Fish die after certain time

**Jayoneseven** · 02-21-2013, 01:15 PM

Terrible image here, but Cermet asked for one :) At least you can see what I'm working with now!

**fishmommie** · 02-21-2013, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by Jayoneseven

I did the large water change, fish looking healthier and happier, got the API test kit the following day, only last night got chance to run a test (about 4 days since water change) and so, because it was late at night (I'm a full time student w/ 2 part time jobs, time doesn't come easy to me :]) I only tested the Nitrates. They were red, like bright red, so I'm doing a water change today as soon as I get back from class here in about 2 hours.

Oh dear. Red is bad! You need to check ammonia too. Either way, get on those water changes ASAP. You'll probably need to do large (50 - 70%)one daily for a while to get the nitrates down. Your goal is to get the nitrites and Ammonia at .25 while your tank is cycling.
Also, I would stop using the Melifix. Gouramis are labyrinth fish - this means they also breath air. You'll see them go to the top often to breathe. Melifix is oily and can coat their lungs when they breathe from the surface so it's not the best thing to use in a tank with labyrinth fish.

Again - best thing you can do is test daily before you do your W/C and keep on top of them until you get this tank cycled. You're not out of the woods yet. good luck.

**Jayoneseven** · 02-21-2013, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by fishmommie

Oh dear. Red is bad! You need to check ammonia too. Either way, get on those water changes ASAP. You'll probably need to do large (50 - 70%)one daily for a while to get the nitrates down. Your goal is to get the nitrites and Ammonia at .25 while your tank is cycling.
Also, I would stop using the Melifix. Gouramis are labyrinth fish - this means they also breath air. You'll see them go to the top often to breathe. Melifix is oily and can coat their lungs when they breathe from the surface so it's not the best thing to use in a tank with labyrinth fish.

Again - best thing you can do is test daily before you do your W/C and keep on top of them until you get this tank cycled. You're not out of the woods yet. good luck.

Thanks I'll do that! I'm doing the 50% right now in between classes lol. Hopefully I can get it done fast and get back to school in time :p

**fishmommie** · 02-21-2013, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jayoneseven

Thanks I'll do that! I'm doing the 50% right now in between classes lol. Hopefully I can get it done fast and get back to school in time :p

Good for you. So sorry you're dealing with this on your tight schedule. I hope things square away for you soon. You might even want to do another water change later tonight. Those are really high nitrites and I'm as concerned about your fish as you are. The sooner you can get the nitrites under control the better.
Again - once you get things squared away, you can go back to weekly water changes but until then ... you've got some work ahead of you. Fingers crossed.

**Jayoneseven** · 02-21-2013, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by fishmommie

Good for you. So sorry you're dealing with this on your tight schedule. I hope things square away for you soon. You might even want to do another water change later tonight. Those are really high nitrites and I'm as concerned about your fish as you are. The sooner you can get the nitrites under control the better.
Again - once you get things squared away, you can go back to weekly water changes but until then ... you've got some work ahead of you. Fingers crossed.

Well I just did the change, just under 50%, I get off work at 5 so that's 7 hours from now. I'll take another test then, and if it's still high I'll do another partial change then. Thanks for the advice :]

**fishmommie** · 02-21-2013, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Jayoneseven

Well I just did the change, just under 50%, I get off work at 5 so that's 7 hours from now. I'll take another test then, and if it's still high I'll do another partial change then. Thanks for the advice :]

You're welcome. don't forget to check for ammonia as well :o)

**nikelodeon79** · 02-21-2013, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by Jayoneseven

5 rosy barbs, 3 female, 2 male
2 Opaline Gourami, one male, one female (they get along great)
3 neon tetra, small school but stick together well, had them for ~3 months, doing well.
1 albino cat
upside down cat died this morning, they were my 2 bottom feeders.
And one African Dwarf frog, makes it's appearances once every so often, I have thought it had died several times because it disappears frequently. Had it for over a year.

Other misc info:
~10 live plants
a few artificial just to flesh out the vegetation, hopefully will replace soon with more live.
I use an LED light rather than the tube
temp ~78*- 82* depending on room temp
1 large air stone beneath substrate

The Opaline Gourami is a color variation of the Three Spot Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus). These fish get quite large and can be territorial. Generally, they should be kept in trios. If a pair is working for you, that's lucky, but it could be leading to your issues. If they're attempting to breed, they could be terrorizing the tank and killing off your fish. Have you seen the male attempting to build a bubblenest?

More importantly, they are unsuitable for a 29g tank. A single gourami might be okay in there, but not two. The smallest tank size I'd attempt a trio of three spots in would be POSSIBLY a 40g, but preferably a 55g tank.

Rosy barbs are also large fish more suitable for a larger aquarium.

Neon tetras are fine in a 29g, but three is too few. If your tank weren't already overstocked, I'd recommend upping the school. They are "sticking together" because they're stressed. Tetras generally school very loosely.

If by "albino cat" you are refrering to an albino Corydoras aeneus (albino bronze cory cat), this is a fish that does best in groups of six or more. Again, your tank is already overstocked, so you can't add more. Additionally, C. aeneus get very large, and I feel a 40g breeder is the minimum tank size for them.

Your tank temp also has too much variation in it, IMO, and 82*F is too warm for most of the fish you have.

The biggest issue is that your tank is overstock and you've been killing your beneficial bacteria by rinsing the filter media with tap water. Don't EVER change the media (if it's falling apart, change part of it but never all at once). Even if you stop rinsing the media, however, you won't be able to keep up with the nitrates because there are too many big fish in your tank. You'd have to do several large changes weekly.

Here would be my recommendations:
Option 1: rehome all the fish except the neon tetras (the fish store might take them in on trade) and start over with stock more suitable for a 29g. DON'T ask the LFS for advice... ask here.

Option 2: Get a larger tank, as large as you can afford and have room for. I personally prefer a 75g tank, but 55s tend to be cheaper and more readily available. Use a nice, soft sand for substrate and get more corydoras. You could also up your barb school and your neon school, as well as add another female gourami.

**Jayoneseven** · 02-22-2013, 02:53 AM

Thanks for the info, I'm getting a new tank soon hopefully, and looking into 55> at least. Sand as a substrate? Is there any specific benefits to that? Also I realize I'm going to have to do more water changes now, my change habits were far too small, and now I have the API kit I can regulate the levels easier.
I mistyped the albino, he's a pleco, not a cat. They only reach 2-3 inches max and he's about 1.5 now and has been for almost a year.

**nikelodeon79** · 02-22-2013, 02:15 PM

Sand is beneficial to corydoras because their natural behavior is to sift through the sand to find food. Since you have a pleco and not a cory, sand would not be a requirement. I have sand in all my tanks, but it's both a personal preference and due to the kind of fish I keep.

**Jayoneseven** · 02-25-2013, 02:34 PM

So here's another update. I've been changing 50% twice per week, waiting for the cycle (not sure what will happen or how to know when it does) but my nitrates keep climbing into the oranges and even reds after 3/4 days. To top it all I've just noticed two of my fish are showing signs of ich even though I haven't added anything to the tank in about 2 months. (any top recommended ich cures?)
So I'm going to continue doing the big water changes until it levels out a little more with the nitrates, and probably try to cure this ich at the same time.
Oh and one of my Bettas just started showing signs of fin rot! It's going to be a long week :P