Multiple water disease

[mmarch]

Help please, I'm new with a 55 gallon aquarium, and without any knowledge I bought 60 small fishes (neons, guppies, gold fishes, angels, alga eater, baby losbster, baby snake, gouramis, color glass,baby discous, etc) I got on the internet and started to try all the basic products in the water: anti chlorine, anti fungus, and measured the ph, etc. Everything was okay.
But I dont know if the quantity of fishes or if I bought any fish with these diseases.. My fishes started to die since yesterday, and up to now, 10 have died.
I searched the net and tried to find out what were the white cotton on the mouth of one fish, "powder" particles on the fins of others, whiten skin on the neons, "sugar" granules on the cat fish, some cotton on some fins of the glass fish, and found that It was a different disease, parasits and fungus.
Yesterday I ran to the store and bought ich treatment, put salt (1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), turned the temp to 82 degrees, turn off the ligth, took out the carbon. At night I was crying because I don't want to loose any more of my baby fishes..
Please tell me what else can I do, and if there is a possibility to save my fishes that "seems" to have anything.
I'm so worried, please tell me something!


Thanks,
Marie

 

[dolphin]

Hi Mmarch

to the forum.

Did you buy all these fish from one store, if you did the person who sold them too you should be shot. This is way too much stock for a 55 gall tank. The fish all need different conditions to thrive. It is not suprising that your fish are dying.

What are your water parameters. Ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

All the prodlems you have listed seem to be due to poloution in the tank.

If your tank is a new setup, it needs to be cycled, i.e. allow the filter bacteria to grow, to be able to break down the fishes waste products. To do this you should only stock it with a few hardy fish.


Awaiting your reply.

Dolphin

 

[mmarch]

No, I bought them from 4 different stores, well by now I have a third of what I bought.
I don't know how to allow the filter bacteria to grow,? do i have to put again the carbon? I took it out to let the kick-ich act.. by the way which are the hardy fishes?
Thanks,
MM

 

[dolphin]

Hi Mmarch

When you set up a new tank, you should only add two to four fish. Most people go for danios. The fish will produce ammonia as a waste product. This will allow nitrifiny bacteria to grow which will convert it to nitrite, and then convert it to nitrate. This is the final product of filteration, and should be removed by partial water changes.

The carbon does not form part if the bacteria filteration process, and does not need to be present for this reason. It is there to remove other chemical poloution from the water. It will remove medications from the water, and this is why you have had to take it out.

I suspect that not many of you fish will survive, if any. If you loose all of your fish, then you should strip down your tank, clean it with a strong salt solution and rinse it well before re-setting it up again.

Dolphin

 

[Angel Lady]

first of all the salt is what is killing your neons and your catfish will die to the cannot stand salt See if they will let you take the fish back to the store until you get your tank ready because with so much salt the glass cats neons and agle eater will die salt burns them they are one good fish that I know of that is good for cycling besides what dolpin told you and that is feeder goldfish they got my 55 cycled in no time it is hard to watch all of your fish die but that is sure what is going to happen they are to many in thier. And what you have in your tank wont withstand the cycling peroid. By the way welcome to the forum my name is Diane I hope you get things lined up pretty soon

 

[bigfish]

mmarch we all make mistakes hun, i would start by taking some of the fish back to the petshop, the pet shop should of had some sense to tell you that you would overload your tank and now have ended up with sick fish due to cramped conditions and water quality problems coz hasnt had time to cycle yet.

Welcome to the forum, im bigfish and hope to hear from you again.

We are all here to help you out and we are all like a big happy family!!!!!!

 

[mmarch]

Thanks a lot for your comments,
By the way some other fishes have died, but still are others that seems not to be contagious, I keep doing the ich treatment, and the water is better. The cat fish has the "neon tetra disease" like a white skin under the vertebral column, so he will probably die, but supposedly the liquid that I'm using says that kills the spores that can contagious other fishes, so I'm crossing my fingers to end at least with 10 of them;
And I don't know if its convenient to give back the fishes because I dont know if they can contagious the other in the stores, don't you think?
Well, I order a better filter, a 300 aqua clear, and tomorrow arrives, so probably that will help me to have better water conditions. What do I have to buy to measure the levels of nitrates, and all that stuff?

Keep in touch,
MM

 

[Angel Lady]

go back to the store where you bought your fish and tell them that you need the stuff to test the ammonia and nitrites and nitrates also you will need the ph test to if you are going to try to keep your fish then here is what you need to do at least this is how I saved mine anyway I would do a 20 percent water change everyday that will keep the ammonia down so it wont kill your fish it will take longer for your tank to cycle but it will also save your fish. That is what they told me to do when I mess up my cycled tanks and I had all those sharks and other fish. It did save my fish but you do need to get rid of the salt on them scaless fish it will kill them. I am sure eveyone here will agree with what I just told you.

 

[mmarch]

thank you "fish keeper" I'm going to do that, I will change 20 percent of the water,
my cat fish died today, but now they die less and less.
I'll keep in touch,
Bye
MM

 

[wetwetwet]

MM - welcome

Can you give us some more info on your tank...
How long has it been set up and when and how many fish have been added?
Get some test kits and post the results....

Do not remove the old filter when you get the new one - use some old filter material in the new one or squeeze out the old into the new to 'seed' it and run the two together for a while if you can.

Watch you don't overfeed

With lots of meds in the tank make sure there is enough oxygen - either airstone or angle return flow at surface to create more turbulence. Also make sure any carbon has been removed from the filters

Hope you get it sorted soon

 

[mmarch]

hi wet,
I conected today the new filter but thanks god I left the other running at the same time, uf!
well, I also got from a friend the stone for the bubbles, and I will connect it today. I'm feeding very little my fishes now, but two times a day. But like really a litle bit.
And I bought so many fishes at the beginnig, because the tank seemed to be so big and the fish very small, but I didnt have any idea, before I start searching for info..
I will measure the levels of the water, but I havent bought the stuff for it, The PH, I did it with one of a friend of mine, but is not here anymore.
I will tell you, later.
Thanks
MM

 

[wetwetwet]

How long the tank been set up? along with some readings for ammonia and nitrite could help us work out how far through the cycle you are.

Also remove any bodies immeadiately and any decaying plant material to minimise the load on the bacteria....(if not allready )

 

[mmarch]

The tank has one week, and im in the 4th day of treatment, I have add the treatment in day 1 and 3, tomorrow i have to do it again. Tomorrow i will give you more info,
Yes im removing them very quick, thanks,
Marie.

 

[wetwetwet]

How many/what fish are left?

Being only a week into the cycle I fear you could be in for a rough time.

It may be worth seeing if you can temporarily rehouse some of these fish or take them back to lfs. I know you got them from different shops but maybe see if the best one will help you out. ... lfs over here will look after your fish say when moving and recycling a tank....

 

[mmarch]

2 more fishes died, and there are left like 25 plus the baby lobster and the snake, and some shrimps that they could hide in a coral rock and now they grew the double so they are as big as the other fishes and could survive..
But of course, Im counting like 7 baby goupies..
The glass fishes look bad, but havent die, but they are the biggest, I dont know what to do with them?