# Why are my fish dieing?



## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

My cory has died, my male platy is just floating. I don't know what to do?.


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

is it a newish tank ? have you had the water tested ?


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Kev132 said:


> is it a newish tank ? have you had the water tested ?


 
The water is fine. Tanks been cycled, been up for a few months now?

The danios are ok, well there pretty hardy so if there's something wrong there make it through.


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## dave28 (Jun 19, 2008)

do a just over half water change make sure you ad the right dosage of water treatment to remove the chlorine, make sure your filter running properly and also have an air supply going in an airstone or something. temperature at 25 degrees celsius (82-84 degrees farenhiet) check you got no fungus, finrot/headrot or white spot, if so get the appropiate treatment and treat the tank.


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## dave28 (Jun 19, 2008)

when buying fish check they look healthy and no dead bodies or sick fish in other tanks, look for tail nip etc they should be full of life and colour and all fins should be high/flowing. if there were dead fish anywhere in other tanks be careful and dont buy any as 9 times out of 10 the system is all intergrated as 1 and basicly same system runs all tanks filters and the whole lot are diseased or ill


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

dave28 said:


> do a just over half water change make sure you ad the right dosage of water treatment to remove the chlorine, make sure your filter running properly and also have an air supply going in an airstone or something. temperature at 25 degrees celsius (82-84 degrees farenhiet) check you got no fungus, finrot/headrot or white spot, if so get the appropiate treatment and treat the tank.


 
Thanks, no sign of any fungus or illness on the fish or ornaments/plants. Everything is set up proply and well i don't understand. :2thumb:


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

jakeelvin123 said:


> The water is fine. Tanks been cycled, been up for a few months now?
> 
> The danios are ok, well there pretty hardy so if there's something wrong there make it through.


 
hi mate,when was the last time you done a water change mate.also what was the results of your water test.when you say its fine is that just by looking at it.

if you have not done a water change i would do one asap,i would do a 30% change.

plus what is your stock list and what size tank you have,it could also be a case that your platy was very busy breeding and burnt itself out.:2thumb:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> hi mate,when was the last time you done a water change mate.also what was the results of your water test.when you say its fine is that just by looking at it.
> 
> if you have not done a water change i would do one asap,i would do a 30% change.
> 
> plus what is your stock list and what size tank you have,it could also be a case that your platy was very busy breeding and burnt itself out.:2thumb:


 
About 2 weeks ago i done a water test. Cant remember the results but they were fine though. Tank is a 10/15 gal with 4 danios 1.1.0 platy and a well a long gone cory. Haha, the platy gave birth yesterday, and i took the fry out of the tank. Myabe the net passed on a disease. But it hasn't came in contact with other tanks before?.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

jakeelvin123 said:


> About 2 weeks ago i done a water test. Cant remember the results but they were fine though. Tank is a 10/15 gal with 4 danios 1.1.0 platy and a well a long gone cory. Haha, the platy gave birth yesterday, and i took the fry out of the tank. Myabe the net passed on a disease. But it hasn't came in contact with other tanks before?.


it could be a case that the female came to the end of her life,female livebearers do get a hard time of it with males,if you do buy anymore make sure you get more females.if you get 1 male then get 3 females or more this why it spreads breeding over all of the females..:2thumb:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

jakeelvin123 said:


> About 2 weeks ago i done a water test. Cant remember the results but they were fine though. Tank is a 10/15 gal with 4 danios 1.1.0 platy and a well a long gone cory. Haha, the platy gave birth yesterday, and i took the fry out of the tank. Myabe the net passed on a disease. But it hasn't came in contact with other tanks before?.


yeh its a small tank so water can fluctuate really quick. Do another water test. 'fine' is not an answer. We could do with actual answers


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> it could be a case that the female came to the end of her life,female livebearers do get a hard time of it with males,if you do buy anymore make sure you get more females.if you get 1 male then get 3 females or more this why it spreads breeding over all of the females..:2thumb:


Ok, thanks!. Thinking about guppies this time and what sort of bottom feeder?.


