Frequent fish deaths - advice needed!

[djkillab]

So when I had to do this I actually contacted the manufacturer of the medication for advice, for the meds I used they recommended keeping the frogs out for a month, I think I stretched it to 6 weeks to be sure I'd done enough water changes to get rid of any remnants.

If your frog is a juvenile you could go up to feeding daily with a fast day once a week but see how he/she goes with every other day first, you can always increase if needed. Hopefully once you've got on top of the issues you can get him/her another friend as they do like company (I have a soft spot for them in case you can't tell haha).

OK thanks, I'll see what I can find. So I'll just need a little tank with a heater for the frog?

Yeah I started off with 3 as I love the frogs too and they're a particular hit with the kids! The one in the tank is the last one remaining from the originals (about 5 months ago I got them). I did get another one from more general pet store but it was the last one there and it didn't last long at all unfortunately. I'm worried about previous ones having Chytrid. Any advice on avoiding this in the future? I've read that most of the time they're not tested for the fungus before going on sale etc

 

[Jinx_]

Thanks.

So in the filter there are 2 foam sponges, 2 carbon pads and bio media. I wash the sponges in tank water once a month and replace the carbon pads monthly, but 1 at a time. The bio media (the white rock things) I have only replaced 50% of after 6 months.

I do use the test strips so I will definitely look to get that API master test kit

That's great you're washing them, it's a big mistake that some fish keepers make.

You don't need the carbon pads, unless you have toxins in the tank or you stopped dosing medication. If you will be dosing any meds, take the carbon out as it will hinder the treatment process.

 

[Lcc86]

OK thanks, I'll see what I can find. So I'll just need a little tank with a heater for the frog?

Yeah I started off with 3 as I love the frogs too and they're a particular hit with the kids! The one in the tank is the last one remaining from the originals (about 5 months ago I got them). I did get another one from more general pet store but it was the last one there and it didn't last long at all unfortunately. I'm worried about previous ones having Chytrid. Any advice on avoiding this in the future? I've read that most of the time they're not tested for the fungus before going on sale etc

Depending on your room temp you will probably need a heater (especially at this time of year!). I have found in recent months that the frogs I've had have been more sickly compared to previous ones. Not sure if it's a wider issue or if I've just been unlucky. Never had to deal with chytrid fortunately but it may be worth keeping some medication on hand in case its needed.

 

[djkillab]

Ive done a couple of big water changes since last message. I haven't been able to get a master test kit yet due to funds. I've done a strip test today with the following results

GH 150
Nitrate 15
Nitrite 0
Chlorine 0.2
KH 60
PH 6.8

Have also started feeding the frog every other day

 

[MaloK]

Do you have a tap water treatment for aquarium uses ? It seems strange that you test reports some chlorine.

It should be 0 in your tank... If you have some, you might want to add a little.

 

[djkillab]

Do you have a tap water treatment for aquarium uses ? It seems strange that you test reports some chlorine.

It should be 0 in your tank... If you have some, you might want to add a little.

Hi. Yes i do. I think there is quite a lot of Chlorine in our tap water and perhaps I didn't put quite enough in the last change. I'll put a few drops in the tank tomorrow, thanks

 

[djkillab]

Afternoon all

No new deaths or anything strange in the tests the last few weeks, but today I've got this struggling guppy. It's generally at the bottom of the tank and has a rounded belly and breathing a lot. Any ideas please?

 

[Death by Fish Tanks]

View attachment 354149
Afternoon all

No new deaths or anything strange in the tests the last few weeks, but today I've got this struggling guppy. It's generally at the bottom of the tank and has a rounded belly and breathing a lot. Any ideas please?

It's more likely the fish than anything you're doing. Fancy guppies are very, very inbred and have weaker immune systems. So sudden changes in water quality (for example, taking The fish from pet store water to clean aquarium water) can be detrimental to them

 

[Colin_T]

Add salt and deworm it.

Section 3 of the following link has info on deworming fish.

What to do if your fish has Stringy White Poop.

Fish do a stringy white poop for several reasons. 1) Internal Bacterial Infections causes the fish to stop eating, swell up like a balloon, breath heavily at the surface or near a filter outlet, do stringy white poop, and die within 24-48 hours of showing these symptoms. This cannot normally be...

www.fishforums.net

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SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water (2 litres or 1/2 gallon) and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.

 

[Naughts]

I haven't been able to get a master test kit yet due to funds.

Don't worry, I found test strips to read near enough the same as API (and both had issues with colour matching). You just need to know that there's no ammonia, no nitrite and low nitrates. If you can get an ammonia tester you will have it covered.
Remember to dechlorinate and don't try to adjust pH/GH/KH - these readings will then be pretty constant.

 

[djkillab]

That guppy did die as expected.
Water levels are still all good.

In my 64 litre tank I currently have:
3 guppies
1 sailfin molly
1 congo frog
1 dwarf chain loach (I think)

Am I overstocked? Have I got room for anything else? I'd like to get another frog and something that will help with the algae, as the loach on his own isn't doing a good job anymore.

Any suggestions please?

 

[Colin_T]

Don't add anything to the tank for at least a month after a fish dies. If there's a disease in the tank, adding new fish will simply give the disease more victims. The new fish can bring in diseases too and if the old fish are in a weakened state, adding new fish stresses them more and can push them over the edge.

What are the dimensions of the 64 litre tank (length x width x height)?

 

[djkillab]

Don't add anything to the tank for at least a month after a fish dies. If there's a disease in the tank, adding new fish will simply give the disease more victims. The new fish can bring in diseases too and if the old fish are in a weakened state, adding new fish stresses them more and can push them over the edge.

What are the dimensions of the 64 litre tank (length x width x height)?

Thanks for your reply. I think this is where I've gone wrong in the past then.

The dims are H44 x W61 x D33cm

 

[djkillab]

I'm assuming now would be a good time to add that salt as I think you suggested?

 

[Colin_T]

The dims are H44 x W61 x D33cm

The loach and molly should both reach about 4 inches long when mature and that along with the guppies and frog are probably all you want in the tank. You could probably squeeze in another frog if it's a small species. If you get rid of the molly you could add other stuff.

Post a picture of the loach and the algae. Most loaches don't eat algae.

Algae grows when there is an imbalance in the light, nutrients and plants.
Too much light or nutrients and the algae grows.
Not enough live plants to use the light and nutrients and algae grows.
Normally reducing the nutrients with big water changes and gravel cleaning, and reducing aquarium plant fertiliser (if you use any) can reduce the algae. Adding live plants will also reduce algae. But post a picture of the algae first so we know what we're dealing with.

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If you were going to add salt you should have done it straight away. Right now it's unlikely to make any difference unless more fish are unwell.

The best thing to do if fish get sick or after a fish dies is
1) wipe the inside of the glass to remove the biofilm (slime).

2) do a huge (75%) water change and gravel clean the substrate to dilute any pathogens in the water.

3) clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks.