My Fish Keep Dying

[jayrt]

Hi All,

I was hopeing someone could help me.

My fish keep dying and im pretty sure its another one of my fish killing them but i cant figure out which one is doing the killing and soon im going to have no fish left.

The fish that i think appear to be attacked have chunks missing out of there fins and one of my fish i found dead was ripped to pieces he was my eldest fish in the tank so quite upsetting to see him like that.

I have a sixty ltr tank, which all the fish have lived in fine untill now.

I have had 2 female fighters die both with missing fins one of them had had there fins completly eaten poor thing
I have also had one male swordtail die, first signs were his tail was getting nipped then it vanished and he was the one i found completly ripped to bits
I have another sword tail whose tail appear to of been nipped
I have a african puffer fish in there but he has never showed any signs of aggression towards anything keeps him self to him self generally
I have a largish angel fish
I have one male fights whos fins are virtually none existant now
I have two blood fins who also keep them selves to them selves
I have 3 cheery bards which stay to together
I have 2 Jewel Chiclids one of these also has chunks missing from his fins
I have 1 bolvian ram who just stays at the bottom of the tank

Some one please help as ive had three fish die in as many days and im worried for the survial of my other fish, is there anyway i can find out who the culprit is and maybe save my remaining fish?

Any advise is much appreciated,

Thank you.

Jay

 

[FishBlast]

Hi All,

I was hopeing someone could help me.

My fish keep dying and im pretty sure its another one of my fish killing them but i cant figure out which one is doing the killing and soon im going to have no fish left.

The fish that i think appear to be attacked have chunks missing out of there fins and one of my fish i found dead was ripped to pieces he was my eldest fish in the tank so quite upsetting to see him like that.

I have a sixty ltr tank, which all the fish have lived in fine untill now.

I have had 2 female fighters die both with missing fins one of them had had there fins completly eaten poor thing
I have also had one male swordtail die, first signs were his tail was getting nipped then it vanished and he was the one i found completly ripped to bits
I have another sword tail whose tail appear to of been nipped
I have a african puffer fish in there but he has never showed any signs of aggression towards anything keeps him self to him self generally
I have a largish angel fish
I have one male fights whos fins are virtually none existant now
I have two blood fins who also keep them selves to them selves
I have 3 cheery bards which stay to together
I have 2 Jewel Chiclids one of these also has chunks missing from his fins
I have 1 bolvian ram who just stays at the bottom of the tank

Some one please help as ive had three fish die in as many days and im worried for the survial of my other fish, is there anyway i can find out who the culprit is and maybe save my remaining fish?

Any advise is much appreciated,

Thank you.

Jay

Fighter fish, puffer... sounds like a lot of possible aggressive fish there.
The angelfish too.

 

[jayrt]

I agree i have a few possible suspects, is there anyway i could draw the culprit out or anyway i could ascertain which fish is on a kill spree?

ie. would be best to move my injured fish into another tank or would it be better to remove one of the suspects at a time and see what happens?

Any advice would be great, its really starting to get to me now.

Thank you.

 

[FishBlast]

I agree i have a few possible suspects, is there anyway i could draw the culprit out or anyway i could ascertain which fish is on a kill spree?

ie. would be best to move my injured fish into another tank or would it be better to remove one of the suspects at a time and see what happens?

Any advice would be great, its really starting to get to me now.

Thank you.

I'd remove one suspect at a time or... if you don't want to scare the fish, lurk somewhere and watch, especially during the night.

 

[willowstwin]

A lot of your fish are not suitable for a 60 litre, and you seem to have far too many fish for a tank that small, for example:

Bolivian rams: 75 litre minimum
African Puffer: What species? Knowing what continent it's from and its species are 2 different things. Most puffers need a large species only tank, as they get very grumpy with other fish (and their beak like teeth can cause major damage - they eat snails etc...)
Angelfish: These get very large and need a way bigger tank than yours.
Jewel Cichlid: Not suitable for any less than 150 litre
Fighters: males with other fish?? In a VERY large tank, then it's possible but you have to have a very special fish. This is not recommended AT ALL.
Blood fin (I'm guessing tetras?): Need a minimum of a 60cm long tank, and need to be in groups of 6+ as they are one of the shoaling species.

You have a very serious mix up of fish, most of which arent suitable for your tiny tank.

Also, Fish are generally more aggressive (predatory) at night, when the lights are off and you can't see anything.

Also, knowing how long these fish have been in your tank will help.

My only advice is to rehome the majority of your fish as they are completely unsuitable for a tank your size, nevermindd with each other.

 

[balajake]

jewels are very aggressive and so are puffers. i would say the culprit is the puffer. you're very very overstocked though. you need a 3/4 foot tank if you want to house angel fish. the african puffer should be on its own and it might be one that grows large so should have a large tank of its own.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I'd say just about any of the predator fish could be the culprit, exacerbated by the small quarters. You should really sort out your stocking or you'll just keep losing fish.

