I started up my 55 g (very lightly planted) tank in May and I had a lot of issues to start (lost 4 or 6 clown loaches) but I thought I had turned a corner. I had 2 kribs bought in early June. One died 3 weeks ago or so. The other is now suffering from similiar symptoms. The krib is shy and hiding....not the extremely active fish it usually is. The only thing I can really think of is the bloodworms I feed the fish might have something to do with it. Both Kribs gorged on the stuff though so do my angelfish and theyre not sick. They're freeze dried and I feed the tank bloodworms once or twice a week though I do mix veggie flakes and algae wafers as well. I feed the tank every other day also. I do water changes at 25% a week and my readings are: Ammonia -0, Nitrite-0, and Nitrate- 10-15. The only other thing is there are small amounts of left over food in the tank despite my best efforts. I have eco-complete which makes it difficult to clean the substrate. This has resulted small numbers in what I'm pretty sure is Planaria swimming in the tank though I understand they're harmless. Let me know if there are any other questions I can answer.
sick krib
- Thread starter thetexasranger
- Start date
It is possible that the clown loaches that died had some type of bacterial pathogen and that this still resides in the aquarium. There are few pathogens or parasites that can survive more than two weeks without a host fish or fishes to infect. Were it me,(and it ain't) I would remove all the fish (euthanize), and let the tank run for two weeks with no fish. Is true that this will result in needing to re-cycle the tank but is perhaps best way to rid the tank of possible bacterial diseases or parasites.
To re-cycle the tank you could place one or two raw, uncooked shrimp in a section of nylon with a small rock to hold it down. This would be source of ammonia and does not require daily dosing of ammonia or daily testing. Simply begin testing for nitrAtes at about the end of the second week ot third would be more likely. Once you read NitrAtes and ammonia,and nitrites read ZERO for three or four consecutive days,, Then you can perform 50 percent water change or more to bring NitrAtes to 20. I would then place no more than four or five SMALL active fish such as Pristella Tetras,Bloodfin Tetras,Silver Tip[ped Tetras,or small Danios in the tank as sort of test fish. May sound cruel to others, but to each their own. Feed these small fish small amount of food each day or every other day and observe them to see if they exhibit any abnormal behaivors, Test the water a couple times a week and perform weekly water changes using dechlorinator such as PRIME. If fish appear to thrive after two or three weeks ,, then return them to store if you like or keep them. Some stores will accept fish (orphans) and place them for adoption but they seldom offer store credit.
This is all someting for you to consider.
The rams need soft water and warm temperatures and do poorly in hard water or cooler temperatures and this can contribute to their demise.
The clown loaches as you have learned (hard way), Don't do well in newly established tanks and do appreciate moderate current along with pristine water conditions NO ammonia, NO nitrites and nitrAtes as low as you can keep em through water changes perhaps twice weekly.
Kribs are pretty tough little fish and itr is for this reason that I believe patogen or bacterial disease could be loose in the tank. It is not uncommon for newly aquired fish to be sick from the outset considering the stress they go through during shipping, acclimation to dealer tanks,and then to our own tanks. Is why quarantine tank is used by many. This can be something as simple as clear rubbermaid or plastic tub with a heater and small inexpensive sponge filter. The water in quarantine tank should be same as water in aquarium that will house the fish. Leave the new fish in the tub for approx. two weeks and observe the fish closely for signs of disease. This will allow you to keep from passing any possible pathogen on to otherwise healthy fish. I hope some of this proves helpful. Good Luck!
To re-cycle the tank you could place one or two raw, uncooked shrimp in a section of nylon with a small rock to hold it down. This would be source of ammonia and does not require daily dosing of ammonia or daily testing. Simply begin testing for nitrAtes at about the end of the second week ot third would be more likely. Once you read NitrAtes and ammonia,and nitrites read ZERO for three or four consecutive days,, Then you can perform 50 percent water change or more to bring NitrAtes to 20. I would then place no more than four or five SMALL active fish such as Pristella Tetras,Bloodfin Tetras,Silver Tip[ped Tetras,or small Danios in the tank as sort of test fish. May sound cruel to others, but to each their own. Feed these small fish small amount of food each day or every other day and observe them to see if they exhibit any abnormal behaivors, Test the water a couple times a week and perform weekly water changes using dechlorinator such as PRIME. If fish appear to thrive after two or three weeks ,, then return them to store if you like or keep them. Some stores will accept fish (orphans) and place them for adoption but they seldom offer store credit.
This is all someting for you to consider.
The rams need soft water and warm temperatures and do poorly in hard water or cooler temperatures and this can contribute to their demise.
The clown loaches as you have learned (hard way), Don't do well in newly established tanks and do appreciate moderate current along with pristine water conditions NO ammonia, NO nitrites and nitrAtes as low as you can keep em through water changes perhaps twice weekly.
Kribs are pretty tough little fish and itr is for this reason that I believe patogen or bacterial disease could be loose in the tank. It is not uncommon for newly aquired fish to be sick from the outset considering the stress they go through during shipping, acclimation to dealer tanks,and then to our own tanks. Is why quarantine tank is used by many. This can be something as simple as clear rubbermaid or plastic tub with a heater and small inexpensive sponge filter. The water in quarantine tank should be same as water in aquarium that will house the fish. Leave the new fish in the tub for approx. two weeks and observe the fish closely for signs of disease. This will allow you to keep from passing any possible pathogen on to otherwise healthy fish. I hope some of this proves helpful. Good Luck!