Fish Deaths

[SMakowski]

The point of this post is to see what you guys think happened.



Keep in mind… I’m pretty new to fish owning. About 4 months ago, I got very into it and decided to get some of my own. I did lots of research on their necessities to taking care of them, gallons in a tank needed, how to know wether they’re healthy, and etc. I got a 15 galling tank with 6 guppies.



When I first got them it was from a store similar to PetSmart. They only had males, so I got those. I picked from a variety of them making sure they were all guppies that needed the same amount of tank space. I had the tank water ready at home and I had all the things they needed (heater, filter, solution, plants, correct ph, hideouts). When picking out the fish I noticed until after the fact, that one of the tanks had 4 dead fish and I got the last one alive. Once I got home after the Spam of a month, they were all dead.



My theories:

One of the fish was contagious with a disease.

I got it since it was the only one left in his whole tank, feeling sorrow for him. He looked a bit sick, but i wasn’t thinking it might spread and that I could save him. He was the first to die in my tank and I’m thinking it might’ve spread.

They committed suicide, lots of the fish died the same way. I’m not sure why, but half of them were behind the filter. Sometimes they would disappear and when I’d look I’d see them in the narrow space between the filter and glass. They wouldn’t move and I’d have to forcefully push them off, they’d get injured from it or die.



I’m now looking for a bigger tank and I’m going to try changing my water source.

 

[Anonymous Fox]

Fish don't commit suicide.
They were probably under stress or sick.
@Colin_T probably knows better than me. Did you cycle your tank? What were/are your water parameters?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

As @Anonymous Fox says, fish don't kill themselves...inexperienced fishkeepers kill them, or disease does...that isn't effectively treated.
Besides pH, what was your water hardness?
Tell us about how you cycled your tank.

They wouldn’t move and I’d have to forcefully push them off, they’d get injured from it or die.

Say what!?!

Can you please show us a picture of your tank, so that we have a better idea of what w have to work with.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

If fish are sick, they will sometimes be drawn towards the filter and get stuck on the filter intake.

The fish either had a disease or died from poor water quality (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate or pH).

If the tank was cycled before you got the fish, then it was probably a disease, especially considering there were dead fish in the tank, and the fish were guppies. Guppies regularly carry external bacterial and protozoan infections that will kill everything in a tank.

If you have pictures of the fish it might offer more information.

If you know what the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH of the water is, that can also help.

 

[LostBear]

Hello and welcome

As Colin says, sick fish will seek a quiet and safe place to hide because they feel very vulnerable.

Pushing them out just stressed them further and may have actually physically injures them, even though you didn't intend to do so.