Urgent Help Needed - One dead new fish see below image.

[Byron]

No it is not normal for newly acquired fish to die. In addition to what seangee just posted, if this were me, I would not acquire additional fish from the store unless I could confirm none of theirs have similarly died. If this was an issue with the fish (disease) and contagious, they too have likely lost some of them.

 

[Ben2522]

No it is not normal for newly acquired fish to die. In addition to what seangee just posted, if this were me, I would not acquire additional fish from the store unless I could confirm none of theirs have similarly died. If this was an issue with the fish (disease) and contagious, they too have likely lost some of them.

Hi, I have ordered from another shop as I wasn’t happy with the way the others were being looked after. As well as the fact they are all too thin.. the new shop is more specialist, hoping for a good batch. For these remaining fish. How long should be waited if no more die? And if they all die, what needs to be done to the tank, water, filter, plants and everything thing else to ensure it’s all good for new fish?

 

[Byron]

Hi, I have ordered from another shop as I wasn’t happy with the way the others were being looked after. As well as the fact they are all too thin.. the new shop is more specialist, hoping for a good batch. For these remaining fish. How long should be waited if no more die? And if they all die, what needs to be done to the tank, water, filter, plants and everything thing else to ensure it’s all good for new fish?

Let Colin answer this, but post if there are any other fish in this tank (besides the remaining three TB and the platy) as he will want to know that.

 

[Ben2522]

Ok t

Let Colin answer this, but post if there are any other fish in this tank (besides the remaining three TB and the platy) as he will want to know that.

hanks, yea will wait for @Colin_T 4 barbs and a platy left. Cheers

 

[Colin_T]

Never add more fish to an aquarium where fish are dying. You simply add to the stress and risk bringing in new diseases, or infecting the new fish and killing everything.

Cancel the order until this has been resolved. Then wait a month before adding any new fish.

If you have a spare tank you can quarantine the new fish for a month or longer if need be, and this will give you time to work out what is going on in the main tank. But do not put more fish in the current tank.

-----------------
If there has been a sudden drop in GH and KH after a water change, your water supply might have changed or the water company might be adding something else to the water. There are reports (hearsay) about water companies adding stuff due to the coronavirus and we don't know what this stuff is.

There might not be anything wrong with the tap water but if the pH, GH and KH have changed since the tank was set up, the tap water could be the issue.

I would add some carbon to the filter for a month.

Test the tap water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH and KH (if you can)?
Test the aquarium water too and see if there is a major difference between the 2 water tests.

-----------------​

Post pictures of the remaining fish. Monitor their poop and see if it is coloured or white.

See if the fish are acting nervous or skittish when you go near the tank.

-----------------​

Don't do a water change for a couple of weeks. This might be something in the tap water or an internal protozoan infection.

When you do water changes, do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

Do you have buckets that are used specifically for the fish?

Make sure you don't have anything on your hands when working in the tank or feeding the fish.

Add some floating plants (plastic or real) to give the fish some shade, or reduce the light on the tank.

 

[Ben2522]

Never add more fish to an aquarium where fish are dying. You simply add to the stress and risk bringing in new diseases, or infecting the new fish and killing everything.

Cancel the order until this has been resolved. Then wait a month before adding any new fish.

If you have a spare tank you can quarantine the new fish for a month or longer if need be, and this will give you time to work out what is going on in the main tank. But do not put more fish in the current tank.

-----------------
If there has been a sudden drop in GH and KH after a water change, your water supply might have changed or the water company might be adding something else to the water. There are reports (hearsay) about water companies adding stuff due to the coronavirus and we don't know what this stuff is.

There might not be anything wrong with the tap water but if the pH, GH and KH have changed since the tank was set up, the tap water could be the issue.

I would add some carbon to the filter for a month.

Test the tap water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH and KH (if you can)?
Test the aquarium water too and see if there is a major difference between the 2 water tests.

-----------------
Post pictures of the remaining fish. Monitor their poop and see if it is coloured or white.

See if the fish are acting nervous or skittish when you go near the tank.

