HELP! I keep losing my fish and I am not exactly sure why

[pbartholme]

I have a mature ten gallon tank, it has been running for almost a year now. I perform weekly water changes on this tank as well, and it is fully planted and has been absolutely thriving. I originally was keeping a few mollies in the tank, I had a male and female and they just kept reproducing. I would consistently get rid of the babies to not over crowd the tank. Recently, I started to lose two or three mollies, they had no visible signs of any issues. Then I noticed one of my mollies looked to have dropsy or possibly Molly disease. That Molly ended up dying although I tried to save him. Anyways I decided to get rid of my mollies all together. I changed the water in the tank and checked all my parameters and everything was good. I also have three Corys and one pleco (not a common) in this tank and they have had no problems whatsoever. I let the tank run for a few days to make sure I didn't lose my Corys or pleco. Just a few days ago I went to the pet store to get some new fish - cardinal tetras. I bought ten tetras, acclimated them, and put them in my ten gallon. Within 24 hours I lost one tetra, I figured maybe it was just a bad seed. Since I kind knew some weird things were going on in my ten gallon I decided to transfer the other nine tetra to my five gallon quarantine tank. My quarantine tank is also well kept with normal parameters. The next morning I woke up and I lost another two tetras in my quarantine tank. I am assuming the problem is a bacteria thing, but I can't find anything online that really matches my situation. Please let me know of anything I can do or if you have had a similar problem!!

 

[nik_n]

Is there a chance you have been feeding expired food? That would explain the mollies but not the neons. Neon tetras can be wild caught and have a hard time in an aquarium. I suggest you talk to your fish store and find out more about the fish your have been buying. You can try going to another store and getting some fish from there, maybe the fish store you buy from just had a bad batch.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Have you properly cycled your 10 gallons and 5 gallons tank?

Please check your ammonia and nitrite level in your tanks.
10 gallon tank is small for 10 Cardinal Tetras.

 

[Fishiemang]

So....you have 16 inches worth of fish in a 10 inch tank already, then you go buy 30 more inches of fish to put in a 10 inch tank?

10 fish of any size is a rather large addition to a 10 gallon. Especially one that is already overstocked.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

10 gallon tank is small for 10 Cardinal Tetras.

I concur, Cardinal Tetras need a minimum tank size of 23in x 12in (60cm x 30cm), which is a 15g tank. (Assuming it's a common 15g tank: WHD; 24in x 12in x 12in) Paracheirodon axelrodi – Cardinal Tetra (Cheirodon axelrodi, Hyphessobrycon cardinalis) — Seriously Fish

What are your water parameters? (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH)

Another thing that caught my eye was that you said you had Mollys, but then got Tetras. How hard is your water? (Tetras are soft water fish, while Mollys are hard water fish. If we keep fish in to hard or to soft water, it can damage their immune system and cause reproduction issues.)*

*Which may be the cause of your fish dying, but it's not likely...

 

[PheonixKingZ]

So....you have 16 inches worth of fish in a 10 inch tank already, then you go buy 30 more inches of fish to put in a 10 inch tank?

10 fish of any size is a rather large addition to a 10 gallon. Especially one that is already overstocked.

The "inch per gallon" rule is not accurate. Many websites encourage it, but it is not logical. According to that logic, I could keep a 10 inch common pleco in a 10g tank. Doesn't make sense.

 

[Fishiemang]

It was to point out the absurdity of placing 14 fish into a 10 gallon tank, then wondering why there are issues. 4 of these fish are of good size.

The inch per gallon "rule" is to give most people an idea of what bio-load a particular volume of water a tank can handle. Not everyone has heavily filtered and planted aquaria that can handle an overstock condition. The larger the fish, the larger the waste they will emit. It is a good thing to follow for most folks. Very good for smaller volumes of water, like a 10 gallon. It can get more forgiving with more volume.

My guess is stress is killing these fish. Cramped.quarters combined with poor handling in it's trip to the forever home. The shock of all that wears on fish.

A 10 gallon can also change params very rapidly. Can be ok one minute, then have a major problem a few hours later.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It was to point out the absurdity of placing 14 fish into a 10 gallon tank, then wondering why there are issues. 4 of these fish are of good size.

The inch per gallon "rule" is to give most people an idea of what bio-load a particular volume of water a tank can handle. Not everyone has heavily filtered and planted aquaria that can handle an overstock condition. The larger the fish, the larger the waste they will emit. It is a good thing to follow for most folks. Very good for smaller volumes of water, like a 10 gallon. It can get more forgiving with more volume.

My guess is stress is killing these fish. Cramped.quarters combined with poor handling in it's trip to the forever home. The shock of all that wears on fish.

A 10 gallon can also change params very rapidly. Can be ok one minute, then have a major problem a few hours later.

I would imagine high levels of ammonia are killing the fish. (Sort of what you said) To many fish, in such a small tank, produce to much waste, leading to excess levels of ammonia.

The "inch per gallon" rule can be helpful on the go. But the aquarist should always do research prior to getting any fish. SeriouslyFish.com is an excellent website to find solid information on most fish species, including: minimum tank size, compatibility, diet, distribution, etc.

 

[Slaphppy7]

So....you have 16 inches worth of fish in a 10 inch tank already, then you go buy 30 more inches of fish to put in a 10 inch tank?

10 fish of any size is a rather large addition to a 10 gallon. Especially one that is already overstocked.

The "inch" rule when stocking a tank is hogwash...after all, who would put a 10 inch fish in a 10G tank?
This tool should be used instead: http://www.aqadvisor.com/
That being said, I agree, this tank is way overstocked.....just the one pleco is too much, on it's own....

 

[Fishiemang]

But we're not talking about a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank.

Don't.take everything so literal folks. Nobody is tossing a.common pleco in a 10 gallon (altho...mine started it's life with me in a 10 gallon)....

It's a good guide to follow when stocking any tank, for the average person with fake plants and submarines, to make the tank manageable. When you grow beyond that in the hobby, you understand more about how to care for them, and then that is when you start seeing these "rules" as this and that. That's why I used "quotes".

Believe me when I say there are a lot of these "rules" that even some experienced folk here and elsewhere live by, that I have found to be complete.rubbish as well. I occasionally point out the silliness, but for the most part, just live and let live. For a beginner in the hobby, these "rules" were established to just give guidance.

At one time, all.anyone had for a.filter was a powerhead and an UGF. Now, there are almost endless options.for the home aquarist. But there are still.some of them old timers out there that will tell you that a UGF is the best way to go, even tho we know that there are some other options.available, and.sometimes maybe even "better".

 

[Slaphppy7]

It was to point out the absurdity of placing 14 fish into a 10 gallon tank, then wondering why there are issues. 4 of these fish are of good size.

The inch per gallon "rule" is to give most people an idea of what bio-load a particular volume of water a tank can handle. Not everyone has heavily filtered and planted aquaria that can handle an overstock condition. The larger the fish, the larger the waste they will emit. It is a good thing to follow for most folks. Very good for smaller volumes of water, like a 10 gallon. It can get more forgiving with more volume.

My guess is stress is killing these fish. Cramped.quarters combined with poor handling in it's trip to the forever home. The shock of all that wears on fish.

A 10 gallon can also change params very rapidly. Can be ok one minute, then have a major problem a few hours later.

I have 18 fish in my 10G tank, as well as shrimp and snails,, it certainly can be done, but the right fish and proper filtration are key....my tank is heavily planted, as well.

 

[Slaphppy7]

But we're not talking about a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank.

Don't.take everything so literal folks. Nobody is tossing a.common pleco in a 10 gallon (altho...mine started it's life with me in a 10 gallon)....

It's a good guide to follow when stocking any tank, for the average person with fake plants and submarines, to make the tank manageable. When you grow beyond that in the hobby, you understand more about how to care for them, and then that is when you start seeing these "rules" as this and that. That's why I used "quotes".

Believe me when I say there are a lot of these "rules" that even some experienced folk here and elsewhere live by, that I have found to be complete.rubbish as well. I occasionally point out the silliness, but for the most part, just live and let live. For a beginner in the hobby, these "rules" were established to just give guidance.

At one time, all.anyone had for a.filter was a powerhead and an UGF. Now, there are almost endless options.for the home aquarist. But there are still.some of them old timers out there that will tell you that a UGF is the best way to go, even tho we know that there are some other options.available, and.sometimes maybe even "better".

"But we're not talking about a 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon tank."

It's the same "logic" that applies with that silly "rule".

UGF.....*shudders*

For the OP, it is best advised to rehome as many fish as you can, starting with the pleco.

How is the tank filtered? What kind of test kit do you use? What kind of water conditioner?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I have 18 fish in my 10G tank, as well as shrimp and snails,, it certainly can be done, but the right fish and proper filtration are key....my tank is heavily planted, as well.

Assuming the fish have enough room to swim... filtration isn't everything.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Assuming the fish have enough room to swim... filtration isn't everything.

Precisely...that's why you choose the right size fish for a given aquarium.

 

[Fishiemang]

Edit....?

You could put a school of.neons.in there. Or maybe, like ima do with my 10 gallon here when I put my jack dempsy back into the 75, a shrimp tank. Or do a Glo-Fish tank with a few danios and tetras. Or a.few Glo-Fish barbs. Put some snails in there for algae control. You be alright.


__________

I'm that idiot with the 10 inch fish in a 10 gallon aquarium.....

But to be fair....he is only 4 inches right now....haha....?