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

mike515 said:


> yeh its a small tank so water can fluctuate really quick. Do another water test. 'fine' is not an answer. We could do with actual answers


If you had read the post i said 2 weeks ago. I remember that the water was all clear and PH nitrates everything was at the right level!. In cant remember the exact results!.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

jakeelvin123 said:


> If you had read the post i said 2 weeks ago. I remember that the water was all clear and PH nitrates everything was at the right level!. In cant remember the exact results!.


and if you had read MY post you would see i wrote, do ANOTHER TEST. 2 week old results aren't any use now. You need to test it again and tell us though results.

ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

mike515 said:


> and if you had read MY post you would see i wrote, do ANOTHER TEST. 2 week old results aren't any use now. You need to test it again and tell us though results.
> 
> ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH


I haven't got a testing kit atm, but i will try and get to the p-store as soon as i can!.

And jees, take a chill pill m8.


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

Let's just try and calm things down a bit, by any chance would you have washed the filtration media (the sponges or ceramic tubes) in tap water? Sudden fish deaths are often due to bad water quality and I suspect that recurring New tank syndrome may be to blame. If you wash the filtration media in tap water the chlorine, chloramines or heavy metals in the tap water will kill off all of the beneficial bacteria on the filter, with no mature filtration media toxins build up to critically high levels resulting in sudden fish deaths.

I would carry out several large water changes (40% at a time is enough) and re-test the water, also consider purchasing your own test kit, these only cost about £20 and they can save lives.

Don't buy any more fish until the problem is recitified. When you do start to re-stock the tank do it very slowly and only add small fish, personally I think that Corydoras should be kept in groups. Livebearers usually live for around 2-3 years, not just a few months.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

i dont think any harm was ment by the comments,but if you can get a new test that would be great.dont stock the tank with anything new,true what pleccy said that livebearers do live for 2-3 years but you dont know how old that fish was so dont panic at the moment.keep an eye on the rest of the fish tho.make sure you do your wg (water change).


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> i dont think any harm was ment by the comments,but if you can get a new test that would be great.dont stock the tank with anything new,true what pleccy said that livebearers do live for 2-3 years but you dont know how old that fish was so dont panic at the moment.keep an eye on the rest of the fish tho.make sure you do your wg (water change).


So why is the cory also dead?

Perfect example of someone who has no interest in taking on genuine advice. 
If people ask for your tests results it is because without CURRENT test results we cant give you any real help. It is almost doubtless that your problem is related to water quality if you think there is no disease present. 

More than likely your fish have died from poor water quality directly or via infections caused indirectly.
I'll go so far as to say that as you dont have a testing kit, think week old results that were simply "fine" were sufficient and dont even know if your tank is a 10 or 15 gallon!!!

Good luck.


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

Water quality has a direct effect on fish health and with proper results from tests we can diagnose the problem.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

Saedcantas said:


> So why is the cory also dead?
> 
> Perfect example of someone who has no interest in taking on genuine advice.
> If people ask for your tests results it is because without CURRENT test results we cant give you any real help. It is almost doubtless that your problem is related to water quality if you think there is no disease present.
> ...


whos not taking on genuine advice....


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## Tehanu (Nov 12, 2006)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> whos not taking on genuine advice....


Keep your knickers on mate, did you ask for any advice in this topic? No, so obviously I'm not talking about you


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

Just re-read the post. I think Jake is taking on the advice, problems take time to sort out. So long as Jake tests the water again and carries out some water changes he shouldn't have anymore fish deaths.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

Saedcantas said:


> Keep your knickers on mate, did you ask for any advice in this topic? No, so obviously I'm not talking about you


dont worry got my knickers well on,but you have to give jake a chance.


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Pleccy22 said:


> Just re-read the post. I think Jake is taking on the advice, problems take time to sort out. So long as Jake tests the water again and carries out some water changes he shouldn't have anymore fish deaths.


 
Yes - i have tooken on the advice. And for your information, i am a good fish owner, my whole family is fish orientated my dad has a 6ft long tropical tank and a 4ft marine. Nan has a 3ft and my uncle a outdoor heated tropical pond, so yeah. I think i know what stuff is needed. My dad is giving me a test kit on the weekend and i think pleccy was right. I washed the filter media with water, which i left over night for the chlorine to evaporate, but i think i needed longer!. I appreciate all your advice and god, some people on here mind, its like a flaming play school full of 3 yr olds arguing over the last cookie haha:lol2:


(oops i've quoted the wrong post, sorry pleccy)


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Saedcantas said:


> So why is the cory also dead?
> 
> Perfect example of someone who has no interest in taking on genuine advice.
> If people ask for your tests results it is because without CURRENT test results we cant give you any real help. It is almost doubtless that your problem is related to water quality if you think there is no disease present.
> ...


