Help. Fish are dying.

[zman219]

I have a 55 gallon tank that has been set up and running for 8 months. I had a 5 inch green sunfish that just died yesterday and a common pleco that is still alive but acting strangely and i think it is going to be dead soon.

I have an undergravel filter and a whisper 60 hang on back filter. I do a weekly 15 gallon water change with well water. I use Tetra AquaSafe to condition the water prior to putting the water in the tank. I check the water weekly with Quick Dip strips for ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, hardness, clorine, alkalinity and ph. The Ammonia is 0, nitrate is under 20, nitrite is 0, hardness is around 150, clorine is 0, alkalinity is around 180 and ph is between 7.2 and 7.8. About a month ago I started putting FloraPride in the water for the plants. I also have had an outbreak of what I beleive is blue/green algae in the tank about three weeks ago. It almost looks floresent blue. I tried Algaefix but for a week and a half but it did not help. Water changes and wiping the algae off seem to have it under control. The water temperature was 81 degrees when the sunfish died. That is the usual temperature of the tank.

Two days ago my Sunfish started acting strangely. It would dart around the tank very fast and digging out holes in the gravel. Came home from work last night and it was dead. Had him for 7 months with no problems. Don't know what I did that killed him. Now my Pleco is darting around the tank very fast and not hiding from the light like usual. I just did a 25 gallon water change and got the temperature of the tank down to 78 degrees.

Don't know what I am doing wrong. Any help would be appriciated.

 

[gobucks1]

how long had the sunfish been in there?

if not too long, try turning the water temp. down, closer to 70

 

[gobucks1]

nvm, sorry, i didnt read the whole post, what other fish do you have in t here?

 

[rjmtx]

I'd take the heater out all together. They don't need it. Maybe it's fluctuating?? Could be a number of things, but there are no sure signs from the evidence we have. Do the fish look weird? If so, can you post pics? Double check your tests kits against another at a fish shop or somewhere. It sounds like a water quality issue to me. Never was a big fan of algicide... in the future for cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) use erythromyacin (em tabs). It's an antibiotic that knocks it out. Just keep a bacteria culture from your tank going somewhere else. Good luck.

 

[zman219]

Sunfish was in the tank for about 7 months. Caught it at 2 inches or so. The only other fish in the tank are a pleco and feeder fish (usually three rosy reds at a time). The Sunfish turned very dark the last two days. When it started acting strangely I figurred the darkness was the fish showing stress. No other odd things about its appearance. Don't have any pictures. The Pleco looks fine.

 

[likestofish]

maybe it was the feeders? but what your ph ammonia and nitrite?

 

[rjmtx]

The feeders brought some type of nasty in.