Ph Crashing Fish Dying

[Better-German-Blues]

If you have any real driftwood in your tank, that will cause the Ph to drop too. Any type of real wood that is safe for aquariums can cause this to be the end result along with brown/yellow water.

 

[Raydawn]

Hey there, Ray again. I came home from work today and my sword's tail is off!! He seemed slightly dazed, so I checked the water. The pH and KH are slightly lower than they have been. I know my tank is re-cycling, but I added some plants and the ammonia is actually down. Here's the readings from the past few days.

6/23
pH: 6.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.1
Nitrate: 5
KH: 1
GH: 7

6/24 (after adding baking soda, crushed coral, etc.)
pH: 7.2
KH: 8
GH: 6

6/25
pH: 7.4

6/26
pH: 7.3
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0.2
Nitrate: 2
KH: 7
GH: 6

6/27
pH 7.3
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0.1
Nitrate: 5

6/28 (Today)
pH 6.8
Ammonia: 0.1
KH: 3


So my KH is back down a bit, and pH dropped a bit as well. I added a bit of baking soda, a tiny bit of crushed coral, and some aquarium salt (since I forgot to add some after yesterday's 25% water change). I know I'm probably being a worry wart, but I really want my little sword to survive. He's been through so much! Do you think the rainbow danio (the only other tank member right now) bit it off?

Here's a picture of him. Does he look okay otherwise (besides his poor missing tail)?

And here's a picture of the tank (just in case anything else looks weird). Everything is plastic except the gravel and plants.

 

[AvidD]

Yeah your tank is definitely re-cycling. Whenever you see your ammonia readings starting to "spike" (like they have been in your readings) perform a 20% water change & test your water again. This will help you keep ammonia levels from reaching dangerous levels for your fish & allow you to accurately monitor your tank's progress.

As for your swordtail's tail, it could be fin-rot. Having fish in a tank that is still cycling puts them under added stress & as a result they are more susceptible to disease/aliments. However the pic you posted doesn't lead me to believe it's fin rot. If it was fin rot then his other fins would be affected too (i.e. dorsal, pectoral, anal, & the rest of his caudal fin.

I think it might have been the danio. Danios can be "nippy" when they are keep solo, they do better when they are in schools (5 or more). When they are kept solo they get stressed & act erratic & fin nipping of other tank mates can occur. Or your swordtail could have just got his tail caught in an ornament or something. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you have some Melafix handy, add some to the tank to aid with the healing of your swordtail's tail, he should end up fine.

Your tank looks fine other than it looks a bit cloudy, but I don't know if that's the camera or if you just disturbed the tank right before taking the picture etc. I also see you got yourself a sponge filter . So now you have an HOB & sponge filter running? If so, that's more than enough filtration for a 20g tank with 2 fish in it lol. Once you're done cycling you could easily add a few more danios & some other small fish.

 

[Raydawn]

Thanks, that is great information!

No, the water is definitely cloudy. Could it be bacteria blooming? That's kind of what I was hoping

 

[AvidD]

Thanks, that is great information!

No, the water is definitely cloudy. Could it be bacteria blooming? That's kind of what I was hoping

Yeah it could be BB blooming. How long has it been that cloudy? It could also be a lack in aeration/flow. If it's just a bacterial bloom it should clear up in a few days. If it doesn't clear up after a few days then try increasing aeration. You could split the existing airline tubing you have feeding into your sponge filter & add another airline with an airstone @ the end of it & drop it into the other side of the tank. That should clear up the water a bit if aeration/flow ends up being the issue.

 

[Louiseness]

And here's a picture of the tank (just in case anything else looks weird).

Not likely that it has much to do with the tail situation etc, but ideally your heater needs to be at an angle rather than straight upward, it won't work as well like that.

 

[Athena]

And here's a picture of the tank (just in case anything else looks weird).

Not likely that it has much to do with the tail situation etc, but ideally your heater needs to be at an angle rather than straight upward, it won't work as well like that.

Sorry, but I'm going to disagree with that. Some heater manufacturers even state to place it vertically in the aquarium, some others show diagrams with them being vertical. I know plenty of aquarists, myself included, who place their heaters vertically, horizontally, or along the bottom of the tank (not touching the gravel, though)...whatever suits (and providing the manufacturer hasn't stipulated any strict instructions e.g. "Do not place vertically" etc). Some are fully submersible, others are not, so that is another thing to check before installing it.

Those heaters with special indicators on the side can be quite difficult to read if positioned at an angle on the end panels of a tank, anyway. This is why mine is vertical, too. Easier to get a correct reading. I have no problems with heat distribution and the heater works brilliantly.

Regards,Athena

 

[Louiseness]

[

Sorry, but I'm going to disagree with that. Some heater manufacturers even state to place it vertically in the aquarium, some others show diagrams with them being vertical. I know plenty of aquarists, myself included, who place their heaters vertically, horizontally, or along the bottom of the tank (not touching the gravel, though)...whatever suits (and providing the manufacturer hasn't stipulated any strict instructions e.g. "Do not place vertically" etc). Some are fully submersible, others are not, so that is another thing to check before installing it.

Fair point! All of my different brands of heaters seem to specify to place at an angle in the instructions so I assumed most worked like that (duh). Now I know!

 

[fluttermoth]

Can I just point out that that green and white stiped plant in the middle is not aquatic and will die off if kept underwater.