-----------------
Don't do a water change for a couple of weeks. This might be something in the tap water or an internal protozoan infection.

When you do water changes, do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

Do you have buckets that are used specifically for the fish?

Make sure you don't have anything on your hands when working in the tank or feeding the fish.

Add some floating plants (plastic or real) to give the fish some shade, or reduce the light on the tank.

Thanks Colin, Below in bold:
Never add more fish to an aquarium where fish are dying. You simply add to the stress and risk bringing in new diseases, or infecting the new fish and killing everything.
No problem, will cancel the order for now. Don't have a quarantine tank currently unfortunately. Its an expensive hobby.

-----------------
If there has been a sudden drop in GH and KH after a water change, your water supply might have changed or the water company might be adding something else to the water. There are reports (hearsay) about water companies adding stuff due to the coronavirus and we don't know what this stuff is.
I beleive there was a drop in PH but cant be sure from when the tank was set up. I think as I noticed and thought the PH was low for the fish I had I looked into it more and then tried to remember what the PH was. Perhaps I was wrong on the drop. Cant be sure but its stable now at about 5.4.

I would add some carbon to the filter for a month.
I will look into the carbon thing.

Test the tap water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH and KH (if you can)?
Test the aquarium water too and see if there is a major difference between the 2 water tests.
Did a test on the water after letting it settle for 24 hours the other day to make sure it wasnt an issue. Tap read 0 for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. PH 5.5 and GH3

-----------------
Post pictures of the remaining fish. Monitor their poop and see if it is coloured or white.
Will keep an eye on this. Thanks. IF it is white, what would that mean.

See if the fish are acting nervous or skittish when you go near the tank.
Fish seem fine when i approach the tank no panicking

When you do water changes, do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?
Ill hold off on the water change for a few weeks. I use tap safe when doing the water change.

Do you have buckets that are used specifically for the fish?
Yes got a specific bucket for the water changes. Only use that.

Make sure you don't have anything on your hands when working in the tank or feeding the fish.
Understood.

Add some floating plants (plastic or real) to give the fish some shade, or reduce the light on the tank.
I have only had the light on for a few hours in the evening. The rest of the time its not in any direct light and is pretty shady in the tank.

See images of remaining fish. Its difficult to get a good shot. Also see what I am feeding then. This is what they were fed in the shop. 0.8-.2 granule. says 41% protein. Is that too high?

 

[seangee]

Add some floating plants (plastic or real) to give the fish some shade, or reduce the light on the tank.
I have only had the light on for a few hours in the evening. The rest of the time its not in any direct light and is pretty shady in the tank.

Add them anyway - its not just about the light. Plants give them more places to hide, and if they are real will help maintain water quality.

 

[Colin_T]

Stringy white poop is either an internal bacterial infection, an internal protozoan infection or intestinal worms.

-------------------
I reckon it's the pH. Most shops don't have really acidic water and if yours is 5.5, that is very low and the fish could be suffering from pH shock.

You could add some limestone, shells, or dead coral rubble to the filter or tank. These are calcium based and will slowly increase the pH if you have enough of them. Add a few bits and monitor the pH over a week. If it is still low, add a few more bits and monitor for another week. Continue doing this until the pH is closer to 7.0.

-------------------
Most fish foods are fine but check the ingredients. You want to avoid fish foods that contain wheat, corn or any other grain. Fish can't digest grains and food with grains in are usually cheaper quality and not as nutritious.​

 

[Ben2522]

Stringy white poop is either an internal bacterial infection, an internal protozoan infection or intestinal worms.

-------------------
I reckon it's the pH. Most shops don't have really acidic water and if yours is 5.5, that is very low and the fish could be suffering from pH shock.

You could add some limestone, shells, or dead coral rubble to the filter or tank. These are calcium based and will slowly increase the pH if you have enough of them. Add a few bits and monitor the pH over a week. If it is still low, add a few more bits and monitor for another week. Continue doing this until the pH is closer to 7.0.

