Discouraged

**Sandz** · 01-29-2013, 04:55 PM

Not necissarily. The heater could be a slow leak of current. I really dont think its the heater but it has happened to many an aquarist. The hornwart is a floater but you can also strip it and have it be planted pine trees. Like this:

**moghedan** · 01-29-2013, 05:06 PM

And sometimes fish die and you never know why.

Zebra Danios and Platy/Swordtails... sometimes something (i have never figured out what) will spook them and they will take off, running into the glass. They seem fine for a few hours, but the next morning they are dead.

The .25 feeder fish was likely a comet goldfish... they are very long lifed fish.

You have to keep in mind... these fish are either bred in farms under horrible conditions, or collected in the wild under unknown conditions, flown around in horrible conditions, stocked into overcrowded LFS tanks with dead fish floating... long before you transport them home.

Even in your own home, you don't know what happens all the time (see above).

Then, you have people that randomly state such and such fish should live for 20 years. What is this based upon? Someone, somewhere, kept a fish that long, so everyone should? If you fail, you are a bad fishkeeper? No. Never accept someone claiming an extraordinary accomplishment as their average, much less what everyone should average.

Among humans, people die as infants, as children, as teenagers, as young adults, and as elderly. Among the same family, you find those that live 100 years, and those that keel over before 40.

Don't be so quick to accept that in your own species, but think it is untrue in others.

When you lose clusters, 3 fish in a night... 3 fish over the past 5 days.... you have a problem.
When you lose one fish... the fish had a problem.

**FreakyFishie** · 01-29-2013, 05:07 PM

It's very possible that because you don't seem to have a quarantine aquarium that in adding fish you may have introduced a disease which is taking its toll on your fish population. I have the same problem with my aquarium when I add new fish. I recently had to deal with an ich outbreak and learn the hard way not to shop at a certain lfs around me. Out of 4 fish, one is still alive and in total 10 of my 12 cardinals ended up with visible signs of ich. I thought a few we're going to die, but it got treated and now theyre good. Though I think I just brought in some more ich with a recent pencil fish purchase :(. Always something to consider. Don get discouraged though, you don't get good at anything until you fail at it first because that's how you learn :).

**Indian Woods Angels** · 01-29-2013, 05:22 PM

I'm concerned about this disease that you describe as the one in which all of the fish just get skinny and die. While I do know of several diseases in which that happens I would wonder if you could elaborate on the situation. I'm concerned you may have a fairly severe nasty in your tank right from the get go. Is there spinal deformation on the fish, do they seem to suffer from spinal curvature, any lesions on the fish?

**givemean_a** · 01-29-2013, 07:29 PM

The danio just kind of wasted away. It was the same shape, no lesions, no curvature, (a la fish TB) it would eat, it would swim, it would play with the other danios, it just kept getting skinny.

**givemean_a** · 01-29-2013, 07:30 PM

Thanks for the perspective!

**FreakyFishie** · 01-29-2013, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by givemean_a

The danio just kind of wasted away. It was the same shape, no lesions, no curvature, (a la fish TB) it would eat, it would swim, it would play with the other danios, it just kept getting skinny.

That sounds like there's some sort of internal parasite at work. Have you noticed any funny looking fish poops? However, if there are parasites, you whole tank water, filter and fish need to be addressed and treated or else the cycle will continue as parasites can live in all three depending on what it is.

**Indian Woods Angels** · 01-30-2013, 12:32 AM

It may have been some form of nematode. Perhaps a form of hexamita. Usually the fish stops eating towards the end and gets a bacterial infection. This causes a bit of bloating. You may also see a hollow stringy fece. This can cause a fish or two here and there to pass. There is a wasting disease that is a separate issue from Mycobacteriosis (So called fish TB). This is possibly caused by a nematode. most nematodes can be eradicated by using a metronidazole feed and a heat treatment. National fish pharmaceuticals has a site that has a comprehensive list of diseases and symptoms. I find them on ask.com.