Head Scratcher.

[bigcheed]

hiya folks need a little advice. not an emergency as such but really frustrating. my tank is 33gallons. planted. and has been set up for six months. this mornings water test results were=
ammo 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 20ppm
ph 7.2
stocking is as follows.
1 dwarf gourami
3 chocolate gourami
3 black neon tetra
5 cardinal tetra
5 endlers 3xmale 2x female
5 ammano shrimp
4 assin snails
2 golden apple snails
over the last 3 months ive lost fish. I had 3 silver tip tetra and 3 male guppies which died over this period. the only notable changes were the addition of silvania natans and switching to seachem prime from regular de chlorinator. the fish themselves all died in similar sort of way. first they started hiding, then wouldent feed. they then very slowly withered away to nothing.after these initial losses my endlers started going the same way, and I lost all my females. its been a full month since I lost any fish so bought two new female endlers. but after only two weeks one of them is showing sighns of stress. if she does come out of hiding she freaks when I look in the tank. my other fish are thriving and healthy. my chocolate gouramis breed regularly and my dwarf has just finished building a bubble nest. I have had some problems with my plants going bad namely anubias nana. any advice on anything im doing wrong would be most helpful. oh I change the water about 20% weekly and siphon the gravel evry other water change.

 

[Skies]

After doing some research I've found that 1 Chocolate Gourami requires 30 gallons of water (please someone correct me if I am mistaken). I do believe your tank is overstocked and the fish are stressing out.

 

[bigcheed]

I'm sorry but I refuse to believe that a single 1.5 inch fish needs 30 gallons of water.

 

[Skies]

Disbelieve it all you wish, but it won't change the facts.

 

[bigcheed]

the 30 gallon is the minimum sized tank you should keep chocolate gouramis in. not how much water each one requires. thank you for your input. I know you were answering my call for aid and im not trying to shoot you down or be a douch about it. at least you answered. anyhoo the lady in question is starting to show sighns of improvement. I managed to coax her out and give her some food earlier. which reassures me greatly. when the others got sick they wouldent eat at all. also ive noticed some new fry in the tank today. maybe she dropped and is just tired.

 

[Skies]

Chocolate Gouramis are extremely sensitive fish, they also enjoy a very low pH, sometimes below 4.0, very soft water, but still do well in a pH from 4.0-7.0. They are quite prone to parasites and fungal infections, which is why it's imperative that the conditions of the tank are perfect. They can indeed reach lengths of 2.36", a pair requires a MINIMUM of 15-20 US gallons, MINIMUM, and they are best kept in pairs. 30 may be suitable for a few, however I still feel that because of the shyness of this fish and it's sensitivity, that with your schooling fish and your lone dwarf gourami, it would be better to have them in a bigger tank. These are very difficult fish to care for and they require special treatment because of their sensitivity. Snails are also waste producers, and can lower the water quality.
 
Breeding also should never be done in a community tank, only a species tank, as the fry are even more sensitive than their parents and require very special attention.
 
I wish someone else would comment as well. >.>

 

[the_lock_man]

No, no, you're doing fine.
 
The only thing I would say is that snails don't produce much waste until they die. And then, oh my goodness, do they produce ammonia.....

 

[TekFish]

I thought that chocolates, as anabantoids could live in a confined space. I think the problem is they're so sensitive that in small tank the pH fluctuates too much for them to handle...

Tek oot.

 

[bigcheed]

ok line drawn. im not having trouble with my chocolate gouramis. they are fine and dandy and not stressed at all. what was puzzeling me was if there was anything wrong with my set up why was it the hardier fish and not the more delicate fish that had died. had an interesting chat with my local fish store and they told me guppies just werent up to scratch any more and were frequently short lived. my silver tips probably just got old and died naturally or once one died the others waned because of lack of numbers. the female endlers i lost were all fry from my original pair. not all fry survive. its been a month since i last lost a fish. the female endler that was hiding spent all her time nibbling my hand when i was cleaning the tank yesturday so i reckon shes over what was bothering her. im well up on my water changes and maintenance. and i test my water every two days. i was just frustrated that i was losing fish and couldent pin down the reason. what i was concerned about was my melting plants. could they be releasing any kind of toxin into the water that would affect the fish. they of course been removed now. thank you every one for your input its all most welcome.