Disaster

[Frankie the fish]

Please help!
I have a 150 ltr tank which held : 5 Neon Tetras, 3 Guppies & 2 youngsters, 3 large mollies & 3 youngsters, 3 platties, 2 bala sharks & a clown loach. Tank has been performing well with good water clarity & fish breeding well. I change out 20 ltrs of water, replacing it with boiled water, most weekends. The bala's were the last addition, about 10 days ago. I have no history of multiple mortalities. Had the water checked a few weeks ago, don't have a breakdown of the results, but was told it was well within limits.
On Saturday evening, I noticed the water had clouded & the Loach was spinning lifelessly around the tank. All the other fish seemed fine. The loach seemed to recover a little overnight.
Sunday evening - disaster!
I noticed one of the bala's in big trouble, water was still cloudy. searched for the loach & found him hiding at the back, listless. I added salts & the recommended dose of Stress coat, waited then added stress zyme. Within half an hour, both bala's, 4 tetra's 1 big Molly, 1 platty & Mr Loach were all dead. I also tried adding a little Acu-clear. I live in a remote area, so no shops or any help available. The rest of the fish seemed to be struggling, but coping.
The survivors were all well this morning & had appetite. Water was still cloudy, possibly a little less so.
It's impossible for me to get to a pet shop before I go home tonight, and am dreading what I may find.
Anyone have any ideas what caused this? I was told when I bought the loach that he gives off a chemical when stressed , and not to add the water I bought him in to the tank. Could this be the problem?
Would really appreciate any advice or info. Thanks

 

[Ferris]

Sounds like you had a bad bacteria bloom. You really need a water testing kit, I'd pretty much guarantee that either ammomnia or nitrate readings had gone through the roof. I'd do a 30% water change every day for the next few days and get your water tested by either buying a kit or taking a sample to your LFS.

Good luck with the survivors and let us know how you get on.

 

[Frankie the fish]

Thanks for that, Ferris.
Any ideas as to what may have caused such a sudden, drastic change? I haven't done anything different lately, and all seemed well on Friday evening.
I'll be doing the water changes as suggested & will keep you posted.
Cheers

 

[Ferris]

These things can just happen, I presume your tank is fairly well established (more than 2 months old) and has already cycled? You can't always pin down the cause but if you get a water test kit, you can closely monitor your tank and prevent this type of problem or at least reduce the effects.

Good luck

 

[Frankie the fish]

Yeah, tank's been running about 10 months now, Ferris. This has been my first multiple mortality, so I was at a loss as to why it happened. A water test kit is top of my shopping list for later this week. I'd had samples tested at the shop a few times and all seemed well, the guy there reckoned too that if the fish were breeding, that was a big positive sign. But I'll be doing my own checks more regularly now, that's for sure.
Said I'd give the tank a year before I bought anything too exotic - I'm sure glad I kept to that now!
Cheers again.

 

[Frankie the fish]

Ferris
sadly, when I got home last night, I had lost a few more & the rest hadn't long to go. By this morning, I was left with 1 large dalmation molly, a real bruiser who won't go down easily! A total disaster, and I'm gutted.

Very tempted now to give said Molly to the LFS for keeping, while I restart the tank. Once I'm ready to go again, I'm tempted to try a couple of parrots - what d'ya think, and who would live well alongside them?

ps You're not any relation to Paul Ferris from Glasgow, by any chance?

 

[OoHeatheroO]

you should make it a cichlid tank They are hearty. Make sure you get a testing kit and fix whatever is goin bad with your tank before you get more fish.

 

[Frankie the fish]

Yeah, Heather, I'll be checking carefully before re-introducing anything.
Still don't understand why it happened after 10 months trouble-free.
Cichlids, eh? I'll look into that, thanks.

 

[Ferris]

Hi Frankie,

Sorry to hear about the extra problems, you've not had much luck there.

I certainly wouldn't add any fish until you get your test kit. If you want to go for Parrots, do some research, they are normally kept in a species tank and are not compatible with a lot of community fish. They are also often sold having been colour dyed - DO NOT buy these, the dying process is wrong and weakens the fish, the colour fades over time anyway. If you do go for them, make sure they are natural.

The same goes for Cichlids, I keep African Mbuna and they are amazing but fairly difficult to keep mdue to their aggressive nature....well worth it though. If you consider these have a look in the African forum and read the pinned articles, there is some brilliant advice. Mbuna must be kept in a species tank with certain bottom feeders only as tank mates.

As you are going to have to re-start anyway, take your time and decide on fish that you really like. You have a decent sized tank there, make the most of it.

Good luck!

P.S No relation to Paul Ferris from Glasgow, Ferris is just a handle I use, real name is Matt

 

[Frankie the fish]

Ferris, or indeed Matt!

Thanks for your reply. Absolutely gutted by the events of the last few days, as you can imagine.
Ref your info on the parrots - thanks very much. Nice as they look, I'd prefer a bit of variety in my tank, so i'll have a good look around the forum for ideas. And I'll be kit-handed and very sure of the water before I start again! (not that having good water stopped the disaster happening, but as you say - sometimes sh*t happens, eh?)

Ferris as a handle....there's a line about wheels within wheels there somewhere!
Anyway, thanks again for the info advice & good wishes.

 

[Ferris]

Ferris as a handle....there's a line about wheels within wheels there somewhere!

lol

Its actually comes from one of my favourite John Hughes films "Ferris Buellers day off"

Best of luck with whatever you go for and don't be too down about recent events, it can happen to anyone.

 

[CathyG]

I change out 20 ltrs of water, replacing it with boiled water, most weekends.

Just a thought, do you only ever add boiled water? When tap water is boiled it loses hardness (hence calcium and lime deposits in a kettle) and becomes more unstable.

Did you have your pH/GH and KH tested? If you are using boiled water only, and not adding any minerals, the water will become too "pure" to sustain the fish.

I am sorry to hear about your losses, good luck with your new set up!

 

[Frankie the fish]

Hi Cathy
Thanks for your advice.
I've been adding health salts ( can't remember the brand name) & stress zyme to the water before adding it. The water in my area is very peaty & poor and needs all the help it can get!
Having said that, the tank had been doing great for 10 months, right up to last weekend's disaster - water was clear, fish seemed happy & were breeding etc.
Maybe as Ferris says, it's just one of those things that happens.
Anyway, hopefully it was just a one-off & my next set-up will last a good while longer.

Thanks again.