Exscuse me?, I dont have time to count how many gallons i have to put into my tank, i have school, a paper round, walk a dog, go to the shops/post office everyday for my disabled aunt everyday!. So don't be telling me i cant look after fish!, i have leopard geckos, dwarf hamsters and help wildlife on my area, and to top that off, for me to get to do my dream job when im older, im starting St Johns ambulance soon!. So if your bored and want to big on the teen who doesn't know how many gallons his tank holds go ahead!.:devil:


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## Kev132 (Aug 13, 2006)

i see bud, when it comes to needing to clean the filter, give it a light clean out in a bucket of old tank water, shouldnt have many problems then ! 

do a good water change as suggested, cut back on feeding for a couple of weeks and then get your water tested again, if its all good add a few fish, and go from there :2thumb:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Kev132 said:


> i see bud, when it comes to needing to clean the filter, give it a light clean out in a bucket of old tank water, shouldnt have many problems then !
> 
> do a good water change as suggested, cut back on feeding for a couple of weeks and then get your water tested again, if its all good add a few fish, and go from there :2thumb:


 
Thankyou, someone who understands:notworthy:


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

jakeelvin123 said:


> Thankyou, someone who understands:notworthy:


 
none off the advise is bad on this post jake,its just that some people will put it in different ways.we all understand what it is like to keep fish so dont take things to hart to much.

you are a better fish keepper than what i was at 13,i put all my fish in neat tap water.you are always learning each day....:2thumb:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

mate, no one was flaming or giving you a hard time until you posted back thinking they were.

This is my last post because I can't be bothered. But if your family was that fish orientated surely you'd know what to do and what not to do.

Sorry but don't ask for advice then complain about how its given. I wasn't be rude to you before hand. Im just a very matter of fact kinda person. But I don't like being told to take a chill pill.

Anyway I do hope you sort your tank out, but in future don't attack people when they are givng you facts. I don't have much time during the day to make long posts so I right briefly. straight to the point. And i know a lot of other people do as well. It's not a personal attack, just quick advice with no garnish.

ignore saedcantas. Dunno quite why he/she was being so rude. No need. a nice calm explanation and everything is fine


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

mike515 said:


> mate, no one was flaming or giving you a hard time until you posted back thinking they were.
> 
> This is my last post because I can't be bothered. But if your family was that fish orientated surely you'd know what to do and what not to do.
> 
> ...


you were being rude to me!. Telling me im basically a rotten fish owner and that i shouldn't keep fish becuase im not exactly sure if it's a 10 or 15 gal!.


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

In future wash the filter media in dirty tank water, give it a good squeeze or two to flush out some of the gunge.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

Saedcantas said:


> So why is the cory also dead?
> 
> Perfect example of someone who has no interest in taking on genuine advice.
> If people ask for your tests results it is because without CURRENT test results we cant give you any real help. It is almost doubtless that your problem is related to water quality if you think there is no disease present.
> ...


this was not sent by mike,this was sent by saedcantas.i think this is the same person i had before.very quick to jump on people with a good luck guote at the end of their post.its not helpful advise imo so there was no need for it.mike was not having a dig jake you could learn a lot from mike and a few others esfa,pleccy,ashashash plus a few more people.sorry if i forgot you.lol


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> this was not sent by mike,this was sent by saedcantas.i think this is the same person i had before.very quick to jump on people with a good luck guote at the end of their post.its not helpful advise imo so there was no need for it.mike was not having a dig jake you could learn a lot from mike and a few others esfa,pleccy,ashashash plus a few more people.sorry if i forgot you.lol


 
I'm, so sorry mike, i thought it was you who made that post^. Hope you'll forgive me, jake!. Thanks for the advice though tony.:2thumb:


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

jakeelvin123 said:


> I'm, so sorry mike, i thought it was you who made that post^. Hope you'll forgive me, jake!. Thanks for the advice though tony.:2thumb:


no worries mate lol.


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

mike515 said:


> no worries mate lol.


 
cool, all the fish seem healthier/happeir after the water change.


