Fish dying

[TotalDbag]

All of a sudden my fish population has been dropping like leaves (2 died within a week or two). The first one went MIA, and I checked the tank, and didn't find him. The second one I found. She was pretty beat up. I'm not sure if this cannibalism was after she died, or if it's what caused it. She was also a pale whitish color, instead of the normal clear-ish silver color. And I have noticed that my loach has become considerably more active. I replaced the filter cartridge, put some pH, ammonia, etc neutralizer in there. I did just recently change their food diet from Brine shrimp to blood worms, could this be the cause of the chaos? Help me please.

[TotalDbag]

Here's the second victim. They are bloodfin tetras BTW.
i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p584/TotalDbag/CAM01034_zps6f769227.jpgI won't post the pic, in case some would rather not see.

[asgrande]

Clown loaches are know to be fin nippers and get aggresive so it is a possibility. And the different diet shouldn't matter. Test your water and look at the params if they are outta whack thay could also be the issue.

[EmilyS]

What all is in the tank?

You should probably test ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, as that might be the cause.

Do you still have the filter media that you replaced? If you do, you'll want to put it back. Removing the media can remove the beneficial bacteria that keeps your tank cycled. The packages that the media come in might say that you should replace them every month or so, but that's just so that they'll make money when you go out and buy more every month or so.

One problem I'm seeing is that you switched to bloodworms- have you been feeding this daily? Bloodworms are meant as more of a snack, and shouldn't be given more than once a week.

[TotalDbag]

What I'd is in the tank?
gravel, wheelhouse decoration, heater, filter. And that's about it. I've had them for a year, and nothing like this has happened before. The only thing different now, is that one of their lightbulbs went out, and I haven't found time to replace it yet.

[smy_749]

I think he meant what other species of fish do you have in there? But yea, buy a test kit and test your water parameters. Check to make sure your heater is still putting out heat, and it wouldnt hurt to switch back to the diet that you had before. Not saying the blood worms are the cause, but when something goes wrong I always look at what I recently changed as a possible cause.

[TotalDbag]

Originally Posted by smy_749

I think he meant what other species of fish do you have in there? But yea, buy a test kit and test your water parameters. Check to make sure your heater is still putting out heat, and it wouldnt hurt to switch back to the diet that you had before. Not saying the blood worms are the cause, but when something goes wrong I always look at what I recently changed as a possible cause.

Other species is a Von Rio tetra, a loach, and a small otto. I do have a pH test kit, and that's in the norm. But how do I test other things like ammonia, and such?

[erichillkeast]

You can buy tests kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

If you don't know already, I would look up and gain a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle, that way I you will know what safe levels of all three are, and what would be causing the usafe levels.

In the mean time, I have a couple questions.

How big is the tank?
What is the total number of fish?
What, how often, and how much are you feeding?
How big and how often do you change your water?
What type of filter are you using?
Does it look like any of the other fish are sick (closed up fins, eye pop, ich, strange twitchy behaviour etc.)

[smy_749]

Originally Posted by TotalDbag

Other species is a Von Rio tetra, a loach, and a small otto. I do have a pH test kit, and that's in the norm. But how do I test other things like ammonia, and such?

Those otocinclus can be viscious, hes probably killing all your fish while you sleep. Just kidding.

They are pretty cheap. You can get them at petco or petsmart. If its not that, then start looking at your loach, he probably recently started getting aggressive simply because hes getting too big for your tank and isn't being provided enough space anymore.

[TotalDbag]

Originally Posted by erichillkeast

You can buy tests kits for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

If you don't know already, I would look up and gain a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle, that way I you will know what safe levels of all three are, and what would be causing the usafe levels.

In the mean time, I have a couple questions.

How big is the tank?
What is the total number of fish?
What, how often, and how much are you feeding?
How big and how often do you change your water?
What type of filter are you using?
Does it look like any of the other fish are sick (closed up fins, eye pop, ich, strange twitchy behaviour etc.)

1. 10 gallon
2. Used to be 6 total, now it's 4
3. I don't know what it is off hand, but I'll check when I get home. And I feed them as much as they'll eat in a minute once a day. At the end of the day
4. Maybe a quart and a half, to two quarts a week, or so.
5. The top fin equivalent to the wisperer filter. It's rated to 10 gallons
6. Other than my loach becoming more active? No.

[TotalDbag]

Originally Posted by smy_749

Those otocinclus can be viscious, hes probably killing all your fish while you sleep. Just kidding.

They are pretty cheap. You can get them at petco or petsmart. If its not that, then start looking at your loach, he probably recently started getting aggressive simply because hes getting too big for your tank and isn't being provided enough space anymore.

Should I get a larger hiding spot?

[smy_749]

I think the loach is the problem. 10 gallons is far to small for a loach, and I'm sure hes gotten big. You need more like 125 gallons for an adult loach, so I doubt a hide is going to do much good as he gets larger and larger. Pretty soon hes going to be bigger than the tank anyways.

[Pareeeee]

You can't really tell what's wrong with a dead fish. Their body colour changes after death and other fish start nibbling at their body.

I'd say your loach is probably being aggressive at night when you don't see him. I suggest finding a new home for him. They get huge, and certainly should never be kept in a 10 gallon tank.

Did you replace ALL the filter media at the same time? If so, that would have caused a bacteria inbalance. Only replace some of the media at a time, not all, and make sure you don't clean the aquarium in the same week you clean the filter.


...and just in case you took the other person seriously...no, otocinclus are not aggressive. They are the opposite of aggressive :P

I wouldn't feed bloodworms or brine shrimp as a staple. Get a good tropical fish food and feed the bloodworms only as treats.

Can you take a look at your living fish and see if there are any abnormalities? Clamped fins, white tufts or spots on body, cloudy eyes, pale band through the middle of their body, ragged fins, red gills, etc?

[TotalDbag]

Originally Posted by smy_749

I think the loach is the problem. 10 gallons is far to small for a loach, and I'm sure hes gotten big. You need more like 125 gallons for an adult loach, so I doubt a hide is going to do much good as he gets larger and larger. Pretty soon hes going to be bigger than the tank anyways.

Is there smaller loach species? Because the place I got it from said their max size was 4" Though it is petsmart, so it might not be reliable. I think it was called a black Kuhli loach

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

You can't really tell what's wrong with a dead fish. Their body colour changes after death and other fish start nibbling at their body.

I'd say your loach is probably being aggressive at night when you don't see him. I suggest finding a new home for him. They get huge, and certainly should never be kept in a 10 gallon tank.

Did you replace ALL the filter media at the same time? If so, that would have caused a bacteria inbalance. Only replace some of the media at a time, not all, and make sure you don't clean the aquarium in the same week you clean the filter.


...and just in case you took the other person seriously...no, otocinclus are not aggressive. They are the opposite of aggressive :P

I wouldn't feed bloodworms or brine shrimp as a staple. Get a good tropical fish food and feed the bloodworms only as treats.

Can you take a look at your living fish and see if there are any abnormalities? Clamped fins, white tufts or spots on body, cloudy eyes, pale band through the middle of their body, ragged fins, red gills, etc?

What's the filter media?
And I can't look at them now, I'm not at home. But the last time I checked (last night) I didn't see anything abnormal. I usually do feed them this

[smy_749]

Does he look like a snake? Long and slender? For some reason I was just thinking clown loach. There are many loach species and the kuhlis are a much smaller species yes