Help - Aulonocaras Wont Live In My Tank

[Rara12]

Hey Guys, I need some help

I've recently gotten into Aulonocara Sp's and dont seem to have any luck with them. My 55 gallon tank is well kept and most of my fish thrive. Every time I try to add a few Aulonacara's to the tank, they drop dead within 24 hours for what appears to be no reason. Ammonia is zero, nitrites are zero, nitrates are basically non existant and ph is 7.8., temp is about 78*. Tank is lightly stocked and the Aulonocaras I try to add are always the largest fish by a few inches. I do weekly water changes of 10 gallons and once a month I do a large water change of about 40%.

This all started months ago when I tried adding 3 adult Aulonocaras to my tank. All 3 went in, looked like they acclimated, hell they even ate pellets. The second day while watching the tank (its set up next to my TV so I'm constantly looking at the tank) i literally watched one of the fish, who looked 100%, just stop swimming and fall over on its side dead as a rock. By the end of that day all 3 of the Aulonacaras had died.

I keep some sensitive species in the tank (8 varieties of fancy plecos, small ornate pimadella, small ompak cat among others) which are thriving, so in a panic I did a large water change and everything seemed to be fine. A month later I tried again with similar results.

Three weeks ago as a test i bought 3 cheap Aulonocaras from petsmart ($10 each) and they are all thriving.

So today, I tried to add two nice Aulonocaras from one of the best LFS in the area and after an hour long drip acclimation both died in a matter of 3 hours in the tank with the lights off.

I'm at a loss, I'm frustrated, and I just want to be able to enjoy these fish. Anyone have any clue why these fish wont take to my tank?

 

[deeda]

It's possible there is a difference in the water parameters between your tank and the store's tank or that there was just something wrong with the ones you bought.

Did you drip acclimate the 1st and last batch of Peacocks?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Is your water have d or soft?

 

[Rara12]

I have naturally hard water

I drip acclimated the first batch and this last batch, but I have tried floating and releasing and floating while adding a cup of water every 10 minutes in the past with the same results.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Do you a spare tank to keep them like a quarantine tank for a while? If they are alive in the QT then probably something wrong in your water chemistry (each fish has its own adaption to the water, you old fishes might already got used with it but it will kill new introduce fish).
When I knew there is a big different from my water parameter compare to the LFS water I drip acclimating new fish like 6 hours (I'm always took the water from the bag and test it)

 

[Coryloach]

It's only a guess, but looking at your regime of changing only 10g of water on a 55g tank and 40% once a month, your water stats have probably reached the "old tank syndrome" stage and are vastly different from where you purchase fish from, i.e. acidic but hard water. Old fish that are kept like that normally adapt, but new ones, especially sensitive ones water can have a really hard time.

Test the KH of your tap and then the KH of your tank before a water change. If there's a difference it means your tank water has become "unhealthy". There are other ways to test that but I find that either a KH test(not GH) or TDS meter are the best way to figure that out. If that's the case, start to slowly/gradually increase your weekly water changes to 40%-50%. It will take a bit of time to completely change the water in your tank as you don't want to shock your existing fish too. Then try getting the new fish.

If drip acclimating doesn't work, use the plop and drop method. Net the fish out and into the tank. The reason for this is that its possible you're are burning the fish's gills with the ammonia that shots up while doing drip acclimating which later asphyxiates them. The Ph in the water bag drops due to accumulation of CO2. When you open the bag the Ph shoots up. It's not the Ph change that kills the fish because CO2 doesn't change the Kh or other properties of the water. It's the ammonia that becomes toxic at high Ph. Add to that the hard water you are using for drip acclimating, and you're possibly killing the fish accidentally.

Do not acclimate in the plastic bags, that's the harshest on the fish and even non-sensitive fish can turn dead. Do not worry about temperature changes from bag to tank, unless its huge. The difference shouldn't be huge in the first place...if you want to bring your fish home alive....They'll recover from a temperature change better, especially if its in the right direction, than from ammonia burns which for the most part are irreversible.

Good luck. I hope you figure it out.

 

[Rara12]

Coryloach thats a great answer!

I keep the gravel level of the last 4" of the tank about 4" deep behind a retaining wall where I have been growing live plants. I just crammed the siphon to the bottom and watched the cloud of detritus get sucked out so the "old tank syndrome" could be the reason I've been having trouble. That and the large amount of natural wood in the tank is also battling the high Ph.

I'm running out to buy a KH test to back up the theory too.

 

[Coryloach]

The Kh is used up during nitrification. The more ammonia there is to convert, the more acidic the water goes over time if not enough is replenished to bring the kh back up. If you only test the ph, you wont notice because you need to drive the kh all the way down to 0 for the ph in naturally hard water to start dropping.

The plants are grest to reduce the amount of nitrification as they can take up the ammonia durectly, and thus slowing down water conditions deteoration.

So either way, the Kh test is not a bad investment to keep an eye on your stats from time to time. A TDS meter is easier and cheaper long term.

Let us know how you get on anyway.