I've lost about 8 fish...

[ashtin49]

I have lost about 8 fish ( don't even want to count) in the last 3 days. I had my water tested the last few weekends at Petsmart and they assured me my water was ok. They used the stick test. Then Sunday they used water testing and said my nitrites were high. There were numerous changes all around the time of the fish's death so I'm not sure what caused it. I know now to do one different change at a time.

Here are the changes I did within a few days of each other.
Got 2 guppies who were tormenting, I started feeding new food, bloodworms & pellets. I also bought an Albino Cory who seemed sick and died the next day. Also, don't know if this has to do with the problem but I bought those cinnamon scented pine cones to help the house smell good. It is a strong scent, you can smell it when you walk into the house. Could this be a problem? It is strong as I said but not overpowering.

I finally found an individual pet store that sells fish and seem to really know what they are doing, unlike Petsmart!!! They tested and said the nitrites were high and the PH was about 7.9. I did a 25% water change two days in a row per their suggestion. I tested the PH and it's now 7, need to have the nitrites tested again, I guess I need to buy some test kits.

The guy at the pet store asked me what kind of fish died. I told him all 4 out 6 of my Neon Tetras, 1 platy, 2 Glass Catfish, 1 hatchet , 1 Red Rasbora and the Albino Cory, though I think he was already sick. Yesterday I just lost 1 guppy and another Glass Fish. The guy said that the fish that died need different water conditions then the fish that survived, such as the Black Mollies.

When I bought my fish I only noted if they were community fish or not. I didn't even think of the water types for different fish and no one at Petsmart bothered to inform me.

My tank has been set up since Mid October and to tell you the truth I hadn't cleaned it since the water tests were ok, now I know they were not. I know now to do a 25% water change at least once a month.

It's so sad I was REALLY enjoying my tank the few weeks that everything was ok.
Hope I can get back on track.

 

[carppy]

a 10% w/c per week is usually a better idea, make sure you use a gravel syphon. Its always best to get ahead of it before the pollution gets high enough to start hurting your fish. Good luck

 

[rsz]

i really hope it all gets better for you (and i'm really sorry to say this, but if those fish you listed that have died are the ones you mean, then that's 12!! )

 

[FanOFish]

Mid October which is a bit more than a month ago. Did you buy all the fish and add them at once? If so, it may have been to many fish too soon and the tank did not have sufficient time to cycle and build the necessary bacteria.

 

[ashtin49]

Maybe a bit earlier, I think more early October. I bought about 10 fish after 2 weeks after I set up the tank and let it cycle, of course Petsmart didn't say that was a no no. Then I added 3-4 at a time. I blame myself too, I should have studied up on it more. Shouldn't have just relied on the petstore.

Why would they all be ok for almost a month if the tank wasn't cycled? Also,
what do you guys think of the cinnamon scent in the house? Also, if you look at my signature, though most are gone now, I think the fish listed need different types of water, right, does everyone take this into consideration when buying fish?

One more thing, my Black Tailed Shark is acting very strange. He is going near the heater alot and doing turns(he usually stays in his house). I thought for sure by now I would have lost him.

 

[CFC]

The effects of ammonia and nitrite poisoning can take several weeks to kill fish, it damages the gill membranes and affects the bloodcells capability to carry oxygen killing the fish slowly
Cycling a tank with 10 fish would have caused huge ammonia and nitrite spikes and no water changes means they got no relief from the damage being done to them.

I dont believe the scent would have harmed your fish, you are yet another casualty of bad advice from a bad fish supplier and were sold too many fish too early.
I suggest reading all the pinned topics at the head of Begginers Questions and getting a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle and how it works, also buy a test kit which allows you to test for Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate, pH would be useful too but IMO not as essential.
You have had to learn a harsh lesson about fish keeping but now its time to forget about the losses, learn about what happened and then start again making sure it dosent happen again.

 

[Lithril]

How often and how much are you feeding your fish, you may want to cut back to every other day for the time being until you get your tank cycling properly. You definately want to get those test kits though, you may find yourself doing w/c daily for a while until you get everything under control.

 

[ashtin49]

I was feeding twice a day and now I've only been once since there are not that many fish. I will get the test kits as soon as possible. Tthanks all for all the great advice, much appreciated!