What Is Causing My Fish To Die?

[Kimber873]

In the past two weeks we have sadly lost eight fish in our tank. We have a 55 gallon tank with a combination of 4 small angels, 10 platys, 4 blood fin tetras, 1 elephant nose, 1 loach and 3 dwarf guaramis. We run two penguin 200 filters and have the water temp set at 78> Our water has been tested daily over the past week and all levels are ideal. None of the fish are show any sign of disease. All of the fish were gradually acclimated to the tank, bags floated, adding water from our tank every ten minutes with release after about half an hour. We clean our tank once a week with a gravel vacuum, doing about a 25 percent water change. I need help!! i do not want to lose anymore of my babies. My only thought is perhaps i am overfeeding or underfeeding. I feed them once a day, ensuring that all food is consumed at a reasonable rate. I feed them tropical flakes. I have also introduced blood worms and brine shrimp. I alos treat them with algae discs a couple of times a week.

 

[Man of fish]

How old is the tank?

 

[Kimber873]

three months

 

[Fishy friend2]

Have you changed the filter cartridge lately

 

[Man of fish]

Did you cycle the tank?

 

[Fishy friend2]

Did you cycle the tank?

I'm assuming that the tank is already cycld since it is 3 months old, and the fish have been fine until now

 

[Kimber873]

yes we did and we change the filter once a month

 

[Fishy friend2]

That's why the fish have died so suddenly, by changing the filter once a month, you are taking out the bacteria that breaks down your harmfull ammonia and nitrites into harmless nitrates Just monitor ammonia levels and make sure that they stay at zero, and don't take out the filter cartridges monthly, only do it when needed

 

[Man of fish]

Did you do a fishless or a fish-in and do you have any other media besides the cartridges?

 

[Fishy friend2]

Why should it matter whether the op did a fish less or fish in cycle in this situation

 

[Crossfire]

In the past two weeks we have sadly lost eight fish in our tank. We have a 55 gallon tank with a combination of 4 small angels, 10 platys, 4 blood fin tetras, 1 elephant nose, 1 loach and 3 dwarf guaramis. We run two penguin 200 filters and have the water temp set at 78> Our water has been tested daily over the past week and all levels are ideal. None of the fish are show any sign of disease. All of the fish were gradually acclimated to the tank, bags floated, adding water from our tank every ten minutes with release after about half an hour. We clean our tank once a week with a gravel vacuum, doing about a 25 percent water change. I need help!! i do not want to lose anymore of my babies. My only thought is perhaps i am overfeeding or underfeeding. I feed them once a day, ensuring that all food is consumed at a reasonable rate. I feed them tropical flakes. I have also introduced blood worms and brine shrimp. I alos treat them with algae discs a couple of times a week.

The stocking might have been a factor. What kind of loach? And you do realize, elephant noses need bigger tanks, a lot of their own kind, and are very, very sensitive to water conditions. What is and was the stocking?

 

[Kimber873]

We changed the filter for the first time a month and a bit after tank was established. We only replace one each month, leaving one. The biowheels are left alone.

 

[Fishy friend2]

By changing 1/2 of you filters you are taking out half of your bacteria, so that means ammonia, and other toxic substances will accumlilate quicker, resulting in death of the fish due to poisoning

 

[Kimber873]

It is a kuhli loach. The first three fish were goldfish, which were removed to the pond once water levels were ideal. first we added the blood fins, then the some platys, garami, more platys,angels last additions were elephant nose and loach. Tank is 55 gallon and the elephant nose seems to be doing well.

my water is testing fine

 

[Fishy friend2]

Kuhli loaches ideally should have groups of 6+ as they are really sociable, and elephant noses can be kept in smaller tanks temporarily but should really have tanks that are larger
And what are your exact results