I have a well established 55g tank in which i had 2 oscars for 5 yrs. They died a few months back, so now restocking, mixing things up with different fish. The problem i'm encountering is some do well while others simply die within a few days? I have an angel that's approx 5 years old that i kept in another tank until the oscars died, moved her into the 55g and she's doing fantastic. Since then I've added 2 more angels, 2 clown loaches, 1 y-loach, 2 puffers<have since read they are brackish fish so bad choice?> 1 betta and 1 mollie. One clown and the y-loach died within a week of adding, the puffers lasted maybe 2 days and the mollie started the death swim this morning and has only been in the tank a week...why are some fish doing perfectly fine while others not? The 3 angels, betta and the one clown have been in the tank for 3 months with no problems but every fish i add dies within a few days? I'm thinking it can't be the water if my other fish are thriving? is it bad luck or or am I doing something wrong?
Why some fish die and others thrive in same environment??
- Thread starter Sunscape
- Start date
Yes, it can be the water! Remember that one way to euthanize a fish is to take a fish out of your tank and drop it into much colder water. A sudden change in temperature or ph for a fish can make it sick so that it is more susceptible to diseases in the tank. When you move a fish from one tank to another, be sure you acclimate it slowly and carefully so that you don't shock it.
Point number 2, be sure you aren't adding too many new fish too quickly. When your oscars died, there was no longer enough fish waste coming into the tank to sustain a large population of beneficial bacteria in your filter, so some died off. Now you need to help the bacteria slowly build their numbers back up so that your filter will do its job. Add a fish, wait a week, add another fish, wait a week, doing lots of water changes in between. The bacteria in your filter need time to build up their numbers after the addition of each fish, or ammonia and nitrites will spike in your tank and burn your fishes' gills. All the fish in the tank will suffer permanent respiratory damage from this, but the fish you have added most recently are already stressed from acclimating to a new tank, so they are most likely to die on you.
Point three: yes, it can be the water. Change lots of water while adding new fish. The fish who have been in the tank for a while can put up with dirty water to a certain extent, but new fish are already stressed so they can't.
Point four: some fish are hardier than others and some may be better suited to the temperature of your tank or the ph of your tap water or the other tankmates that you already have. Read the "fish profiles" and carefully plan what your finished tank will be like. Then add fish in order of hardy they are, one or two at a time, with a week in between fishes. You want to put the most delicate fish in last, so that the tank is stable and cycled and they aren't stressed by the addition of more tankmates after them, who may introduce diseases.
Hope that helps!
Point number 2, be sure you aren't adding too many new fish too quickly. When your oscars died, there was no longer enough fish waste coming into the tank to sustain a large population of beneficial bacteria in your filter, so some died off. Now you need to help the bacteria slowly build their numbers back up so that your filter will do its job. Add a fish, wait a week, add another fish, wait a week, doing lots of water changes in between. The bacteria in your filter need time to build up their numbers after the addition of each fish, or ammonia and nitrites will spike in your tank and burn your fishes' gills. All the fish in the tank will suffer permanent respiratory damage from this, but the fish you have added most recently are already stressed from acclimating to a new tank, so they are most likely to die on you.
Point three: yes, it can be the water. Change lots of water while adding new fish. The fish who have been in the tank for a while can put up with dirty water to a certain extent, but new fish are already stressed so they can't.
Point four: some fish are hardier than others and some may be better suited to the temperature of your tank or the ph of your tap water or the other tankmates that you already have. Read the "fish profiles" and carefully plan what your finished tank will be like. Then add fish in order of hardy they are, one or two at a time, with a week in between fishes. You want to put the most delicate fish in last, so that the tank is stable and cycled and they aren't stressed by the addition of more tankmates after them, who may introduce diseases.
Hope that helps!