Grrrr... Help With Dying Fishes

[barmy]

ok here goes

PH-7
Ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate 25


And my fish are dying!

No symptoms at all, one minute swimming, then laying on the bottom, and shortly after just giving up and dying.

no marks, or lesions, no weigh gain or weight loss, no redness, nothing!

no chemicals added, except for de chlorinator in water changes, waterchanges donw 25% every week.

guppies, mollies, swordtails, and platys in the tank, fed on flake, brine shrimp and varios freese dried food.


any ideas?

 

[Piltdownpaul]

ok here goes

PH-7
Ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate 25


And my fish are dying!

No symptoms at all, one minute swimming, then laying on the bottom, and shortly after just giving up and dying.

no marks, or lesions, no weigh gain or weight loss, no redness, nothing!

no chemicals added, except for de chlorinator in water changes, waterchanges donw 25% every week.

guppies, mollies, swordtails, and platys in the tank, fed on flake, brine shrimp and varios freese dried food.


any ideas?

Is there something you've added to the tank recently like a rock or something that could be poisioning them? Are the fish flicking off objects?
Is the water temperature correct?

 

[barmy]

hmmmm

Nothing added to tank since it was set up about 6-7 months ago.

yes water temp is 28

no flicking rubbing etc.

I have four tanks, and all my others are fine, just this one giving the probs

 

[johanv]

Hi there, do the fish have rapid gill movement?

 

[barmy]

hi.

No rapid gill movement, just normal

its got me stumped!

 

[johanv]

It does sound as if it could possibly be poisoning then. Might I suggest you do the following?

1. Do a 50% water change after running the taps for about 2 to 3 minutes (by running the taps you will get rid of quite a bit of copper which builds up in the pipes when the taps aren't running, especially in older plumbing). By doing such a large water change you will significantly dillute any poisons in the water.

2. Add carbon to your filter for at least a week.

3. Add aquatic salt in order to assist the fish with their osmotic process during this period (I'd suggest API Aquarium Salt). Follow the instruction on the box.

4. Continue with a 20 to 25% water change daily for two to three days.

I hope this helps and your remaining fish pull through, good luck.

 

[barmy]

on route to do water change now.

my filter has carbon in it already, and i have aquarium salt in the water.

thanks all

 

[Piltdownpaul]

Use new carbon-maybe your carbon is used up and is now releasing the toxins that it has soaked up over the last month or so?

 

[Leila2]

Use new carbon-maybe your carbon is used up and is now releasing the toxins that it has soaked up over the last month or so?

Isn't 25 a really high nitrate reading? I thought it is essential to change water if it goes above 10. Mine never has risen above that yet but I get aggitated and do a change when it gets to 10 as I don't really know if sensitive fish like otos can take higher nitrate. Am I being too fussy? How high should nitrate go at max before doing something about it?

 

[coldcazzie]

Nitrate at 25 is nothing to worry about really. Anywhere up to about 40 or 50 is ok, it's once you get to like 140 or 160ppm that you need to worry!

How long have the fish been doing it? Could it be some kind of internal bacterial infection? Don't know much about fish diseases, but if there are no outward symptoms other than sudden death that sounds like something internal...

 

[indigoj]

have you seen how old this thread is? lol

 

[coldcazzie]

Sigh.

I knew that would get me sometime. Just assumed it was recent...

*leaves feeling like a fool*