Wcm Deaths.... Help?!

[Pepsidave85]

Hi, my tank has been running for a while now, and recently I have lost 3 WCM and I can't seem to work out why.
 
I have a planted coldwater 35L tank.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH usually around 7.
2 x 50% Water Changes per week,
 
Stocking
1 Small Black Comet
1 Small Oranda
4 WCM
1 Platy
1 Chinese Hill Stream Loach
4 RCS
 
I know that the tank is overstocked, both the Oranda and Comet are still small, and will be re-housed as soon as I can find somewhere for them. When I bought these (January) I didn't realise that they would end up being too big for the tank, and I hadn't done the amount of research then compared with what I have done since.
 
I use aqua-gro CO2 which I dose daily into the tank, along with weekly ferts for the plants.
 
My first WCM died about 3 weeks ago, so I replaced immediately with another. He died last week and I lost another one yesterday/this morning.
 
The only new equipment or changes made to the tank recently are an additional pump to help with the water flow, as I my tank has developed a small amount of BBA, and Seachem Flourish which I have been overdosing slightly to try and rid the BBA. Both since Friday.
 
Even if the most recent death is likely to be from the Flourish Excel dosing, I can't explain the other two losses?
 
Thanks in Advance.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

Maybe they're too stressed at being overcrowded with other fish that just aren't suitable for a tank of that size?

 

[fluttermoth]

Welcome to the forum, Pepsidave.
 
How, and with what are you testing your water? A reading of zero for nitrate, in a tank that heavily stocked (and even with the amount of water changes you're doing) is a cause for concern, as nitrate should be building up in the water if your tank's filter was cycled properly.
 
If it's not a water quality problem, I would suspect aggression. Even though the fish you have aren't particularly aggressive or territorial, with that amount of fish, in that small a tank, you are going to have problems.
 
I'm afraid none of the fish you have are suitable inhabitants for a 35l tank

 

[Pepsidave85]

Thanks for the reply, I'm still new to this and learning as I go all the time! Wish I had done my research first 

 
So, can the fish being stressed due to something like overcrowding be enough to kill them? I had kinda thought that stressed fish would be more prone to disease etc, but not actually be enough to kill them?

 

[the_lock_man]

Same as with humans, stress can cause all sorts of issues, including death.

 

[Pepsidave85]

Emo kid, I use the API test kit, and test weekly.
 
My nitrate has been up and down to be honest, and I was surprised at my latest reading being 0. Last week it was between 10 and 20. As I say though, I do 2 water changes a week to help keep everything in check.
 
I had a nitrite spike about 5 weeks ago, and the nitrates went up shortly after this also. The plants I have in there are healthy, and I know that they will use some of nitrates from the water, but I'm not sure if its reasonable to assume that they use all the nitrates.
 
Out of curiosity, what fish are suitable for this tank, I now know that the BC and Oranda are not right, but surprised about WCM not being suitable.

 

[fluttermoth]

WCMM are very active swimmers, so even though they're small we normally recommend a tank that's at least two feet, and preferably three, long to give them enough room to swim.
 
The platy wil grow to be quite chunky and deep bodied and really need a 10 or 15 gallon. The hillstream loach needs very fast moving, highly oxygenated water.
 
For 'nano' tanks, like your, you really want fish that grow to lees than an inch, adult size. There really aren't any temperate/coldwater fish that are suitable. Had you thought about adding a heater and keeping some small tropicals instead? Be much less trouble for you and there are lots of species to choose from.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

The only vaguely possible fish in your stocking that could stay in the 35l is the hillstream loach, depending upon which species it is, but these loaches need top quality water. And as said already, they need a realtively massive water turnover, ~700lph real turnover in this 35l.
 
WCMM need at least a 60cm long tank for a group of 6, a bigger tank would be better with 10+.
 
Platties need at least a 90cm tank IMO, they are active and reknowned for their fiestiness in community tank like several livebearers.
 
Smaller goldfish varieties need ~100l for one alone and ~30l for each additional one, they produce massive amounts of waste for their size.
 
Until you can sort something better out for your fish, I would urge you to buy a large food quality plastic tub, I currently use a ~110l one as a quarantine tank (albeit it has a split from the top that reduces the volumeto ~80l), it cost me ~£13 but similar ones can be found cheaper.

 

[fluttermoth]

Until you can sort something better out for your fish, I would urge you to buy a large food quality plastic tub, I currently use a ~110l one as a quarantine tank (albeit it has a split from the top that reduces the volumeto ~80l), it cost me ~£13 but similar ones can be found cheaper.

Great idea; OP. fish don't need to be in glass fish tanks; that's just for our convenience so we can see the fish better. As long as they have the appropriate filtration/heating (and the container is made of a safe plastic, and not contaminated with detergents or anything!), they don't mind what they're in.

 

[Pepsidave85]

Until you can sort something better out for your fish, I would urge you to buy a large food quality plastic tub, I currently use a ~110l one as a quarantine tank (albeit it has a split from the top that reduces the volumeto ~80l), it cost me ~£13 but similar ones can be found cheaper.

Great idea; OP. fish don't need to be in glass fish tanks; that's just for our convenience so we can see the fish better. As long as they have the appropriate filtration/heating (and the container is made of a safe plastic, and not contaminated with detergents or anything!), they don't mind what they're in.

 
Thanks for the great info.
 
Where can I buy said containers, and what would I do with regards to filtration? Presumably it would take a fairly large filter for that volume of water?