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

jakeelvin123 said:


> cool, all the fish seem healthier/happeir after the water change.


nice one jake,just keep on top of things.if you need any help just ask.:2thumb:


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

bullet tooth t0ny said:


> nice one jake,just keep on top of things.if you need any help just ask.:2thumb:


Cheers m8.


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

Glad to hear that you sorted it out. We're here to help if you have anymore problems.


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## _jake_ (Jul 3, 2008)

Pleccy22 said:


> Glad to hear that you sorted it out. We're here to help if you have anymore problems.


Cheers, the fry are getting bigger and bigger each day. I put them into the main tank, becuase i read on the web that apparently they have a bigger chance of survival (if they don't get eaten, that is). And I haven't seen them for two days!.

I'm obsessed with albino red-tail sharks Atm, and i was thinking, if my lfs has some, could i buy a small one and as soon as it gets to big for the tank, transfer it to my dads?. Just a thought.


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

I read somewhere that over 80% of fish problems are due to water quality issues. Keep the water quality as good as you can and you're off to a good start. 

I only feed the fish every other day, I do a 30-40% weekly water change, gravel vac the substrate every two weeks, clean the filter media once a month in old tank water (the sponges are usually minging!!:lol and clean out the impeller and filter pipes 3-4 times a year. It's a good maintenance regime and happily, all is well in my fishy world (six tanks, 60+ fish, shrimp etc.). But if a fish does die inexplicably, the first thing I do is test the water - just in case!


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Trillian said:


> I read somewhere that over 80% of fish problems are due to water quality issues. Keep the water quality as good as you can and you're off to a good start.
> 
> I only feed the fish every other day, I do a 30-40% weekly water change, gravel vac the substrate every two weeks, clean the filter media once a month in old tank water (the sponges are usually minging!!:lol and clean out the impeller and filter pipes 3-4 times a year. It's a good maintenance regime and happily, all is well in my fishy world (six tanks, 60+ fish, shrimp etc.). But if a fish does die inexplicably, the first thing I do is test the water - just in case!


that's a very heavy maintanence schedule. Nice one. Few people would keep up with that.

I do a 10% every week and gravel vac once a month. But I take out 1500 litres a pop (thats just over 10%). So water changes are hard work. Plus gravel vacking consists of zipping up the wetsuit lol


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

mike515 said:


> that's a very heavy maintanence schedule. Nice one. Few people would keep up with that.


Thanks. As my OH will tell you - when I do something, I do it 110%! Pity I wasn't so thorough with the house work...:lol2:



> I do a 10% every week and gravel vac once a month. But I take out 1500 litres a pop (thats just over 10%).


:eek4: Well that's about 10 times what I do so no wonder you space it out! I change about 150L in total once a week between the six tanks (15L, 16L, 28L, 60L, 90L and 165L) so that's a doddle.


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Yeah my tanks somewhat bigger than that lol. 14,000 litres give or take a few.


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

mike515 said:


> Yeah my tanks somewhat bigger than that lol. 14,000 litres give or take a few.


Wow! That must be some stunning reef tank. I've never had the nerve to take the plunge into the marine side. Seems like a LOT of work...although maybe not in your case. :lol:

Edit: Just noticed it's actually a cichlid tank...doh!


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## bullet tooth t0ny (Apr 24, 2008)

i do the same every week on my tanks,40% water plus i vac the gravel in one of my tanks as the others are sand.it is a pain sometimes tho,that why i got the hump when i found two of my fish with whitespot.i have not had it for such a long time.

i would hate to do your water changes mike.lol


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## mike515 (Sep 12, 2006)

Not too bad, I got a 6 inch wide pipe to syphon out. Got a big vat that i fill with water 2 days before i water change. Then gravity feeds into the tank. takes about 20 minutes to empty, 20 minutes to fill. Not too bad.

4 hours to gravel vac though lol


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## Trillian (Jul 14, 2008)

mike515 said:


> 4 hours to gravel vac though lol


That's more time than it takes me to hoover the whole house...not that I do it very often. :lol:


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## The Chillinator (Jun 26, 2008)

It takes me 5 minutes to carry out a water change on my smallest tank, which is 20 litres and is stocked with _Microrasbora nana_. My largest tank on the other hand, takes an hour, it has a _Potomotrygon motoro_ in it.


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