Think you gotta increase ur water changes to twice a week. Cut ur feedings down. Recheck with a liquid test kit. That strip is showing some bad water.
Why are my fish dying?
- Thread starter Fishnerd360
- Start date
Hello; Are you using or about to use this medication? I may be wrong but have been assuming you do not yet know what is causing the death of the fish. Throwing in a medication at an unknown problem can add additional issues without doing anything useful.
The general consensus about the water test strips is they are not very accurate. Many prefer the liquid test kits. If you do get a better test kit may I suggest the testing of both the tank water and the source water.
Based on your posts so far only, I am more in agreement with water quality issues being the main issue. At the very least steps such as more frequent WC generally do little harm. The exception I can think of being the case of a big difference in the pH between source water and tank water. With the feeding schedule and two weeks between the WC you report this may possible. Also the test strip, if accurate, is indicating a low pH.
Even in such a case the WC can be helpful if done in stages. Say 20% WC each day for a couple of days, then 30% for a couple of days and so on until you get to 50% or so. Then the WC can be at greater amounts if done often enough (say at least once a week).
I also find twice a day feeding suspect. This can and has led to a lot of excess uneaten food. May I suggest an immediate two or three day fast with at least two fasting days each week after that. Also only one feeding a day.
Still need more info.
How long's the tank been set up?
How long, and how was it cycled?
What size is it? (how many gallons?)
How did you add fish? (all at once?)
if not all at once did you use a quarantine tank for new arrivals?
How much water do you change when you change it?
Do you vacuum up detritus (old food, fish feces)?
How long's the tank been set up?
How long, and how was it cycled?
What size is it? (how many gallons?)
How did you add fish? (all at once?)
if not all at once did you use a quarantine tank for new arrivals?
How much water do you change when you change it?
Do you vacuum up detritus (old food, fish feces)?
Hello; I am not the OP but have once frozen a dead fish. Not sure now why I did back then. A practical reason might be to keep the smell down until a method of disposal can be found???
I will freeze the fish because I would usually bury them in the backyard during the spring through summer as a fertilizer. And I agree it is the water, but why wouldn't my eel die first, knowing spiny eels are sensitive to water. Tank size is 45 gallons, been set up for over a year. Cycled for 1 month plus. When I change the water, I also vacuum around the tank but mostly in the plants since a lot of old food and fish feces gets in there.
I added my fish one at a time in quarantine first by putting the fish bag in the tank for 20 min, then opening the bag and pouring some of the water from the tank into the bag and wait 20 min, then I release the fish.
I added my fish one at a time in quarantine first by putting the fish bag in the tank for 20 min, then opening the bag and pouring some of the water from the tank into the bag and wait 20 min, then I release the fish.
I do 2 feedings a day because my acara now and pictus catfish would eat most of the pellets before the other fish would eat it, and the pellets are the size of a large grain of sand.
Hello; First thanks for the additional information.
Consider this. Even if every bite of food is eaten by the fish then such heavy feeding will result in increased metabolic activity of the fish and so more digestive chemicals byproducts released into the water.
Again my suggestions so far are to reduce feedings and to step up on the WC.
good luck
Hello; What you describe is not quarantine but is what I call acclimation. Quarantine means having a separate tank where all new bought fish are kept for a time to see if they have any disease, parasites or other issues before putting the new fish into an established tank. The time in a quarantine tank (QT) varies with the fish keeper. I tend to do 4 to 6 weeks minimum and sometimes longer. Some report six months in QT.
Hello; The first opinion that I can have some confidence in is you need to step up the WC to a much larger volume or say three times a week at 20%. Perhaps 50%+ once a week.
Hello; Overfeeding is likely the single most common mistake I have seen fish keepers make over 50+ years including myself for a time. Some feed too much because the fish beg for food every time they come around the tank. Some feel that because people eat several times a day that their fish need to as well. What you reason for feeding twice a day is will not much matter if in fact there is excess food left to rot in the tank. If you decide to do 50% + WC twice a week then you might get away with such feedings. I am not there so cannot say for sure you are over feeding but it sure sees so based on your posts.
Consider this. Even if every bite of food is eaten by the fish then such heavy feeding will result in increased metabolic activity of the fish and so more digestive chemicals byproducts released into the water.
Again my suggestions so far are to reduce feedings and to step up on the WC.
good luck
I acclimate my fish in a quarantine for 1-2 weeks or if I see disease, then it's longer until it's cured.
And thanks for the suggestions.
And thanks for the suggestions.
