Lost 2 Fish in 5 Days - Help?

[Uncle Albert]

I have a 30 gallon freshwater tank, do water changes every 2 weeks, gravel vac monthly. Had 6 Black Skirt Tetras and 1 Angelicus Loach.

The 1 Tetra and the Loach have been in there since March 2009. The other Tetras are a bit smaller and probably went in early summer 2009.

Earlier this week the older tetra had ragged and very blackened fins; his eyes were also very black and enlarged. I called my local fish store (indie) and immediately brought water in for testing; ph was found to be a bit high. sold me the test kit for ph and the buffer to lower ph. ph tested normal after applying it 2x within an hour; didn't help much though his color and eye did improve a bit; regardless he died on Tuesday evening.

Did a water change/gravel vac on Thursday (a few days overdue) and since then the loach did not behave as lively as usual. I'm 2nd guessing everything now .. we've had a heat wave here on the east coast this past week. the tap water did not come out as cool as usual (I like to fill the bucket at around 76 degrees and add Prime) it came out at around 79 at it's coolest; figured that would be OK (since it's within "safe" range and it would cool off).

Last night tested ph and it was high again; added buffer and tested, now it looked too low (6.4). temp was at 82-83 degrees; double checked it with an additional thermometer and it was more or less correct; began adding ice cubes but not too many; minimal effect.

Found the loach dead this morning. I'm thinking perhaps water chg sould not be done during periods of high heat?
Maybe loach was traumatized/injured during gravel vac? (though he's seen many since being in the tank) .. perhaps loaches should be removed during gravel vac?

To add to the confusion see attached. they indicate that water temp of max 82 and ph as low as 6.0 is ok for both species?

Finally what is the life expectancy of these?

Upset with more questions than answers *SICK*

Uncle Albert

 

[OrangeCones]

Sorry to hear of your losses

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? You can ignore the pH reading.

For the health of your fish, do not use the pH adjusters the pet store talked you into using. The stress of changes in pH are far more harmful to the fish, and as your testing is showing you, your water has plenty of pH buffers in it already, and it bounces back to what is 'normal' for the water. Fish do not need to be maintained as a specific pH as long as its not extreme. Stability is far more important.

The water you are changing should match the temperature of the water in the tank. Sudden changes in temperature can shock fish.

With the water being hotter than normal, it holds less oxygen. You can put a fan to blow across the top of the tank to lower water temperature, but keep in mind, this will cause more evaporation. You can also add aeration to the tank to help increase the oxygen level. If you use a water-fall type of fliters, lower the water level some so it splashes more. You can also add airstones. Anything that will increase surface water aggitation.

 

[Uncle Albert]

Aeration

Thanks for your response.

I do have a Koralia Powerhead in there for the last 3-4 weeks now (on the side and pointed downwards a bit). I did also ass an agae eating fish (very long and thin) at the same time. The filter is an Acqua Clear waterfall type.
I do keep the water level about 1 inch from the top. Is this enough aeration?

I don't know the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. Are the test strips they sell at Petsmart etc accurate enough for these readings?

Any other advice appreciated.

Thanks again!

UA

 

[OrangeCones]

I do have a Koralia Powerhead in there for the last 3-4 weeks now (on the side and pointed downwards a bit).

If I were you, I would adjust the flow so that it causes a ripple affect on the surface. This will help add oxygen to the water.

The filter is an Acqua Clear waterfall type.
I do keep the water level about 1 inch from the top. Is this enough aeration?
UA

Should be good, yes.

Are the test strips they sell at Petsmart etc accurate enough for these readings?

The paper strips are not as accurate as the liquid test kits. An API Master Freshwater kit lasts a long time and is well worth the price. Make sure you can measure ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Anything else is a bonus but not necessary.

 

[FroggyFox]

OC is giving you great advice...unlike your store. I would probably not ask them anymore questions if they don't understand something as simple as that telling you to adjust your pH is more likely to harm your already sick fish and that the pH most likely had NOTHING to do with your fish being sick. Unfortunately loaches tend to not be as 'tough' as some other fish when it comes to stress and illness...

I would invest in some water test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. If your nitrate is too high it means that you need to do some more big water changes to get rid of it... If you have ammonia in there it might mean that something has been upset with your bio filter (the good bacteria that lives in your filter)...or that you are overstocked. If you have any nitrite it might mean you need to do some more thorough vacuuming of your gravel. Those numbers can be pretty valuable and go a long way with helping you diagnose what might be wrong with your tank.