why do the keep dying?!?!?!?

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#1
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#1
Okay, so I don't know what's up with my 75 gal. The fish just keep dying. I can't keep cardinals alive for the life of me, every time I get some, after a few days they start swimming erratically and upside down and they split off from the group, then I find them dead. I had 3 that seemed to come through each new batch and now one of them is swimming upside down, too. I think I've lost most of my otos, and then this morning I came downstairs to find one of my angels dead on the gravel! He was showing no symptoms of sickness, nothing. Just dead. I don't know what's going on! Help my fishies! I want to have a giant school of cardinals but I'm afraid to add anything until I find out what's up with them dying, especially now that I've lost an angel, too!
 

MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#2
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#2
Well, best thing to do is start with the obvious...water params and temperature. Take a current reading and make sure your heater is still functioning 24 hrs a day. Does the water temp jump around throughout the day? Is your tank going through a mini cycle for some reason? Is there any chance any contaminants have gotten into the tank? Examine all fish for any sickness/infections, even dead ones.
 

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#4
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#4
I just did tests and everything came up 0. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrItes, 0 nitrAtes. Is that bad? Is that normal? It kinda seems weird to me, I was sure that they were dying of ammonia poisoning from dead otos that I couldn't find, but my test says no. I have the drop tests, can they be inaccurate? It's really really cold in my house, would that affect the results?

I did test the phosphates as well, and it was at 5, and there is a crazy black beard algae outbreak in the tank, but I didn't really think that would kill the fish. But what do I know. Help help help.
 

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#5
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#5
The temp is at 78 right now, and that's pretty much what it's always been at as far as I know. I'll check again in a few hours and make sure it hasn't dropped. Although it might be dropping at night, I just thought of that. But even if it is, that would be a new development, within the last week, and I've been having cardinals die for months. Aaarrrggh!!!

Edit: how do I check for infection? What do I look for? I really don't want to take close look at my poor angel, but I guess if I need to...
 

Big Vine

Big Vine

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 7, 2006
3,895
9
0
47
Florida
#7
NitrAtes are zero? This must be a planted tank, right?
Hmm...if you want to examine any of the deceased fish, the best bet would be to put them in a clear bowl with some water in it...that way you could flip them around and view them from the bottom/sides without having to prod at them (and possibly damage them) a whole lot.

Sorry to hear about your difficulties. I'm kinda stumped at this point too. :confused:

Big Vine
 

lauraj

lauraj

Large Fish
#8
Jan 7, 2007
435
1
0
#8
I'll admit I'm a newbie, but I wondered when you last did a partial water change. Curious why your nitrates are at 0...unless you just did a water change, there should be some nitrates. Anybody else agree, or am I way off?
 

Likes: Seleya
usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#9
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#9
sorry, I don't know why I didn't check the PH. Anyway, I just did and it is at 8.1. :eek: So I guess there's the reason my cardinals aren't surviving. Aren't they supposed to have a really low PH? But then why would my angel have died? and why did the PH get so high? It's never been that high. When I first got the tank, I tested the water and it comes out of the tap at around 7.5 and then after a few days settles down to around 6.8. That's why I thought it would be okay to have cardinals. Is the PH killing my fish?
 

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#10
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#10
I have no idea why the nitrates are 0, maybe I did something wrong. Should I test it again? It's not a planted tank, unless you count the crazy algae that has pretty much taken over the entire tank. I did a water change on the 1st or 2nd of the month, right before I went on vacation. I was going to do another today, now I'm not sure. Should I? The water level is fairly low. Should I take a pic?
 

I

iamcowboy

Large Fish
#15
Jan 14, 2007
194
0
0
Crandall, TX
#15
I agree that nitrates should not be zero. Is this a well established tank? I had a major cardinal kill one time when I forgot to plug in my heater after a water change. They were dead within 12 hrs. I do know that cardinals should not be placed in a tank that is not well established. They also like it to be fairly heavily planted and tankmates that don't harass them. Since you have problems with more than just cardinals, I would look more closely at the water chemistry. Take a sample to your LFS and compare their results with yours.
 

MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#16
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#16
I know this tank has been set up and cycled for awhile now, we talked her through it. ;) Yes, sounds like something in the tank is bringing the Ph up. If it is rising quickly or fluctuating, that could very easily be what is killing off your fish. Do you have any wood in the tank?
 

usacutie81

usacutie81

Large Fish
#17
Sep 6, 2006
739
0
16
St Louis
#17
No, no wood. We have plastic plants, silk plants, the assorted collumns, gravel, a few shells, and the rocks. I'm thinking that it's either the shells or the rocks. The rocks I've been iffy about since the very beginning, but I knew nothing then and figured it would be okay. They are very porous and the algae soaks right in, I can NOT get it off once it has settled into the rocks. I did a vinegar test when I first got them and they did fizz, but the hubby really wanted them so he made an executive decision and in they went. Could they be raising the PH?

BTW I have no clue what's up with the nitrates. This tank has had fish in it for almost 4 months now, it is well cycled. Could the crazy algae be eating up all the nitrates? If so, is that bad?
 

Last edited:
MissFishy

MissFishy

Superstar Fish
#18
Aug 10, 2006
2,237
5
0
Michigan
#18
I wouldn't worry about the nitrate levels. As long as your ammonia and nitrite are low, shouldn't be a problem. I don't know much about rocks either, perhaps you should post a picture of them on here somewhere so someone can identify them for you. I do know that shells, wood, and some types of rock can mess with your Ph levels. Worth checking into.
 

lauraj

lauraj

Large Fish
#19
Jan 7, 2007
435
1
0
#19
I wasn't saying that 0 nitrites was a problem.....what do I know as a beginner. I'm just curious what would lower the nitrate level. Other than real plants.
 

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