Ok, something fishy here...

[NickM]

Ok, I went on vacation for 4 days, just got back today.  I gave my dad the job of fish keeper.  

Ok, just before I left my 20 gallon was about halfway through cycling, so I threw in my betta and snail (it was a last minute decision the night b4 I left)....they were fine for the 4 hours I watched them off and on before I went to bed, and when I fed the betta in the morning before I left.  Now I come home, and my snail is dead.  There is some sort of clear gooey stuff growing on my plant, and my betta's fins are mangled.  The tail fin isn't smooth around in a circle any more, it's jagged.  

My ammonia was 0, and my nitrites were 0 today as well.

Any idea of what the problem is before I go and buy some fish?

 

[tizme]

Gosh! The water quality is good but you've got fin rot?   ???Totally stumped... All I can suggest is getting a med in the tank to counter the fin rot asap.  Melafix works like a charm.  Outside of that?  Gooey stuff?  No clue.  Though I'd be real interested when you do find out.

Best of Luck!

 

[luvfishies]

I would say there was a spike of ammonia and/or nitrite while you were gone and this has resolved itself in 3 days.

The snail dying released a TON of wastes into the water.

I would do another waterchange, add melafix and salt 1 tablespoon/10g and maintain that for a week. Do daily waterchanges as well, replacing the salt that was taken out with the waterchange.

 

[NickM]

I moved the betta to my Q tank.  Giving him meds.

Now I bought 3 clown loaches last night, and I had 3 clown loaches b4 I went to bed.  I woke up this morning, and I have 2 clown loaches.  I searched thouraly all over my room, behind stuff, under stuff....in the filter.  No where to be found.   :'(  :'(  :'(

 

[NickM]

***UPDATE***

In the time it took me to type that last message, and go back up stairs, one of my remaining clowns had disappeared.  I got very curious about this because just like the last one, I couldn't find him out of the tank or in the tank anywhere.  I I went to net me last one and put him in my Q tank until I could asses what happened, I picked up the big ornament he was hiding under and felt something tapping in it.  So I located a hole and saw a tail fin.  I got a hammer and broke that thing open as fast as I could, and there were my 2 missing loaches playing hide and go seek with me.  So I put them back in my tank, left out the broken ornament and all is well.   *celebratesmiley*