Reply With Quote
I'd imagine you just bought sick fish... But what other plants do you have in your tank? Also, what substrate are you using? what kind of filter? Flow rate of the filter?
Hi guys,
I started a 1 feet tank 2 weeks ago. Had some moss to grow on the floor of the tank which hasn't really grown very well yet. I don't have CO2 and there's only a 17w PL light and a filter. I added minimal amount of anti-cholrine (less than 1 tablespoon of it) into my tank (which should be aroudn 27 litres). I ran this tank for 2 weeks.
Yesterday I bought 20 cardinal tetras, and introduced the tetras into the tank after putting the bag that they came in into the fish tank for 2 hours. The fishes were still all right overnight, but now, some are gradually dying. 7 have died so far from morning till now.
I just did a 40% water change, and I have only fed the fishes one time since they were in the tank, and even so, the food wasn't totally finished, and I just scoped and threw them away. I noticed that the cardinals' fins and tails were slightly whiteish, and looked a little torn. Could it be some disease that has hit the tank? Also, after switching off the lights in the tank, while having another light source (my tank is in a room) from outside. The fish seemed less stressful. But when the lights in the tank are back on, they tend to cluster together rather uncomfortably, while being pretty much stationary as well.
What could be the cause of this problem, and are there any remedies? Any form of help is much appreciated. Thanks and cheers.
I'd imagine you just bought sick fish... But what other plants do you have in your tank? Also, what substrate are you using? what kind of filter? Flow rate of the filter?
The fishes were alright when I bought them home, (C32. Flowrate is pretty slow, the filter's power rating is less than 10w. No subtrate, only gravel. Only taiwan moss in the tank.
Another 2 died, I've got a feeling the rest will follow.
What can I do should I really re-do the tank? I wouldn't want such a thing to repeat itself again.
How are you acclimatising them?
New tank syndrome....NH3/NH4 is the killer with no seeding of "mulm" nor heavy heavy planting. Non-CO2 tanks take more time to get established! You simply cannot add that much fish to a 1 ft tank in such a short time in a tank with just some moss and not established filter. Adding the fish merely just kick start the nitrogen cycle. (Some NH3/NH4 source for bacteria as food.)
Regards
Peter Gwee
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
The flowrate of the filter should be on the box. And what's the brand, i sincerely hope it's not a Jebo hang-on filter... That damn thing is almost useless for any kind of filtration.
It's possible that your flowrate is too slow to convert the ammonia into nitrates and that might be compounded by the fact that your moss has no nutrients to photosynthesize with. Further ammonia poisoning... hmm..
20 is still considered alot? I thought it was all right already. And the filter was already running since day 1, and it was only the 14th day that I added the fish.Originally Posted by PeterGwee
What could I do the next time round should I redo my tank?
The flowrate as indicated on the filter is 350l/h. Its the kind which requires it to be submerged into the tank.
Is that considered slow? What should I do to prevent this situation from repeating itself? Will more plants help?
I just put them into the tank while they were still in the plastic bag the fish shop put them in, and released them after 2 hours. After changing the water, still waiting for things to happen. =/
Although its not alot of money, but its pretty depressing to see the fish die. Shall be more careful the next time round. Looks like even for a 1 feet tank, 2 weeks still seems short to establish it.
That's a bad method, you should try this. Acclimatise them for at least 10 hours.
ahh yes, i didn't realise you added 20 fish in a 1ft tank... Keep the number at 6.
Also keep in mind that if there's nothing in your tank for the bacteria to turn into nitrates, then the bacteria aren't going to grow. Next time just add some cooked rice. A single grain will do. Though there are some weirdos who'll pee into the tank to get things started.
Next, 350 liters an hour seems too extreme for a 27 liter tank. It's recommended the tank gets cycled 3 times an hour so a 10 liter tank should have a 30 liter/hour filter.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks