Bizarre Fish deaths

**bulldancers** · 02-06-2009, 03:07 AM

Hello - I started my tank last summer. I cycled it with a few walmart goldfish, then added several guppies and couple baby platies. A while ago, my largest guppies started dieing. They would just get skinnier and waste away. The younger ones did fine.

I checked the water quality and it is all within specs. and I also checked to make sure i only had "authorized" fish tank decorations =)

I have a regular fish tank hood and one light bulb had stopped working and when the next died I got new bulbs and when I was taking the old ones out, I found that the bases had rotted thru to expose the insides of the (incandescent) bulbs. I can pots photos if you need to see them.

Would this explain the fish deaths?

Bulldancers

**karbomb** · 02-06-2009, 03:13 AM

how big is the tank?
who often do you do water changes?
have you checked to make sure your fish don't have any symptoms of disease?
do you still have the goldfish in the tank with the guppies?

**bulldancers** · 02-06-2009, 03:28 AM

how big is the tank?

10 gallons / started with 4 - 1" guppies and a few youngsters plus 4 - 1/4" platy. remove fry to separate tank - no deaths in that tank - but they are all very small heheheh and it only seems to happe to the largest fish in the tank

how often do you do water changes?

10% once weekly - replaced with conditioned water

have you checked to make sure your fish don't have any symptoms of disease?

yes, had alot of fish many years ago - doesn't seem to be any symptoms- just the occasional wasting away.

do you still have the goldfish in the tank with the guppies?

No, they live as "not turtle food" in a partitioned area in our filtered 55 gal red slider turtle tank.

bulldancers

**Wild Turkey** · 02-06-2009, 03:40 AM

what are the tank parameters?

**karbomb** · 02-06-2009, 03:48 AM

IMO i would say your tank is over stocked, a 10g is small for that many fish.
also i would up the amount of water you change weekly, for my 10g i do 50% WC's every week.
i would do at least 25% WC's, 10% just isn't enough, and for freshwater tanks the more fresh water the better.

also wild turkeys comment would help us know more about your tank, i know you said the parameters are all in check, but more specifics might help us find the problem.

**bulldancers** · 02-06-2009, 03:56 AM

kk will get ya the #s - irregardless I have only got 3 - 1/4 inch guppies, and 2 - 3/4 inch platies now and they are still dying.

**karbomb** · 02-06-2009, 03:59 AM

Originally Posted by bulldancers

kk will get ya the #s - irregardless I have only got 3 - 1/4 inch guppies, and 2 - 3/4 inch platies now and they are still dying.

a 1/4 inch guppy or a 3/4 inch platty seems like they would be juveniles, if not in the former case babies.

**bulldancers** · 02-06-2009, 04:01 AM

nitrate 20 ppm
nitrite 0
hardness 75 ppm
alkalinity 120 ppm
pH 7.2

this is a "Jungle" dip stick test
our area tends to water that can form crusty deposits. so i test often.

**karbomb** · 02-06-2009, 04:04 AM

Originally Posted by bulldancers

nitrate 20 ppm
nitrite 0
hardness 75 ppm
alkalinity 120 ppm
pH 7.2

this is a "Jungle" dip stick test
our area tends to water that can form crusty deposits. so i test often.

what about ammonia?
a common response you will find on this site is that test strips are very inaccurate and that it would be more precise if you used liquid test kits, preferably API brand.

**bulldancers** · 02-06-2009, 04:04 AM

thats what i mean the adults die. Fry tank is no problem, babies i give to my sister grow up fine also - it is just this one tank.... I was mostly asking if I could assume it was the light bulb problem. I mean I have never seen a bulb this corroded- right thru the glass into the bulb/filament area. I kinda remember hearing that light bulbs coated inside with something inside - from like how its made or something

=)