Ok, So I Have A Fishtank...now What?

[FoundMoney]

I've had a 30 gallon tank set up for a little over a year. I've done a pretty good job at keeping the hardier fish, such as tetras, otos, and bristlenose catfish, but when I try to keep the more delicate species - specifically dwarf cichlids - I am met with tragedy, sadness and wasted money.

I know to do regular water changes - I do 25% every week. I clean the filter out once a month. I vacuum the gravel while changing the water. I have plants that do fairly well in a low tech system with little algae growth. What else should I be doing? How can I have more success with some of the more delicate, and in my opinion more interesting fish? I've heard that most fish tanks have parasites. If that's true could that be a reason my fish don't survive or is it a case of parasites always being present, like germs to humans, and when they get stressed out they get sick? Or is there something I can do to my tank to rid it of potential parasitic, or for that matter, bacterial problems?

 

[nmonks]

Hello there --

Why fish die is complicated (just as why people die).

There are some things not in your control. Some species are relatively short lived anyway, and only live a year or two in the wild. So depending on how old they are when you get them, they might not last for more than a few months. Other fishes are raised very intensively in tanks or pools with masses of antibiotics; the resulting fish tend to get sick as soon as they are removed to non-medicated aquaria. Dwarf gouramis and neons are probably the two most notorious examples of this.

However, in most cases when fish die prematurely it is because we, the fishkeepers, have done something wrong. Water chemistry is often overlooked in favour of filtration, but really they're both essential. It doesn't matter if your nitrites are zero if your pH is too high or low. Admittedly, the wrong pH and hardness won't kill a fish instantly, but it will surpress the health of a fish over the long term, making sickness more likely. Cardinals, rams, mollies, and white-cheeked/dragon gobies are examples of fish with a high mortality because people get the water conditions wrong. Cardinals and rams need soft, acid water. Mollies need hard, alkaline water preferably with some salt added. Dragon gobies are subtropical, and suffocate in tropical conditions.

Diseases are only rarely the prime causes of death in aquaria. Perhaps one fish in ten dies because of a disease, but frankly I'd think the ratio even less than that. Most fish die because of inadequate filtration and/or wrong water conditions. Diseases will crop up because the fish are stressed, but they are rarely the reason the fish are stressed to begin with.

Regular water changes are good. To be honest, I clean my filters as infrequently as possible, and only when the water is obviously silty or the flow of water has slowed down to an unacceptable degree. Cleaning a filter invariably reduces its capacity for a while. I never throw away sponges, and my cleaning of sponges is limited to giving them a good rinse in a tank of aquarium water. The only parts of a filter I dispose of each time is the filter wool pre-filter.

I'd be tempted to recommend just leaving your tank alone for a while. Do your water changes but leave the filter. I have had tanks where the filter was cleaned once every six months. I fear that you have been cleaning out the filter a little too methodically, and that's been surpressing the biological filtration.

So, to summarise: Check the water chemistry is right for the fish you want to keep. Make sure that the filter is happy. Now, assuming your tank isn't over-stocked, you should certainly try something "a little more delicate" if you want. Otocinclus, for example, are not hardy fish, so that's a good sign if they've been happy. Among the dwarf cichlids, cockatoo cichlids are nice and relatively sturdy. You might also try Bolivian rams, which seem not so inbred as common rams.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[bogwood]

but when I try to keep the more delicate species - specifically dwarf cichlids - I am met with tragedy, sadness and wasted money.

What's your PH? Cichlids are fussier than other fish... after researching I found I cannot have them as my PH is high at 8.5 - and I can't be ar*ed with RO units, collecting rain water etc...

 

[Ginge]

Bogwood was it africans you were after before thinking your PH was too high?

 

[bogwood]

Bogwood was it africans you were after before thinking your PH was too high?

I was considering either a pair of Apistos or a pair of Blue Rams... Are the 'Africans' more tolerant of a high PH? Are there 'dwarf' Africans?...

btw 'Ginge', how are you finding the Duo Deep 1200? I am thinking of getting one... was the massive amount of substrate-washing a tedious pain?!...

 

[FoundMoney]

Thanks for the replies. As far as my filter goes, I clean it out once per month but really all that means is taking the sponges and rinsing them out in tank water to remove sludge and buildup. I do not change the sponges and do not use any "replaceable" filter material such as carbon. I have two sponges and some bio rock things in a bag. I think I have changed one sponge in about 14 months. I will try not cleaning the filter as often.

As far as pH goes the water out of my tap is about 6.8 and generally pH is maintained at around that level. There was a time when for some reason my pH was shooting up to 7.4 or higher but that was before the tank was really established. For the fish I have tried to keep I would think my pH would be good. My other water chemistry has always been good. I've never had any measureable amount of ammonia in my tank since it cycled and only trace amounts of nitrates. I'm wondering if there is some kind of parasitic or bacterial infestation in my tank that attacks fish if they get stressed.

Right now I have a pair of curviceps in my tank. I've had them for about a week and they seem to be doing well. They seem young and I have read they live for about 4 years, so we'll see how it goes.

Thanks again.