 

[balajake]

The puffer is the only one thats swimming around without chunks missing from it, i bet it looks so sweet like butter wouldn't melt but don't be fooled. do you know the exact species ? is it a mbu ?

 

[Rummynose]

Starting from scratch, planning a stocking, researching about compatibility and suitablility to your tank, as well as the needs of each type of fish would be the only way I can see to stop any fish getting injured or killed.

 

[colleen0309]

I've been away for a little while and haven't read many posts, but there was one the other day that said maybe we critisize peoples stocking too much and tell people to rehome fish too much. Some of that post made sence and I agree that we shouldn't tell someone to rehome a fish without supplying a valid reason. There is a ton of information out there and before you buy a fish, RESEARCH first. This stock list is a good example of not doing your research. I'm sorry if I sound at all harsh, but the fact is, there isn't anything on that stock list to work with. The male betta, angelfish, jewel cichlids, and puffer are the worst of the bunch. My opinion is to rehome everybody and start over with research first. If you must keep any of the fish, the dimensions of the tank is important. If it's a tall tank, you might get away with keeping the angelfish(still not a good idea) and maybe the cherry barbs. If it's a long tank, you might get away with keeping the one remaining swordtail and the cherry barbs. Honestly, there is more to compatability than if they will get along or not. These fish have different requirements, like temperature, ph, and water hardness. I'm not trying to bash you or make you feel bad. I have made a few mistakes in stocking over the years, but we need to learn from our mistakes and fix the problems as they arise. Sometimes rehoming a fish can be difficult and you may not be able to find a home for an aggressive fish. If you have the room, set up another tank and move the puffer to a tank that is suitable. Then do the same for the jewels. In my opinion, these are the worst of the bunch. But please research the fish you have and don't get anymore until you get this straightened out.

 

[balajake]

I would invest in a much bigger tank to start off with, then do your research on compatibility. a tank divider or a breeder net might be a good idea for the puffer if it is small whilst you decide what to do with your fish. there are lots of members on here that can help you with stocking help. the puffer should be on its own in a much bigger tank. the jewels, im not sure if the angel would be safe with them as ive never kept them,if they are babies then you might for a while, or you might get on ok if they have lots of space. i have a juvi texas in with angels and have no problems at all with him yet but he is very young. yours will need a 4/5 foot tank with no small fish as they will get eaten. the 60l could house the tetras and barbs and maybe the betta but i have never had one but cant see the cherry barbs or tetras being a problem with the betta


if you dont want to rehome your fish then you need to put them in tanks that are suitable, with suitable tankmates. hopefully you don't feel like you are being told off as we just want to help you so you can keep your fish happy, healthy and stunning.


http/www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/jewel.php

good info on jewels

 

[jayrt]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for the input its pretty much what i expected it is a 60l biorb that i have been given along with the fish, so the coupling isnt my fault and as they have all been together now for over 18 months i just assumed that they would be ok and they have been, untill now.

The puffer im not too sure on they have adivsed that it wont grow and it is small now it has green and black bands with a white belly i dont know if this helps?

My male betta is now almost dead so i cant be sure but i think we could maybe rule him out for now.

Is there anything i can do at all or is a case of rehoming the fish or if i was to get a much larger tank ie over 200ltrs would this be better for them?

I am relatively new to tropical fish keeping so any advice is very much appreciated.

Also if i do need to move away from the Biorb what kind of fish would you recoomend to keep in the biorb?

Thank you once again

 

[This Old Spouse]

I'd immediately put the betta in some kind of container by himself and dose with a little Betafix (whatever the stuff with melaluca is for bettas) to get him out of there.

Getting a bigger tank at this point is moot. With many fish, they're fine until they reach maturity, and that's where the aggression begins. Sorry you're having these problems.

 

[colleen0309]

This is how I ended up with most of my fish . I take in fish that people don't want for one reason or another . Sorry you are in this position now and I hope I haven't come across as being mean. A bigger tank may or may not give you some temporary relief. The betta will do better alone to heal. If it was me, I'd get the bigger tank and leave the puffer in the small tank for now. The jewels will probably cause alot of problems sooner rather than later. If you can rehome them, you might be alright for awhile. Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[jayrt]

This may be a really silly question but if i was to move the beta would he need to have a heater and a filter etc or cold i move him into a cold water tank would he survive as he is in a really bad way bless him.

The only other fish showing signs of being nipped are the remaining male sword tail and one of the jewel chichlids.

Tried to upload a pic of my puffer to see if anyone know what he is but it keeps telling me the image is too large what is the best way to post images on here.

Again thank you for all your help and advice as im very concerned and anything helps at this point.