hey guys i really need help on this one. I have a small predator tank and feeders are a must but in saying that i get into my question. Why are all of my feeders dieing?. I keep them in a 20 gallon standard tank with an under gravel filter and a filter that hangs on the back rated for a 30 gallon. the fish seem to swim in spsms like swim stop swim stop and use there whole body to swim not just there fins to propel them. also some have red gills and some have a white fungis covering them. I bought 50 the other day and anow im back down to 10 and counting... when i bought them they sure didnt look like this. Please help
rosie reds dieing
- Thread starter SpJc11
- Start date
try white cloud minnows, that's what i have used in the past for feeders.
they cost more then rosies and gold fish but less then guppys. plus IMO white clouds are one of the healthiest/hardiest feeder fish. i still have one in my pred tank, its a real fighter!
they cost more then rosies and gold fish but less then guppys. plus IMO white clouds are one of the healthiest/hardiest feeder fish. i still have one in my pred tank, its a real fighter!
He's right above over too many minnows for a 20 gallon. I'd say atleast half that should be held in a 20 gallon ranged from 25-30. They are not as hardy as fathead minnows, weaker cross breed i believe sold as feeders. But depends where your buying them from LFS? Best bet a local baitshop always fresh deliveries & more lively than a LFS.
But in the end could be a number of things nitrate, amonia, overcrowding, or who had them before you bought them.
But in the end could be a number of things nitrate, amonia, overcrowding, or who had them before you bought them.
anytime you dump in 50 fish into a system you will have a over load on your bio filter.
If your 20g was fully cycled before the feeders then you have just a bigger bio load than your bio-bacteria can handle at this point. And it will take time for them to multiply and be able to handle that load.
If the tank was not cycled then this is the problem as well.
You need to be checking your ammonia levels daily with a good drop ammonia checker. And at any time you notice a ammonia reading, do a 50% water change.
That is the problem with a feeder tank. You put some feeders in and over load the bio filter and they start to get diseased. And then you heal them up and use them. And when they are gone you go get some more and start the process over agian by over loading the bio filter again and causeing ammonia to rise and cause disease.
The best way to keep a feeder tank is to keep a running amount of fish init at all times. For example, stock the tank with your 50. And then do all the nessacary water changes to allow the tank to cycle with out getting a ammonia build up. And allow it to cycle. And then if you use 2 dozen per week, then go anbd buy 2 dozen per week and put them in the tank.
That way you allways have a running amount of feeders in the tank to keep it cycled on the bio load that you have.
If your 20g was fully cycled before the feeders then you have just a bigger bio load than your bio-bacteria can handle at this point. And it will take time for them to multiply and be able to handle that load.
If the tank was not cycled then this is the problem as well.
You need to be checking your ammonia levels daily with a good drop ammonia checker. And at any time you notice a ammonia reading, do a 50% water change.
That is the problem with a feeder tank. You put some feeders in and over load the bio filter and they start to get diseased. And then you heal them up and use them. And when they are gone you go get some more and start the process over agian by over loading the bio filter again and causeing ammonia to rise and cause disease.
The best way to keep a feeder tank is to keep a running amount of fish init at all times. For example, stock the tank with your 50. And then do all the nessacary water changes to allow the tank to cycle with out getting a ammonia build up. And allow it to cycle. And then if you use 2 dozen per week, then go anbd buy 2 dozen per week and put them in the tank.
That way you allways have a running amount of feeders in the tank to keep it cycled on the bio load that you have.
I agree with hybrid theory. The other thing to think about is that you can't have too much filtration, and this is the area where the specialized bio-medias really come into play. A wet/dry system is the best at growing bacteria fast because of the oxygen the media gets, and the different ceramic (substrat, biomax, etc. . .) medias are great at holding a ton of bacteria in a small space. I'm working on setting up a feeder tank, and what I've found from a couple bait shops & pet stores is that one of the most popular setups is a bucket on top of the tank with holes drilled in the bottom, and filled with biomedia. Run a hose from a pump in the bottom of the tank up to the top of the bucket so water pours through- it basically makes a reverse sump, and is super cheap. I've seen a couple places use pond "canister filters" (basically a bucket with a screw on lid & attachments for tubing to go on) above stock tanks to do exactly this. A setup like this should be able to handle massive increases in bioloads fairly well. I'm running an Eheim 2217 on my 60 gallon tank right now, and I add in 60 rosy reds at a time for my gars & bichirs, and I never see any increase in ammonia or nitrites at all. I firmly believe it's because of the close to 1 gallon of ehfisubstrat in that canister.