What Am I Doing Wrong?

[sue barton]

I was given a medium sized Bio Orb tank about two years ago, complete with fish, it was all fine until we went away for a long holiday summer before last leaving a friend to feed them, when my hubby got home (I was still away)he said that the water was really dirty and most of the larger fish had died. He cleaned it out but managed to break the heater, so we replaced that. When i returned from holiday we got more platys, mollies and neon tetras. They all seemed fairly happy and at one point we had so mnay platy babies I had to give some away.

However, recently the fish just keep dying, after this summer we were down to 4 fish, I left it a while and they all seemed to be stable. I tested the water and took the strip to our local fish shop, he said it looked fine. So we restocked with neon tetras, tiger barbs and platys just before Christmas but now all the tetras and one of the platys have already died.

What am I doing wrong? Do I need to take them all out and restart with new substrate? Any advice would be gratefully recieved. I'm very new to fish keeping, this being the very first time I've had them. We do like them but I don't want to keep letting them die!

Thanks in advance

 

[ian]

do you change the sponge cartrige as Biorb direct you to do?

when i first got my Biorb 3 years ago, this was my biggest mistake. It just puts your tank through a mini cycle everytime you change it. You should only change it when the sponge starts falling to bits and then, cut it in half and only change half and then the other half about 3 weeks later.

BTW how may fish are in it?

 

[mattlee]

I was given a medium sized Bio Orb tank about two years ago, complete with fish, it was all fine until we went away for a long holiday summer before last leaving a friend to feed them, when my hubby got home (I was still away)he said that the water was really dirty and most of the larger fish had died. He cleaned it out but managed to break the heater, so we replaced that. When i returned from holiday we got more platys, mollies and neon tetras. They all seemed fairly happy and at one point we had so mnay platy babies I had to give some away.

However, recently the fish just keep dying, after this summer we were down to 4 fish, I left it a while and they all seemed to be stable. I tested the water and took the strip to our local fish shop, he said it looked fine. So we restocked with neon tetras, tiger barbs and platys just before Christmas but now all the tetras and one of the platys have already died.

What am I doing wrong? Do I need to take them all out and restart with new substrate? Any advice would be gratefully recieved. I'm very new to fish keeping, this being the very first time I've had them. We do like them but I don't want to keep letting them die!

Thanks in advance

maybe your friend over fed the fish causing possible ammonia levels to rise above 0, this is very toxic to fish and can kill very quickly if not reduced by doing water changes. when the tank was cleaned out was the filter cleaned out? if so if it was cleaned in tap water then this will have killed off most of the bacteria that will rid the tank of ammonia and nitrite again causing spikes in the water which again will/can kill the fish. try getting a liquid test kit, you can get 1 from ebay for about £17 called an API FRESHWATER MASTERKIT these are much more accurate than test strips. if there is any sign of ammonia and nitrite than asap do a water change to reduce the levels, if you get a reading of 0.5 then a 50% water change will reduce it to 0.25% etc etc leave it an hour and retest and again keep doing changes until a 0 reading is achieved. remember to add dechlorinator and to temperature match any new water that enters the tank so you dont shock the fish and stress them anymore.
when you get a constant 0 reading for ammonia and nitrite your tank will be cycled which means the filter has grown enough friendly bacteria to cope with the ammonia and nitrite produced in the tank. as you are in the middle of a fish in cycle daily water changes will be needed to help the fish survive the cycle. google nitrogen cycle to see how that works.
neons also are very sensitive and will not survive in a cycling tank, they need a cycled mature tank to live healthy lives. platys are quite hardy fish and are normally a good starter fish so maybe toxic levels were very high or there for too long a period. also tiger barbs maybe a little active and big for a biorb style tank, they are also well known fin nippers if not kept in large numbers and will attack other fish....
another thing to consider is when ever adding new fish just add a couple at a time and give the filter enough time to catch up with the increased bioload the new fish are causing, keep an eye on the water using the testkit and if readings above 0 for ammonia and nitrite do another water change. give your filter a clean in old tank water about once every couple of months this will not kill any bacteria living in it keeping your fish alive.
good luck with the remaining fish

 

[onebto]

I was given a medium sized Bio Orb tank about two years ago, complete with fish, it was all fine until we went away for a long holiday summer before last leaving a friend to feed them, when my hubby got home (I was still away)he said that the water was really dirty and most of the larger fish had died. He cleaned it out but managed to break the heater, so we replaced that. When i returned from holiday we got more platys, mollies and neon tetras. They all seemed fairly happy and at one point we had so mnay platy babies I had to give some away.

However, recently the fish just keep dying, after this summer we were down to 4 fish, I left it a while and they all seemed to be stable. I tested the water and took the strip to our local fish shop, he said it looked fine. So we restocked with neon tetras, tiger barbs and platys just before Christmas but now all the tetras and one of the platys have already died.