-------------------
Most fish foods are fine but check the ingredients. You want to avoid fish foods that contain wheat, corn or any other grain. Fish can't digest grains and food with grains in are usually cheaper quality and not as nutritious.

Hi, I thought the ph of 5.5 was good for tiger barbs? Everyone else has said that’s ideal for the species? How long are fish affected by PH shock and when would they stop dieing?

 

[Essjay]

It's not the fact that your pH is low, it's moving the fish from a higher pH in the shop water to the lower pH in your tank which is a problem.

I'm not sure how you can get around this

 

[Ben2522]

It's not the fact that your pH is low, it's moving the fish from a higher pH in the shop water to the lower pH in your tank which is a problem.

I'm not sure how you can get around this

Ok, I am really not keen on chasing the PH around. Is there any way to make it easier on the fish. Let’s say this case is PH shock. When are the fish out of the woods? Survival of the fittest? I wonder if in future I question the PH before buying. I’m guessing decent tiger barb outlets will have PH similar to mine as it’s fairly ideal for the species? A standard shop I guess wouldn’t care as much?

 

[Colin_T]

Most shops try to have a neutral pH around 7.0 so it covers all the fish. Some shops will raise the pH a bit for Rift Lake cichlids but most won't lower the pH unless they are dealing with wild caught fishes that come from acid water.

If a shop has water with a very high pH (8.0+) they probably won't change it because it's too much effort trying to keep the pH at a particular level in a small shop tank.

--------------
If it is pH shock, it will take a few weeks for the fish to recover. They might die during that time or they might be ok.

Try to minimise stress, so no water changes for a couple of weeks, and try to bring the pH up a bit with limestone or shells.

--------------
It's always a good idea to check with the shop and find out what the GH and pH of their water is.​

 

[Ben2522]

Most shops try to have a neutral pH around 7.0 so it covers all the fish. Some shops will raise the pH a bit for Rift Lake cichlids but most won't lower the pH unless they are dealing with wild caught fishes that come from acid water.

If a shop has water with a very high pH (8.0+) they probably won't change it because it's too much effort trying to keep the pH at a particular level in a small shop tank.

--------------
If it is pH shock, it will take a few weeks for the fish to recover. They might die during that time or they might be ok.

Try to minimise stress, so no water changes for a couple of weeks, and try to bring the pH up a bit with limestone or shells.

--------------
It's always a good idea to check with the shop and find out what the GH and pH of their water is.

Thanks. I went out and got some rock. How long until that raises the PH? I guess when it raises a certain level it stops raising due to less acidity? 24 hours? I am assuming im going to have to cycle the tank again or do the good bacteria still work under 6 PH?
Thanks
Ben

 

[seangee]

Personally I would not try to mess with the pH. My tank is in the low 5s and my LFS has a pH that is close to 8 (as is most of the South East). I generally transfer new fish directly to the QT and only balance the temperature before doing so. (Others advocate drip acclimation - there are differning views on the value of this.). What is not good for fish is regular large fluctations. If your LFS is reasonably local chances are their water is soft anyway. We southerners often buy Harrogate water to drink, bet you have never gone into a shop and asked for Thames water

 

[Ben2522]

Personally I would not try to mess with the pH. My tank is in the low 5s and my LFS has a pH that is close to 8 (as is most of the South East). I generally transfer new fish directly to the QT and only balance the temperature before doing so. (Others advocate drip acclimation - there are differning views on the value of this.). What is not good for fish is regular large fluctations. If your LFS is reasonably local chances are their water is soft anyway. We southerners often buy Harrogate water to drink, bet you have never gone into a shop and asked for Thames water

Hi. Went to the shop to ask these questions. He said that Harrogate water is too acidic to run his business so uses a mechanical system that makes his tap water Neutral. So lets say 8PH and my tank is about 5 at the least. Thats a huge swing for any fish I think, too much. Bought a coral rock to raise it slowly. Put it under the filter intake so hopefully that raises it and no more fish die lol. If they do its back to the drawing board... OR its too late for the fish due to the shock of the PH. Time will tell. Thanks for commenting