Hey, I'm new to this forum, and I'm in desperate need of help. (The server appears to be down where I usually frequent for help)
Anyways. Quite a bit is going on.
I did a water change two days ago. 3 - 3.5 gallons out of a 10 gallon tank. Fish were happy and swimming around a bunch blahblahblah. I rearranged the tank too. No big, something new to explore. Next morning, fine. Evening, not so much. They were lethargic, laying at the bottom of the tank, some had clamped fins, and one refused to eat (all symptoms noticed within a span of 6 hours, from 5 - 11pm). By the time they really weren't looking well, the pet store was closed. I called my friend who worked in a pet store all summer. Her advice was watch, seems like everything should be fine, if you're still worried in the morning, take a water sample to the pet store. There also appeared to be an oily layer on the tank when I came home yesterday; I used paper towels to try and absorb as much as it as possible. I got most, but not all of it.
This morning, one was dead. As my boyfriend removed Aurora, Jasmine who was previously moving a little bit, also died. I have removed all inhabitants from the tank, and placed them in a fish bowl for the time being. They seem to be improving a little bit, but not by much.
So here's the form. I'll tell you what the pet store told me, and I'll give details in everything I can.
Pretty much I've been told there's nothing wrong with my tank, there's an unknown reason as to why they're dying. The pet store guy's suggestion was "aggression" or "suffocation" from the oily layer...
Tank size: 10 Gallons
pH: Probably close to 8, the pet store guy didn't say, I live in an area with hard water with a relatively high pH. He said it was normal for the area I live in.
ammonia: 0 (it was yellow and matched the lowest on his chart)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0 (This is weird. There should be SOME in any tank)
tank temp: My heater broke a few weeks ago - house is usually kept around 70 - 75. It was about 75 when I bought the new heater, and I set it to 79*F (the heater claims to be accurate to + or - 1*)
Tank inhabitants: 1 male betta, 4 female guppies (now 2), and 1 mystery snail
Fish Symptoms: Totally normal colour, no lesions, no popping eyes. However, all had clamped fins, are lethargic or laying around (except one guppy who is swimming quite a bit with clamped top and bottom fins). My betta is constantly laying down, not noticeably breathing a lot, or sitting near the surface for air. He's lethargic and I keep thinking he's dead. My black guppy is laying on the bottom of the bowl too. Previously she was swimming in circles at the surface, with her tail drooping down, and then she was laying near a corner of the tank, and sticking her tail way up. Really strange. Now she's laying at the bottom, flat, with her fins clamped, and her mouth constantly moving as if she's eating something. I can't be sure, but I think the first fish who died may have had fairly red gills? Is this a disease anyone is aware of?
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30% two days ago. Usually I do it every 3 weeks ish, sometime's earlier, sometimes a little later, however I put it off to about 4 - 5 weeks since the last one because I moved the tank near the end of August. All decorations, gravel, and filter media were moved in original tank water. I expected some bacterial death, as the drive was only an hour and a half to two hours - so they were packed maybe about 3 hours tops? I prepared them the morning of the move. Anyways. I expected almost a mini cycle. I then had a bacterial bloom that lasted about two weeks. It ended around half way to three quarters into September. Then there was a day or two of almost clear water, and it went straight into an algae bloom. I'd like to note, I've never had algae bloom before. The tank was established in June this year, and then moved in August, and this was the first algae bloom ever. Once it settled a bit, all my white gravel had a nice layer of green algae. When I cleaned the tank the other day, I did a gravel vac. The algae is now all brown, everywhere it was in the tank. Dead dead dead.
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Big Al's water conditioner, and I use a carbon filter
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Mystery snail
As you can see, I'm stumped, and also very worried about my fish.
I'd also like to mention my betta has a growth problem and is very small for his age (about a year, still sized about 4 months) and is very social and non aggressive to the female guppies. I'm home quite a bit, and the most aggression I have ever seen in the tank, was during the two days between bacterial bloom and algae bloom, where a female who had given birth a few hours previous bit off part of my betta's fin, and proceeded to chase the others. (The baby guppies are separated from this tank, so let's not concern ourselves with them). I have seen other occasions of aggression however, but it's very rare in my tank. That's simply the worst I've ever seen. Personally, I think all of them are too lethargic right now to be killing each other, and as their were no wounds or anything to the fish, I'm assuming that wasn't the case.
And to summarize what has happened recently: Filter media was changed, heat was increased, 30% water change, gravel vacuumed (That never gets everything anyways), snail added, and two deaths. (I thought it could be shock - it doesn't make sense though, as all the fish are pretty hardy, survived a lot more than that before, and are usually ecstatic after a change, which they were at first... I'm totally at a loss!)
Any and all help is appreciated. If there's any more info you'd like from me that I haven't given/have forgotten, feel free to ask. Thank you in advance!
Anyways. Quite a bit is going on.
I did a water change two days ago. 3 - 3.5 gallons out of a 10 gallon tank. Fish were happy and swimming around a bunch blahblahblah. I rearranged the tank too. No big, something new to explore. Next morning, fine. Evening, not so much. They were lethargic, laying at the bottom of the tank, some had clamped fins, and one refused to eat (all symptoms noticed within a span of 6 hours, from 5 - 11pm). By the time they really weren't looking well, the pet store was closed. I called my friend who worked in a pet store all summer. Her advice was watch, seems like everything should be fine, if you're still worried in the morning, take a water sample to the pet store. There also appeared to be an oily layer on the tank when I came home yesterday; I used paper towels to try and absorb as much as it as possible. I got most, but not all of it.
This morning, one was dead. As my boyfriend removed Aurora, Jasmine who was previously moving a little bit, also died. I have removed all inhabitants from the tank, and placed them in a fish bowl for the time being. They seem to be improving a little bit, but not by much.
So here's the form. I'll tell you what the pet store told me, and I'll give details in everything I can.
Pretty much I've been told there's nothing wrong with my tank, there's an unknown reason as to why they're dying. The pet store guy's suggestion was "aggression" or "suffocation" from the oily layer...
Tank size: 10 Gallons
pH: Probably close to 8, the pet store guy didn't say, I live in an area with hard water with a relatively high pH. He said it was normal for the area I live in.
ammonia: 0 (it was yellow and matched the lowest on his chart)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0 (This is weird. There should be SOME in any tank)
tank temp: My heater broke a few weeks ago - house is usually kept around 70 - 75. It was about 75 when I bought the new heater, and I set it to 79*F (the heater claims to be accurate to + or - 1*)
Tank inhabitants: 1 male betta, 4 female guppies (now 2), and 1 mystery snail
Fish Symptoms: Totally normal colour, no lesions, no popping eyes. However, all had clamped fins, are lethargic or laying around (except one guppy who is swimming quite a bit with clamped top and bottom fins). My betta is constantly laying down, not noticeably breathing a lot, or sitting near the surface for air. He's lethargic and I keep thinking he's dead. My black guppy is laying on the bottom of the bowl too. Previously she was swimming in circles at the surface, with her tail drooping down, and then she was laying near a corner of the tank, and sticking her tail way up. Really strange. Now she's laying at the bottom, flat, with her fins clamped, and her mouth constantly moving as if she's eating something. I can't be sure, but I think the first fish who died may have had fairly red gills? Is this a disease anyone is aware of?
Volume and Frequency of water changes: 30% two days ago. Usually I do it every 3 weeks ish, sometime's earlier, sometimes a little later, however I put it off to about 4 - 5 weeks since the last one because I moved the tank near the end of August. All decorations, gravel, and filter media were moved in original tank water. I expected some bacterial death, as the drive was only an hour and a half to two hours - so they were packed maybe about 3 hours tops? I prepared them the morning of the move. Anyways. I expected almost a mini cycle. I then had a bacterial bloom that lasted about two weeks. It ended around half way to three quarters into September. Then there was a day or two of almost clear water, and it went straight into an algae bloom. I'd like to note, I've never had algae bloom before. The tank was established in June this year, and then moved in August, and this was the first algae bloom ever. Once it settled a bit, all my white gravel had a nice layer of green algae. When I cleaned the tank the other day, I did a gravel vac. The algae is now all brown, everywhere it was in the tank. Dead dead dead.
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Big Al's water conditioner, and I use a carbon filter
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): Mystery snail
As you can see, I'm stumped, and also very worried about my fish.
I'd also like to mention my betta has a growth problem and is very small for his age (about a year, still sized about 4 months) and is very social and non aggressive to the female guppies. I'm home quite a bit, and the most aggression I have ever seen in the tank, was during the two days between bacterial bloom and algae bloom, where a female who had given birth a few hours previous bit off part of my betta's fin, and proceeded to chase the others. (The baby guppies are separated from this tank, so let's not concern ourselves with them). I have seen other occasions of aggression however, but it's very rare in my tank. That's simply the worst I've ever seen. Personally, I think all of them are too lethargic right now to be killing each other, and as their were no wounds or anything to the fish, I'm assuming that wasn't the case.
And to summarize what has happened recently: Filter media was changed, heat was increased, 30% water change, gravel vacuumed (That never gets everything anyways), snail added, and two deaths. (I thought it could be shock - it doesn't make sense though, as all the fish are pretty hardy, survived a lot more than that before, and are usually ecstatic after a change, which they were at first... I'm totally at a loss!)
Any and all help is appreciated. If there's any more info you'd like from me that I haven't given/have forgotten, feel free to ask. Thank you in advance!