What am I doing wrong? Do I need to take them all out and restart with new substrate? Any advice would be gratefully recieved. I'm very new to fish keeping, this being the very first time I've had them. We do like them but I don't want to keep letting them die!

Thanks in advance

hello and sorry to hear you are having troubles.

To start it would help the experienced people here on the forum if you supply some information.

What is the size/volume of your tank?

Water stats,

test strips are widely recognised as being not very accurate, on this forum most would recommend using the API fresh water master test kit. You can locate these in local fish shops known as LFS on this forum also on-line stores do them but the cheapest are found on ebay in my experience.

Some LFS are helpful and well informed but a large majority are just interested in the sale, so advice from LFS should be taken with a pinch of salt and backed up with other more reliable sources in my opinion.

So supply your Water stats P.H , Temperature, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. these details can tell a wealth of information that can help the problem solvers help you

Are there any obvious markings or changes on the dead fishes. As well as the living fish, inflamed gills/anus? Are the scales damaged sticking out is there a slime on them?

Pictures also help!

Do you use a dechlorinater in the new water when doing water changes?

Are you aware of the concept of cycling?

ianho is correct in saying you should not replace your filter media unless it is falling apart instead just GENTLY clean it in old tank water other wise you are loosing a large majority of the benficial bacteria in your tank if you replace the media/sponge.

To start to help the exsisting living fish you need to do some regular LARGE water changes 90% and daily if at all possible

I do hope this helps

Regards onebto

 

[sue barton]

hello and sorry to hear you are having troubles.

To start it would help the experienced people here on the forum if you supply some information.

What is the size/volume of your tank?

Water stats,

test strips are widely recognised as being not very accurate, on this forum most would recommend using the API fresh water master test kit. You can locate these in local fish shops known as LFS on this forum also on-line stores do them but the cheapest are found on ebay in my experience.

Some LFS are helpful and well informed but a large majority are just interested in the sale, so advice from LFS should be taken with a pinch of salt and backed up with other more reliable sources in my opinion.

So supply your Water stats P.H , Temperature, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. these details can tell a wealth of information that can help the problem solvers help you

Are there any obvious markings or changes on the dead fishes. As well as the living fish, inflamed gills/anus? Are the scales damaged sticking out is there a slime on them?

Pictures also help!

Do you use a dechlorinater in the new water when doing water changes?

Are you aware of the concept of cycling?

ianho is correct in saying you should not replace your filter media unless it is falling apart instead just GENTLY clean it in old tank water other wise you are loosing a large majority of the benficial bacteria in your tank if you replace the media/sponge.

To start to help the exsisting living fish you need to do some regular LARGE water changes 90% and daily if at all possible

I do hope this helps

Regards onebto

Thanks everyone for the replies so far, I will try to answer the questions!

The Bio Orb is 30 litres. I have no idea what cycling is! I have been changing the sponge filter far too frequently I think, I thought that once it got filled up with gunge it should be cleaned thoroughly and changed fully after a couple of times. I guess that wrong, from what you've all said. One of the fish that died today looked like it had algae growing on it, and has spent the last month or so swimming round vertically (it wasn't one of the new ones!)

I will get one of the proper test kits, but in the meantime would you recommend me doing more frequent water changes anyway? I thought you were only supposed to change 25% of the water at once? i have been cleaning the filter and bubble tube in tap water, but I will stop immediately - and yes I do use a de-clorinator - which seems to be the only thing I'm doing right!!

Mattlee - are you saying I should change the water that much in one day?

When I change the water I kind of hoover the syphon around the bottom of the tank to get all the debris, this disturbs all the substatrate and gets rid of a lot of dirt, but I'm now wondering if this is the right thing to do?

I would love to have an explanation of cycling - is there another thread I should look at?

thanks again
Sue

 

[nosoup4you]

Start reading here, there is a wealth of information to be had on cycling.

 

[Ryefish]

I have a 30L BiOrb also that isn't set up at the minute
Beginner's Resource Centre is my mini-bible at the minute

 

[onebto]

I will get one of the proper test kits, but in the meantime would you recommend me doing more frequent water changes anyway? I thought you were only supposed to change 25% of the water at once?

thanks again
Sue

If you have Ammonia in your tank water which cant be proven till you get the kit but it is a good chance from what you have mentioned then regular large water changes will do nothing but good

Regards onebto

 

[erk628]

