My Fish Is Dying! Help

[MeganL3985]

I thought it was the male fish that was killing off my other platies. I lost my original female platy. I then got a male. That one died yesterday sometime. This morning I opened up the little feeder hole on the tank to feed the fish and my last male platy started swimming around the tank verrrrry quickly. Then splashed at the top of the water. After it splashed it just rolled right over and was belly up. The little fins were still moving slowly, didn't look like it was breathing though. The gills were spread wide open so much that they looked cut. I could tell it was still alive so I figured I would let it in there just a few minutes to die in peace. I waited a few minutes, went back to the tank and it was at the bottom in one of the plants. It was breathing and moving its fins. It got out of the plants a little and was swimming around the tank funny, not fast at all. I think its going to dye. What should I do? And why are all the fish dying? I tested my water with the strips and it was okay, but i'm going to take some water into petsmart and have them test it just to double check. My neon tetras are doing fine though...it seems to just be the platies. I am soooo lost! Is there anything I can do to keep my fish alive? Its still alive right now, just doesn't look well. :help:

[hungryhound]

Can you please give the actual numbers on the water parameters.

ammonia, nitrites, nitates,

The first thing that I would do is a water change to make sure that if I got a false reading I could correct any hidden problems there.

If he was floating upside down it could be swim bladder disease, but I am not good at diagnosing these things.

I am not sure what to offer you except my sympathies and that someone with more fish medical experience shows up shortly.

[tmartini]

While we're waiting on the experts... I'll give my two cents.

The red gills thing sounds like it may be an ammonia issue. Do you have an ammonia test? I would say you probably want to get a water sample set aside to take to the pet shop, and do a big water change ASAP.

How big is your tank?
How long has it been set up?
Do you think it's cycled?

[RobbieG]

The best thing you can do right now is a large water change. It may not solve your problem directly - but it should help your fish survive until you can fingure out what is going on for sure.

You should check your tap water if you can to make sure you don't have a really wacky PH or Nitrate level or something.

Get a liquid test kit as soon as you can -they are much more accurate than the strips.

If you can post the readings for your tanks Ammonia / Nitrate / Nitrite / PH and how long it has been set up / cycled we may be able to narrow your problem down a bit and get to work on that.

[zackish]

Megan L, you were the one that didn't cycle your tank if I remember correctly?

If that's correct then you are experiencing the nitrogren cycle and so are your fish. I would say just let everything die, buy a master test kit and wait till your ammonia and nitrites are 0 and your nitrate is about 30-40 ppm then do a water change then you can restock your tank and you shouldn't have any problems.

[MeganL3985]

I retested the ammonia with another strip, this one gave me totally different results than the first one, it was at like a 3.0!!! I did an immediate 25% water change, but I think I should've done a 50. No wonder my fish are dying! My platy probably has ammonia burn (?). Okay so now that I know what the problem is.....what do I do from here? I already did a 25%, should I do another 25% to equal it out to a 50? I cannot believe this...I feel like such a moron. And I need to get a different ammonia test, since some of the strips aren't working right. Ack...

[hungryhound]

I retested the ammonia with another strip, this one gave me totally different results than the first one, it was at like a 3.0!!! I did an immediate 25% water change, but I think I should've done a 50. No wonder my fish are dying! My platy probably has ammonia burn (?). Okay so now that I know what the problem is.....what do I do from here? I already did a 25%, should I do another 25% to equal it out to a 50? I cannot believe this...I feel like such a moron. And I need to get a different ammonia test, since some of the strips aren't working right. Ack...

Doing another 25 percent water change will not give you an equivilent 50 percent water change as 25 percent of the water you remove on the second water change will be the water you just put in.

I would test your water parameters now. I would do a 50 to 75 percent water change. Doing that large of a water change might stress your fish, but leaving them in a tank with that high ammonia would be worse.

As a general rule, don't buy the strips for the reason you just mentioned. The liquid tests are little more accurate, and do not tend to give as many false readings. Of course you still have to try and match a color on a chart which can cause mistakes, but it is way better than strips,.

[MeganL3985]

Do you all recommend the little tank meters (?), the ones that suction on? I saw a couple of them at petsmart but I didnt know how accurate they were.

[hungryhound]

I recommend the liquid test kits.

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[Lady Hobbs]

In agreement with everyone here. Get those toxins reduced wayyyyyy down.

[MeganL3985]

I did a 75% water change and retested the water, it said it was at a .50 now? What should I do now? Should I do a 25% tomorrow?
My platy still isn't dead...its actually swimming a tiny bit around the bottom now and isn't belly up or anything either. Its gills are moving rapidly still though. Do you think its gonna die or maybe get better slowly? I feel so horrible, I don't want it to suffer.

[hungryhound]

I would do two things. First I would go out and by an accurate tester. Second I would check my ammonia tomorrow and see what the levels are and do a 25 to 50 % water change accordingly.

Sadly since you are cycling with fish you will have to break your back and do water changes every day until your tank cycles to keep the ammonia, and nitrites at safe levels. But if you keep up the work, you should be rewarded.

[RobbieG]

If you haven't cycled your tank yet and there's fish in it you have a couple of options

Take the fish back to the store and do a fishless cycle

or

Keep the fish and try using Bio Spira to kickstart the bacteria (make SURE that the store kept it refrigerated, the use before date is OK, and it is the exact product - there are similar products like Cycle that don't really work)

Water changes will keep your fish alive in the short term - but the tank is likely to take forever to completely cycle if you have to change out 50% a day just to keep the fish alive.

Same thing if you use chemicals to control the ammonia - there are some chemicals that nuetralize the ammonia without removing it - but in a week you will going through the same scenario with Nitrites.

[SkarloeysMom]

I recommend the liquid test kits.

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I second this recommendation! Pay the money for the master test kit. Its seems like a lot but it will last you a LONNNNG time and save you a lot of fish.

[MeganL3985]

I went to Petsmart a little while ago to get the API master kit you guys recommended. They didn't have the master, but had a few individual ones. I got the ammonia kit and the pH kit. My platy died I guess while I was gone, so the pH is at the level (according to the kit) that tetras like. And since I only have tetras left I guess thats a good thing. My ammonia levels are down to a .25 now. A little different from the .50 that my test strips were saying. I'll definitely take the .25 over the .50 though :)
I feel like such a failure....I don't know what I was thinking. I was very naive to think that a tank couldnt get so toxic after only a few days. Boy was I wrong. I've totally learned my lesson.....

What should I do about the .25 levels? Do a 25% change tomorrow?

[Lady Hobbs]

You should do OK as long as levels do not excede .50. You may experience ick and fin rot due to the heavy stress put on your fish with the toxins. You have to assume that your nitrites are also probably high, as well. Keep checking your water daily now.

[zackish]

I recommend the liquid test kits.

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I would reccommend this too, I bought this kit it was actually on sale but i frickin love it. Granted I am only on day 3 of cycling my tank and only have been using the ammonia tester but its such a good kit.