 PH, so I'm thinking probably not shock from the PH... He did suggest changing the carbon in the filter...I will go out and get some more tomorrow, and keep doing water changes every couple of days. Not sure why they aren't eating though...and still no sign of their dead buddy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 What sort of tank do you have? Carbon is not necessary in filters, its really only for removing medications. When it gets full - around 4-6 weeks it can release toxins back into the water. Depending on the type of tank you could replace your carbon with another media and save yourself some money. The stores are correct, messing around with the pH is worse than having it high or low. pH swings will do more damage. I would like to be more help but I can't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Oh, dear, another platy dead when I got home from work. I went to two pet shops today, and asked for suggestions...they both said that the stones I had shouldn't alter the PH of my tank... The shop I bought the fish from (has a very good reputation, and is a specialist fish shop), said that they had no problems with sick fish that they were aware of, and that their tanks are about 7.2 PH, so I'm thinking probably not shock from the PH... He did suggest changing the carbon in the filter...I will go out and get some more tomorrow, and keep doing water changes every couple of days. Not sure why they aren't eating though...and still no sign of their dead buddy... Don't worry too much no matter what you do sometimes they die, and if there is a problem you will find out what it is. I lost 3 guppies in the last few days 2 pregant ones then one just kealed over this afternoon So another half water change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 Sorry to highjack I just sent you 2 pms, was nice to see you today also Id love to see photos of pup as well plz lol :dnc1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 I'm still not having much luck...the last platy has gone to the big fish bowl in the sky...so only 3 danios left. I've been doing water changes every couple of days, have changed my filter media, still testing every day...water is still good...don't really know what else I can do. The 3 danios that are left look ok...swimming around, playing in the current...but they still won't eat! I think it has been about 6 days now. I have tried a new bottle of flakes, and even served up some bloodworms... Someone suggested adding a tablespoon of sea salt...but I've read elsewhere that I should never do this....what do people think about this idea? Thanks for your help so far...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Ask adrienne she is an expert fish keeper All I can suggest is keeping up with the water changes good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissajay Posted February 9, 2014 Report Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hi Anthea, Sorry about your losses. You could try mixing some fresh garlic with your food. Garlic stimulates their appetite and boosts their immune system. Make sure you syphon up all uneaten food. Also you pH of your tap water straight from the tap will be lower than what it would be sitting for a day. You may have soft water, which is more prone to pH swings. I sit my water for at least a day and then an hour or so before w/c plug in my pump and heater. This brings the water to it's true pH, so there isn't such a swing to stress the fish during water changes. Is your tank second hand btw? If so you could have inherited disease from the previous fish kept in there. Hope things start looking up from now on. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Thanks Melissa - I didn't know that about water. That would explain why my tank is so much higher than my tap water. I'm pleased it isn't the gravel/rocks, etc that I have for decoration. I don't think PH swings are what caused my initial problems, because the fish were dying before I changed their water (I didn't have them that long!), but I will certainly be more careful about how I do it in the future! Wow, I certainly have a lot to learn... And my tank is new, and well cleaned (no detergents used), so it shouldn't be that. This is certainly proving to be a mystery...at least the 3 danios I have left are looking reasonably happy and healthy. I know they should be in a school of at least 6, but I'm going to wait until I have had no deaths for a week or 2 before I get any more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Thanks Melissa - I didn't know that about water. That would explain why my tank is so much higher than my tap water. I'm pleased it isn't the gravel/rocks, etc that I have for decoration. I don't think PH swings are what caused my initial problems, because the fish were dying before I changed their water (I didn't have them that long!), but I will certainly be more careful about how I do it in the future! Wow, I certainly have a lot to learn... And my tank is new, and well cleaned (no detergents used), so it shouldn't be that. This is certainly proving to be a mystery...at least the 3 danios I have left are looking reasonably happy and healthy. I know they should be in a school of at least 6, but I'm going to wait until I have had no deaths for a week or 2 before I get any more... Was it only the danios that died? where did you get them from?? maybe you got a bad batch, Ive had that with guppies and neons Ive have about 80 guppies at the moment and the odd one always drops off lol I freak out though when they do :slfg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 3 platies and 3 danios dead. All the danios were bought together, one of the platies on it's own and the other 2 platies moved from another tank where they were fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissajay Posted February 10, 2014 Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Didn't think it was, just thought I'd pass it on as it helps to know the ins and outs. You might want to do a pH test of water that has sat for a day to compare to your tank water. If it's still higher then it may still be another contributing factor. You may not find the reason why they died, but you sure learn a lot from it in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthea Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thanks Melissa - and everyone who has offered advice. My PH has been stable at 7.5 from the start, so I don't think it is that causing the problems. But I will keep an eye on it. 2 days now with no deaths...hopefully whatever it was has gone/stabilised... All going well I'll go and get my 3 lonely danios some more friends next week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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