Tank Going Downhill Fast After 4+ Years

[daizeUK]

i wonder how the sand could have anything to do with it?

When fine sand is compacted, anaerobic bacteria can develop around detritus trapped in the sand. These bacteria produce pockets of hydrogen sulfide gas which can be quite nasty if suddenly released in large quantities. If there is enough gas, it can accumulate just above the surface of the water and cut off oxygen supply, if this is the case you would most likely be able to detect a smell like rotten eggs.

Ways to reduce anaerobic gases building up:
- Don't have your sand more than 1 to 1.5 inches deep.
- Disturb your substrate weekly as part of regular maintenance.
- Be wary if moving heavy ornaments as this can release gas trapped underneath
- Living rooted plants will help to reduce the problem
- Malaysian Trumpet Snails can keep the sand disturbed for you.

I've no idea if this is connected to your tank problems (your sand doesn't look too deep in your sig picture) but could be useful to know anyway. I hope you find what is causing your problems soon. Good luck.

 

[emilythestrange]

thanks. i know that my lfs has all sorts of interpet meds, which are all rubbish. i have at home at least 5 of them, none which worked.

I will w/c tomorrow and will swirl the sand around. theres no egg like smell or anything (i would know as im currently taking out 1 dead fish a day ..)

I also have a rooted plant, which i do not move or disturb and just before a w/c i lift up the mopani wood and lean it inside the tank so i can siphon up 95% of the waste.. and alot of sand as i don't have the knack required for this.


The red platy died today, and yesterday a guppy..;

i have 4 guppies
2 platys
1 endler
3 tetras
1 teeny cory
2 shrimps


I am worried about being understocked too.. as my media could be dieing? or adjusting the bioload back down to what i have now..

I just cant replace the fish fast enough without them dieing inbetween and getting back to square one.
I added some 2 maybe 3 weeks ago.. and lots have died recently.

Should i just try and start with an anti bac med? anything?

 

[snazy]

Can you find anything like Seachem Paraguard, Metronidazole or best Levamisole hydrochloride?

 

[freshwaterfishlover]

Shrimp can live with carbon. They will die with any traces of copper in the tank. Your nitrate is a little high in my opinion. Anything under 40 is ok.

 

[emilythestrange]

it used to be 40ppm, will test mid week again. i will search for those meds

 

[emilythestrange]

Can you find anything like Seachem Paraguard, Metronidazole or best Levamisole hydrochloride?

I can get seachem on ebay shopper, the others are all from the states etc so they could take weeks to arrive .. illl get some seachem.

ps love you tank in your sig, are they all red platies?

 

[emilythestrange]

update: did a w/c probably over 20% as i swirled around the sand moved about the wood, then refilled, and noticed my filter was whirring so i checked the pads and they were the worst i've ever seen them in the whole of my fishkeeping! (cannot believe i got my hand in there and squeezed them both out in the tank water in the bucket... the media was all thick of goodness knows what!!

theres a lovely picture for anyone who would like to see the evidence of my dedication!!!

I am hoping this brings down the nitrates, as the filter should work better!




p.s edited my sig with current photo and stocking (2 guppies aren't going to live very long in my opinion.. )

 

[emilythestrange]

bump

 

[Jam Jam]

I hope you have found the problem now emily fingers crossed,I read somewhere that filters do need cleaning out from time to time,maybe to get rid of the bad bacteria ? How often do you tend to clean your filter ? I clean mine in tank water maybe once a month,my filter now has two sponges in as I replaced the carbon half for normal.hopefully by alternating them in cleaning it will not affect the good bacteria balance too much.

 

[emilythestrange]

I have started the treatment, and now have 3 guppies, 1 endler, 2 platies, 3 tetras and 1 cory, and my 2 shrimp don't seem to be affected by all the treatment!

I would like to know what people think would be a suitable amount of fish to have in my 110L?

 

[snazy]

Can you find anything like Seachem Paraguard, Metronidazole or best Levamisole hydrochloride?

I can get seachem on ebay shopper, the others are all from the states etc so they could take weeks to arrive .. illl get some seachem.

ps love you tank in your sig, are they all red platies?

Sorry, I missed your posts. Yes, they are red platies.
As for seachem paraquard, it's not toxic to shrimp and is actually used to treat shrimp as well, so they should generally be fine.
Hope it helps but it's hard to know what your fish have. I wouldn't think about getting new fish until you are 100% sure the disease is gone and that would take a while. Make sure you follow the treatment properly. Patience is the key and don't worry for your filter bacteria. After you deal with the disease, you can slowly stock up the tank so the bacteria has a chance to catch up.

Edit: I would eventually up the numbers of the corys, from the same kind as the one you have. They need to be in groups to live happily. You guppies and platies may breed again and increase their numbers eventually. Maybe a few more tetras too as they like to be in shoals as well. Not sure how many fish died, but a 110 litre tank won't take much more than what it currently has plus 7-8 more fish max. You'd need a well overfiltered tank if it's ever going to become overstocked or fully stocked to prevent degrading water quality and disease outbreaks.

 

[emilythestrange]

I have now:

2 male platies
2 male guppies (one on its way out )
3 tetras
1 cory
2 shrimp.

its always the livebearers which die, not the tetras, they seem more resilient?
i wonder why this is..

 

[snazy]

Some fish are more succeptible to certain diseases than others. Some may have been sick to the point of no return. How many days have you treated already? Seachem Paraguard may need longer than a few days. I know for ich/white spot it's recommended to be dosed for 3 weeks with regular water changes(can't remember how often but quite often) to make sure it eradicates it completely, but not sure about other parasitic stuff.
You can up the temperature slowly to 28-29 degrees to speed up the treatment but make sure there is a lot of surface movement and add an air pump if you don't have one, as the medication/high temperature will "kill" the oxygen inside the tank and the fish can suffocate.

 

[sadguppy]

I have skim-read this but I couldn't find the answer I needed, so apologies if you have said - how old are they? Getting lethargic, losing colour etc can all be signs of old age and if they're a year + then that could well be what's happening. I lost several guppies and was very confused as all tankmates were fine, and old age was the conclusion that I was forced to make! Obviously it won't harm to clean out your filters more often (in tank water, obviously!) but it may be that there isn't anything you could do?

 

[bullit]

Just thought id add, maybe try buying a couple from a diff shop. It could be a bad batch.