6 Cardinals Dead, White Poo. Help :(

[Delilah88]

Hi Everyone,

Could really do with your help as i'm really worried about my new tropical fish, i've had a new tank up and running for just over a week when i put my new fish in this weekend. They included 8 Cardinal Tetras, 5 guppies, 2 mollys, 2 platys. After 24hrs 1 of the tetras had died, i put this down to bad luck and maybe the fish was unwell or just reacted badly to the move. Another 24hrs later and 4 more of the Cardinals had died, 12hrs after that and i'm only left with 2! The other fish seem to be ok but i've noticed that the poo of the mollys/platys is coming out clear/white, which i know can be a sign of parasites? Also the mollys seem to dwell at the bottom 95% of the time but they seemed quite shy since i intorduced them.

I carried out a 30% water change yesterday and no more have died but my remaining tetras are looking quite pale.. and the other fish don't seem quite right.. Any ideas what this could be? I haven't been able to get a water reading yet but we have other tanks and have used the same process and the same water in setting them up and have had no problems before

Tank size: 48l
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 26c

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

6 Cardinals dead, loss of colour, remaining fish have clear/white poo.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: New tank, carried out 30% change yesterday

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: 2 fake plants, tropical gravel, 2 rock decorations (which i have removed just in case)

Tank inhabitants: 8 Cardinals (2 surviving), 5 guppies, 2 mollys and 2 platys

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals: None

Note: When i first bought the fish the poo was a healthy brownish colour but since they've been in my tank i've not witnessed that.

What should i do next?

 

[Livewire88]

By the sounds of it your filter is not cycled so your fish are likley dieing because they are swimming round in their own poo and wee.

Have a read of the beginners section and pay special attention to the fish in cycle section.

http/www.fishforum...ish-in-cycling/

Cardinal Tetras are especially sensitive to any nasties in your water, and also arnt good for adding to newly set up tanks.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Hi Everyone,

Could really do with your help as i'm really worried about my new tropical fish, i've had a new tank up and running for just over a week when i put my new fish in this weekend....

Was this a brand new tank with a brand new filter? If yes, unfortunately the problem is that you have not cycled your tank... which means your filter does not have the bacteria it needs to break down the ammonia your fish produce, therefore the ammonia is building and affecting your fish. You also added a lot of fish at one time meaning there was not only an ammonia build up but a huge spike in ammonia.

You need to begin with a HUGE water change, of as much water as you can while leaving just enough water to allow your fish to still swin. Are you also using a dechlorinater before adding water to your tank?

Please visit this section and read up on cycling. http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

In the meantime, you will need to carry out daily large water changes to help improve your fishes health.