New brichardi

[raquelds]

This is my first time posting to the Emergencies forum, so bear with me.

General Discription:
Yesterday around 5:30pm I bought fish from my LFS for a new 30 gallon. There were no fish in it before yesterday. I have had the tank running for 1 week (everything a heater), and I had set it up using the cloning method from this post (http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=62906&hl=cloning). This morning I saw that the brichardi (neolamprologus brichardi) was being VERY lethargic, barely moving off the bottom, slightly tilted to one side (although he has the ability to swim upright still), not eating and gills not moving very quickly. The fish's body has no visible signs of disease that I can tell.

Tank Info:
30 gallon SeaClear acrylic aquarium
Marineland Eclipse 3 Filtration and Lighting System
Visitherm 150 watt submersible heater
Digital thermometer

Fish in Tank:
1 brichardi (sick, described above)
1 rosy barb
2 yellow barbs (she told me they were "banana barbs?")
3 brilliant rasboras
1 yellow labidochromis
1 satanoperca jurupari
1 tretocephalus
All of these fish were purchased yesterday, and all of them appear healthy, active, and are eating. I kept thinking it was too many fish to put in at once, but they assured me it was fine... They have always been good to me with my other tanks.

Water Levels:
I had tested the water levels two days ago (the day before I got my fish)
pH: 7.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Even though I "cloned" my tank, it wouldn't show any levels until I added fish. I will check my levels ASAP, but I need to leave for work, so it may have to be tonight... But I will check this post during the day.

Additional Info:
My tank didn't have a heater until yesterday. It was purchased at the same time as the fish. Since I live in NY and it's winter, it gets cold in my apartment at night. The water had been around 70 F. Before I put the fish in, I siphoned about 20% of the water out, and replaced with warmer water. I added Stress Coat to it, let it hit 82 F, and then hung the fish bags in the water for 10 mins before I added the fish. The fish were in the bags about an hour and a half before they went into my water. I did not add any of the LFS water to my tank. A little while later, I noticed lots of bubbles on the sides of the tank and the plants, so I took my hand in an dispersed them. I don't know if I was supposed to do that or not, but I know nitrogen supersaturation can cause pop eye. Also, when I fed the fish an hour or so after they went in the tank, all the fish seemed healthy and somewhat active. Before I went to bed, I noticed the temp around 83.7 F, so I turned it down, thinking the heater was not accurate. This morning it was 80 F.

Can anyone please offer suggestions or advice? Should I just call my LFS and let them know? It's a beautiful fish and I don't want to lose it... Thank you in advance...

 

[raquelds]

Here are some pictures of the brichardi:

In the bag last night right before going in the tank

Both of these are from this morning

 

[Vip]

same happend to mine right before they died and we put put it down to stress from having way to many fish in the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Two many fish added at once, did you cycle the tank, if not there is no bacteria colony and you could loose the fish.
http/www.gorge.org/fish/issues.shtml

 

[WILDER]

http/www.aquariumcorner.com/cycling.html

 

[raquelds]

Two many fish added at once, did you cycle the tank, if not there is no bacteria colony and you could loose the fish.
http/www.gorge.org/fish/issues.shtml

Well, I did a fishless "cloning" cycle like I said above. I read about that method on another post in these forums, and I checked its validity with my LFS before trying it. I plan on testing my levels when I get home.

 

[WILDER]

Even with a fishless cycle you have to be careful and only introduce a few fish, till the bacteria colony grows so you then can start to add a few more fish, as what's happened with you is that you have added to many fish to soon, and the bacteria colony can't cope as it not matured enough.

 

[raquelds]

Thanks for all your help guys. Unfortunately, when I got home that night, the fish's health had really deteriorated. He was swimming upside down and unable to get away from the yellow lab that was nipping at him. I took him to the LFS, and they told me that the yellow lab must have beaten him up. I told them about how many fish I had added, and they said that should have been fine. They were convinced that it was the yellow lab, even though I am convinced that he was sick first, and picked on after. I don't know... because I got another brichardi, and he's been doing great so far.