Please Help...Old tank, new problem!

[Arachnar]

Yes doing a sudden water change after you left the tank sitting for a couple weeks can really stress the fish. All those ODCs built up and the pH definitely lowered and when the knew water was added you fish may well have gone into osmotic shock. I think you can just find your own regimen with maybe a small water change every week or ten days whatever works I think. Rearranging the stocking might help as well.

Thanks for the keyhole info btw. Do you think it might of had aggression issues because it was single and not had at least one other of its species?

 

[itstrickytorock]

I'm not sure, that's an interesting question. I always wanted to try another Keyhole, but I never find any big enough to put in with him. Plus, they are just hard to find! They are such interesting little cichlids though.

I really feel my first tank for him, a 20gallon high, was just too small and he felt those fish invaded his territory, because once I moved him to the 30 gallon which has a lot more floor space, he hasn't been aggro since. He just has his picking issues when it comes to food, but nothing like before. Do you plan on breeding your keyholes, that'd be really cool! I'd love to do that.

Thanks for the ideas for the tank cleaning. It's just rough cause I have work and school year round. I just need to get motivated back into the hobby and I'll make time. I kind of lost interest for awhile because of the nice summer weather, much rather be outside.

 

[bluehairman]

Everybody else was perfectly fine. Then just now my Raphael had the same symptoms and is dead, everybody else, happy. What the heck is going on?? I thought Raph cats were super tough?

Thanks guys for your help. I got back from work, the raphael didn't make it. I left the sun catfish in the 30gallon cause I had no choice - he survived, and seems perfectly happy.

.. he died.. twice?

does your water come straight from the ground? or does it go through filtration

 

[Arachnar]

Maybe, I've heard that they are typical as far as an easily breeding cichlid. I'm just hoping the store's supplier has them available ,but they seem to be able to get some pretty rare stock so I'm hopeful.

I don't think the wellwater is the cause as you have been using it for awhile, but it wouldn't hurt checking it out.

 

[itstrickytorock]

.. he died.. twice?

does your water come straight from the ground? or does it go through filtration

I was a bit flustered at the time, oops! He wasn't completely dead before I left for work, he wasn't looking good, I assumed him to be "good as dead." I came home and he hadn't made it. So he died only once, the first was an assumption.

The well water is straight from the ground, no filtration. I've never experienced any ill effects from it before. Should I test the water from the well? I'm not sure how I would go about getting to it. I really believe it was the pH and my lack of cleaning...all the fish are happy now, no symptoms, and I didn't w/c again so it's still the same water.