HELP with fish tank please.

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deadmanwalking

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 22, 2012
69
0
6
UK
Hi everyone, I have a few problems with my 33 gallon outgrow tank which was set up on Christmas day. When I first started out, I had: 1 Red Clawed Crab, 1 Red Tailed Black Shark, 1 Bala Shark, 1 BGKF, 6 Rosy Tetras, 2 Dwarf Gourami, 4 Swordtails, 1 Zig Zag Eel, 2 Angelfish, 1 ElephantNosed Fish, 4 Glass Cats and 1 African Butterfly Fish. Since then:

- 3 Rosy Tetras have been eaten (it looks like the eel ate them) (over the past week)
- The Red Tailed Black Shark died (back in January)
- The Dwarf Gourami died (today)
- 1 Swordtail was attacked which ultimately killed him (February)
- The Red Clawed Crab died (February)
- The remaining 3 Rosy Tetras have been moved to the Quarantine Tank (24l).

Now, I thought these were just random deaths but recently i've noticed that all the fish (besides from the Elephant Nose and the Glass Cats) have been up the VERY top of the tank practically all day and then I thought that maybe they were suffocating (as they were all trying to get the oxygen from the water). So, I phoned the lady at the LFS and she said that I could move the filter up so the bubbles are going to the top of the water. She also suggested that I make sure not to spray anything near the fish tank due to the toxic fumes they can release.

Anyway, i'd love it if someone would be able to give me advice - as I am unsure of what to do now and I don't know if I would be better to either get the new tank or give fish back to the LFS? And if I do need to, would I have to do it sooner rather than later?
 
This is what happens when you have an incompatible stocklist in a tank that's too small.

You said it was a grow out tank, so do you have a larger tank on hand then?
 
^ Well, to be fair not all of those fish have been in the tank at the same time. The shark and the crab and the swordtail were gone before the eel came, for example. And not on hand, but I know the exact one that I want and I have the money for it.
 
water test results? and how often are you doing water changes? there are def some stockign issues.. but imo there is something else also likely going on
 
I do water changes each week. Here are the test results:

NO2 - 0-0.5
NO3 - about 9
pH - 6.6 roughly
kH - 2
dH - around 3
Cl2 - 0
 
Here is my advice. Research, research, research, plan, plan, plan, then research some more. Its the only way, unless you have an experienced fish keeper to hold your hand through the whole thing. I turned a green fish keeper into an expert practically overnight, but hey, i dropped 30 plus years of knowledge on the dude, and he has access to me when he has a question.

I can't help you with your current problem, as fixing something like that is not easy to do over the interweb.

I'd start over, fresh. And remember PLAN and RESEARCH! sorry, don't mean to yell. :)
 
Well, I am in constant contact with a guy who works at the LFS and my uncle is also there for advice (they are both pretty experienced). And as for the planning and researching, I did plan a lot and research a lot (and I mean for months lol) but I couldn't find any evidence to suggest that the problems which happened would happen. :(

As for what to do now, that's what I am really unsure of. I guess i'll just have to watch the fish like a hawk and keep doing regular water changes and feeds, etc. :(
 
ammonia? nitrites at any level are capable of killing fish, particularly stressed fish ( ie new,sick,malnourished ect) I asked for your perameters because ammonia poisoning is often the culprit to gasping fish... It can and will do irreversable damage to gill tissue and cause death even once the ammonia spike vanishes. aeration is almost never an issue as water/air O2 exchange is generally very good with moving water in general, stagnant water being an exception.

I would either

A.) take care of the fish you already have and get your tank cycled. don't add anything new for at least 2-3 monthes.

B.) remove your current fish and do a fish-less cycle and slowly add fish ( 1-2 per week or 2 until stocked ect..slower is always better)

I would also check your water temp, and rule out as many variables for this problem as you can to make sure it's not some odd off the wall issue. remember your LFS is there to sell you things... don't let them push you into anything your not 100% confident with. personally someone who tells me my O2 levels are a likely issue are shooting in the dark... and someone who knows "abit" about maintaining an aquarium... not a novice neccisarily but by no means better info then your going to find doing your own research online.

and redear kinda hit the nail on the head.. in the end you have alot of research to do yet. and the best way to fix the problem is to educate yourself... starting here is a great start, but there is alot to read.. and most of it is great info... the stickies are always your best friend.
 
I have had the same problem the fish die before they get big enough to put in the tank with the big fish and big filter system.
 
People read about the nitrogen cycle and understand it. Secoundly read about fish compatability. This hobby is a great one but you need to learn the basics to be successful.
 
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