I would be doing 50 percent water changes everday until you get the test kit. I would advise you to get the test kit in the next couple of day. What kind of substance do you have? If you have sand then yes hovering over it is what you want to do. If you have gravel then you want a gravel vac which has a tube connected to a hose. You want to take the tube the big plastic part and shove it down in the gravel all the way tell it hits the bottom of the tank. You will seee the poo, food and such coming up out of there. Once you done see it anymore move to the next spot right next to it and keep doing the same thing until you have done all the gravel. You want to do this once a week when you do your weekly water changed. Normally you would do about 20 to 25%. It really depends on the fish you have how many and the filtration you have. For a tank that size you may need to do 50% once as week. By testing you water once a week you wil no how much you need to take out. For now though until you get your test kit I would be doing 50% water changes a day vac you gravel or sand like I decribed above the first time the next day just take water out no need to vac the gravel. Once you get you test kit post you ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and ph here and well help you figure out what's going on

 

[sue barton]

Thanks erk628, I will do as you say. The subtance is special for the Bio Orb, I think, it's sort of large irregular shaped bits of ceramic media. I do hoover round the bottom and get out lots of poo etc, but not all of it. The rest of it just kind of swirls around for a few hours and settles leaving the water quite clean. Should I been trying harder to get all the poo and debris out?

Thanks everyone, will keep you posted!

Angela

 

[erk628]

Thanks erk628, I will do as you say. The subtance is special for the Bio Orb, I think, it's sort of large irregular shaped bits of ceramic media. I do hoover round the bottom and get out lots of poo etc, but not all of it. The rest of it just kind of swirls around for a few hours and settles leaving the water quite clean. Should I been trying harder to get all the poo and debris out?

Thanks everyone, will keep you posted!

Angela

Yes do it like I described above for gravel, you want to make sure you get all the poo and uneating food out of the substance or it will release ammonia into the water. You say or substance looks like crushed coral? What is the ph level in your tank. When you test it with the low ph liquid and it a dark blue test it with the high ph liquid. Crushed coral is used to raise ph in a tank for someone who has really low ph or someone who has fish like African cichlids who requirena high ph.

Thanks erk628, I will do as you say. The subtance is special for the Bio Orb, I think, it's sort of large irregular shaped bits of ceramic media. I do hoover round the bottom and get out lots of poo etc, but not all of it. The rest of it just kind of swirls around for a few hours and settles leaving the water quite clean. Should I been trying harder to get all the poo and debris out?

Thanks everyone, will keep you posted!

Angela

Yes do it like I described above for gravel, you want to make sure you get all the poo and uneating food out of the substance or it will release ammonia into the water. You say or substance looks like crushed coral? What is the ph level in your tank. When you test it with the low ph liquid and it a dark blue test it with the high ph liquid. Crushed coral is used to raise ph in a tank for someone who has really low ph or someone who has fish like African cichlids who require a high ph. You normaly only have to vac your gravel once a week when you do your normal weekly water change.

 

[Assaye]

Have a read of this godly link

That will set you right =)

Some basic things to remember -

1) Large water changes are much less stressful on the fish than high toxin levels. If in doubt - water change, and make it big.

2) Try to get as much poo/uneaten food out as possible once a week. It all breaks down into nasty toxins if left.

3) Never clean filter sponges in tap water and only change when the sponge becomes damaged, and even then, only change 1/3-1/2 at a time

4) Stock slowly - adding only a couple of fish a week max

5) Get a good liquid test kit for at least ammonia and nitrites and test regularly and especially when fish are sick or you add new fish

6) Double check your stocking plans on here. LFS would probably happily let you put LOADS of unsuitable fish in your tank. The many of the members here are very experienced and wise.

Good luck!

 

[sue barton]

I've been doing the 50% water changes (almost) daily and the water test kit is on it's way. I am now down to one molly, one platy, one tiger barb and one ghost catfish. Everything is coverd in small bubbles including the molly and the tiger barb and the platy looks like it's having trouble keeping afloat.

There are two plants in the tank that have been there for a while and are covered in green "fur" should I take them out?

Should I keep feeding the fish that are there?

Do the bubbles on the fish mean anything?

It all looks pretty grim tbh

I'm afraid I have fallen foul of "fish-shop man" and followed advice from them. I thought I was using declorinator but was in fact just using Stress Zyme, not Stress Coat as well, I've now got the stress coat and am using the two together.

I was also assured that introducing 8 fish at once was fine

Glad to find this site and LEARN MY LESSONS!!!

 

[AdAndrews]

Tt may be just a case of the fish, most common species are not good quality anymore, they often die, for me, even in a fully cycled tank i always expect a loss of up to 50% of guppies everytime i buy them, neons are very weak fish too.

 

[sue barton]

OK guys, here's hoping for some good advice....

I've tested the water and the readings are: pH 7.8, Amonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm and Nitrate 20-40ppm

The tank is a 30 litre BioOrb and I am down to one molly and one ghost catfish, they seem quite happy now, the water is clear and the sponge in the filter is quite new - I didn't know about leaving some in there when i changed the filter.

What should I do now? How many and what fish could I introduce - and when?!!

Thanks in advance