Discolored water and dead Goldfish-Help!

[GreenHeron]

First, the tank that has been having problems was a 10 gallon with 3 young goldfish (Oranda, Blackmoor, Telescope eye) and 4 Rosie reds. It had a strong filter system that was for 30 gallons think, we had it on the low flow setting otherwise the current was to strong. Moderatley planted with plastic plants plus one moss ball and un-dyed gravel. Had the tank for 3 weeks and was planning on switching it to a bigger one soon but now I have to start all over again because all the fish have died!

Here's what happened. The question is why and what?

The telescope eye showed ich a few days after we got him so we treated the tank and all seemed well. The tank had a couple of cloudy(whiteish) days then it was crystal clear. A week and a half later the ich came back, this time on the telescope eye and oranda. I suspect it was never fully wiped out the first time. So we changed half the water and did another treatment. Over the weekend though things took a bad turn, the water turned pinkish (not cloudy) and the fish became a bit lethargic and their fins showed sighns of what seemed like rot. They were disitegrating. Did a complete emergency water change but by the next morning all the fish had died!

I have had many fresh water tanks in the past, all succesful, but have never had the water turn pink before with such a fast decline in fish health. Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this? My thoughts were to small a tank/high ammonia/to much food. They only got a pinch of flakes in the morning. Anyone one know if the pink water is algea or bacteria?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Were the plastic plants from a fish shop and , more important, labeled as suitable for aquariums?

Any chance something was added to the tank, chemicals or such, by acccident?

Seven fish in a ten gallon that may not have been fully cycled with the mention of possible overfeeding may have led to a spike of ammonia. This might account for the damage to the fins and such. Those that keep goldfish have posted opinions on reccomended tank sizes and, if I recall correctly, usually suggest more than a ten gallon for one goldfish.

What was the treatment used for the ick?

 

[Thyra]

What you apparently have is basically 7 varities of gold fish in a 10 g tank where as you need supposedly at least 80g plus for that many of that type of fish. I didn't know what you meant by Rosie Reds so I googled it and found an interesting fact that may or may not mean anything, but those fish are known for a warning they give off called "Schreckstoff" which is a chemical they produce. There is a lot of info on it and I wasn't able to go through it all or see if as a chemical it also produced any color, but you might do some research on that. You either need a much larger tank if you are going to pursue goldfish or switch to some other fish. Keep in mind you can't mix gold fish and tropicals.

 

[GreenHeron]

Hello; Were the plastic plants from a fish shop and , more important, labeled as suitable for aquariums?

Any chance something was added to the tank, chemicals or such, by acccident?

Seven fish in a ten gallon that may not have been fully cycled with the mention of possible overfeeding may have led to a spike of ammonia. This might account for the damage to the fins and such. Those that keep goldfish have posted opinions on reccomended tank sizes and, if I recall correctly, usually suggest more than a ten gallon for one goldfish.

What was the treatment used for the ick?

All plastic plants are specifically for aquarium use. The Black moor also had a whiteish film on its fins. I know for sure that nothing was added that should not have been. The ick treatment used was Tetra Ick Guard Tablets. Used the recomended 1 tablet per 10 gals. I'm really thinking it was an ammonia spike.

 

[OrangeCones]

How long did you do the treatment for ich? It takes several weeks to cure an aquarium of ich.

Goldfish are massive waste producers. Just one goldfish needs at least 20 gallons. With having 3 goldfish, plus the rosies, in a 10 gallon tank, the tank was extremely overstocked. To be successful, I would recommend either getting a much larger tank or switching to fish that would live comfortably in a 10 gallon tank.

The discolored water could be a form of cyanobacteria. It takes on different colors based on the available light. It would thrive in water with low circulation and excessive amounts of organic waste.

 

[GreenHeron]

How long did you do the treatment for ich? It takes several weeks to cure an aquarium of ich.

Goldfish are massive waste producers. Just one goldfish needs at least 20 gallons. With having 3 goldfish, plus the rosies, in a 10 gallon tank, the tank was extremely overstocked. To be successful, I would recommend either getting a much larger tank or switching to fish that would live comfortably in a 10 gallon tank.

The discolored water could be a form of cyanobacteria. It takes on different colors based on the available light. It would thrive in water with low circulation and excessive amounts of organic waste.

Not long enough on the ich treatment. What kinds of tropical community fish and how many would do well in a 10 gallon? I think that might be the best option for the tank now.

 

[Thyra]

Four platies would work well IMO. They come in quite a few different colors, are fairly active, and not expensive. Later you may be able to fit in two otos - although they are schooling fish, I have had two in several my tanks for a couple years and they have done well. Keep it simple and you will learn a lot - its that way with this hobby!