Gold Barb Dead Overnight

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

Okay, so I have a 40-gallon tank with 1 blue gourami, 6 gold barbs, a Senegal bichir, rts, a pleco, and a stripped raephel catfish. The catfish, barbs, and gourami are all about 2-2 1/2 years old. Last night I fed them and everyone was hungry and voraciously snapping up the food. This morning I turn on the lights and everything seems fine (It's possible I didn't notice a dead fish), I go upstairs to have breakfast, only to come back down 3 hours later to find one of my gold barbs dead, pale, and floating face-down in the plants. (This was one of the biggest of the six.) A few days before I did a 25% water change, and have been keeping the water quality up constantly. I also have a second filter on this tank. Does anyone have any clue as to what might have happened? I was thinking old age since gold barbs average out at 3 years, so it didn't seem too crazy for it to die at 2 1/2.

 

[tlindsey]

Okay, so I have a 40-gallon tank with 1 blue gourami, 6 gold barbs, a Senegal bichir, rts, a pleco, and a stripped raephel catfish. The catfish, barbs, and gourami are all about 2-2 1/2 years old. Last night I fed them and everyone was hungry and voraciously snapping up the food. This morning I turn on the lights and everything seems fine (It's possible I didn't notice a dead fish), I go upstairs to have breakfast, only to come back down 3 hours later to find one of my gold barbs dead, pale, and floating face-down in the plants. (This was one of the biggest of the six.) A few days before I did a 25% water change, and have been keeping the water quality up constantly. I also have a second filter on this tank. Does anyone have any clue as to what might have happened? I was thinking old age since gold barbs average out at 3 years, so it didn't seem too crazy for it to die at 2 1/2.

I'm thinking age as well. If you're aquarium isn't completely planted I suggest doing a larger % weekly WC'S.

 

[celebrist]

Possibly egg bound? I had similar problems with my Odessa barbs

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

I'm going to take a sample to my Lfs today (hopefully). If nothing comes up, I'll probably have enough evidence to lay the blame on age.

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

Possibly egg bound? I had similar problems with my Odessa barbs

What do you mean by egg bound? Like it can't handle the stress of breeding carrying eggs, and it just dies?

 

[celebrist]

Yeah, like conditions aren't quite right or unfertilized eggs and they fish bloats up and dies or something like that

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

Just got the water tested. Ammonia - 0, Nitrate - 0, Nitrite - just a tad bit high.

 

[tlindsey]

Just got the water tested. Ammonia - 0, Nitrate - 0, Nitrite - just a tad bit high.

You should have a positive reading for Nitrate. The bit high reading Nitrite means your aquarium is still cycling. The Nitrite should spike and Nitrite will start converting to Nitrate.

 

[duanes]

Don't beat yourself up, small fish usually have short life spans, and it may have been almost a year old when you firstgot it.
This species original ancestry comes from China, and northern South East Asia, as far north as southern Siberia, so warm temps tend to speed up metabolism, and can shorten its life span, temps of 65'F to 70'F are best.
I used to keep and breed rosy barbs (which are from same geographic locations), and found they did best in room temp tanks near the floor (without heaters),

 

[Slightly Psycho Aquatics]

You should have a positive reading for Nitrate. The bit high reading Nitrite means your aquarium is still cycling. The Nitrite should spike and Nitrite will start converting to Nitrate.

I don't remember the exact readings, because the employee was a little vague, I just know everything was low, and in the safe zone.