Reply With QuoteWhat is your tank size and how new is your tank? Im suspecting that your tank is new and 50 tetra at one go is too much for your filter
Hi all
Initially after purchase 50 of the cardinal tetra from a local fish shop and setup the tank, I have been putting extra care and love into my new hobby. Three weeks past and things seem okay until yesterday morning when I smell of a fish stink foul from the tank. Guess it could be caused by the plant which is turning dark brown in color. So I change 3/4 tank of fresh water abd put a small cap of water stabilizer thinking it is ok and immediately transfer all my fish to the new water. To my horror in the evening upon reaching home, I see many of my fish has died. I try to recuse the rest by putting them in another pair but they too die one by one over the night. It sad me so much seeing them die but I dun know what shld I do, feel so helpless. They swim straight up and then later sink to the bottom of the tank. Feel very sad. Should I discontinue this hobby in order not to kill anymore life. Wat went wrong?
What is your tank size and how new is your tank? Im suspecting that your tank is new and 50 tetra at one go is too much for your filter
My tank is a new tank (abt 3 weeks in operation), size about 75cm by 30 cm by 30cm.Originally Posted by lonelobo
Unfortunately most of my tetra die overnight, or if not one by one. Very sad. Hope the last 2 dun die by the time i get home.
To give you the better picture of what is going on, it actually happen when I start to smell a foul smell from the fish tank although I change the water (10%) earlier in the morning of the day and by night fall, i start to smell a stink fishy smell. I suspect is the aqua plant as it start to have brown/black colour on its leave (probably the plant is dying). Thus I do a change of water (80%) the followng day morning but maintain the "problem" plant in the tank as during that time, I didnt suspect it is from the aqua plant yet. Then when i return from work in the evening, I saw 30 over tetra already floating (dead), the rest is struggling swimming. They seem cant swim as per normal but hang up in the surface of the water in a vertical mode. There is no other fishes in the tank except the aqua plant. When they tired, they will sink to the bottom and dead there (float up eventually). I try to put all the surviving fish in another basket but they too die one after another (even for those earlier look healthy and swimming fast one when I rescue them). Over the night, I have another 13 tetra casualty and left with 3. Not too sure how are they coping now until I return ho,me this evening to see what happen to them. Feel very disheartening as seeing my previous pet die one after another and yet I dun know what is their cause or how to treat them.
I'm not too sure, but it might be new tank syndrome? Do a google and find out more about it.
And i think you should share more about your tank setup, i.e. substrate, lighting, plants, ferts etc.
You might also want to add the fishes in a small batch at a time instead of 50 at one go next time.
I hope my limited knowledge helps.
Cheers!
1. your tank is still new so it has not cycled yet
2. your tank is overstocked with 50 tetras, the rough idea is 1 inch of fish for every gallon of water
3. your tetra should be gasping for air at the surface due to the overcrowding and lack of oxygen
4. the dying plant contributed to the build up of ammonia that contributed to your tetra dying
5. i would suggest you change the entire tank water and wash all gravel etc throughly
6. dont give up just yet, try again but this time remember to let your tank cycle first before adding so much fish and never add so many fish all at one go
Hi All
I do some readup and it seems that the symptom is similar to Neon Tetra Disease "NTD", thus I guess it is an infection of the bacteria that contribute to their death. Anyone has similar situation? Aiyah, heart pain as seeming the tetra grow bigger in size after the 3 weeks, but then now all dead. Bought them (50 fishes) for SGD30.00 from Serangoon North PetMart that time.
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/neon.php
Regards
Koala1971
are you sure? i dont think they die that quickly from this disease and do they have a spent spine for those that died?
That is my wild guess as the symptom is the same, swimming vertically upright and in difficulty, plus at times turn over to swim, their fin seem not to be working and that why causing them to jerk vertically. Then when they are tired, they will drop to the bottom of the tank and very difficult to raise again. Then they will die there, pity to see their stage of lying down on the tank and nothing we can do.
hmmm? where do you see that the symptoms are the same? the link you provided does not say so
I actually been surfing the net today trying to find out what happen to my Cardinal Tetra. Even if I know there is litle thing I could do to help the rest of the 3 Cardinal Tetra, I want to find out what is the cause. My some of the readout in the net, it's pointing to the direction of Neon Tetra Disease. See attached link contribution by other forum members. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question...2032011AAZVBAX
To answer yr question earlier, they are jerking swim, which mean they are upright vertical swimming with head at water level. They struggle till they cant continue and they will sink to the bottom of the tank, waiting to die. Some of the fish symptom I saw is that they are a bit curvy at the behind body when they try to swim. Their fin cant swim as per normal (look like one side swim only) like so fast and quick when I bought them.
BTW, is there any bacteria treatment chemical that is used to treat Tetra one? What is the name and where can I buy it? Does it kill all kinds of harmful bacterial in teh aquarium?
weel i still dont see where you get that the symptoms are similar. maybe you can copy and paste??.. from what i have read the disease seems to be incurable
Symptoms of NTD:
Restlessness
Fish begins to lose coloration
As cysts develop, body may become lumpy
Fish has difficulty swimming
In advanced cases spine may become curved
Secondary infections such as fin rot and bloating
Noted that their behind body is curved to one side and their fin one side is no longer active to be swim.
hmmm but that does not explain the vertical swimming... but oh well im not really sure but my money is not on this disease... maybe u can try zebra danio they are hardier species
Hi Koala,
U smell fish stink smell may be the ammonia built up in the tank, and u change 80% of the water, is too much (IMO). And i suspect it is not due to the disease...it may be due to the Water change that u have perform. Water change of this amount, will have big impact on the PH of the Water, and the sudden temperature change. Small fishes like tetra are vulnerable to this changes...Why i suspect this is because it happened after the water change is changed.
Btw, Are you able describe in detail the part of how u change ur water? and what filtering system u are using?
this is to troubleshoot where did u went wrong.
vicz
Well, when I cant tahan the stink smell of the water in the early morning (which I have changed 10% of water in the previous day morning), I have use a suckion tube to suck out 80% of the water and immediately pour fresh water from tap directly into it and put a cap of the water stabilizer, thinking it can immediately remove the chlorine inside. But when i return home that same evening, i can see alot of dead fish floating. I got a few who swim very fast and i net them into another basket with fresh water and this time i use another fresh water plus water stabiliser again, but that didnt stop them from dying too. When I reach home last nte, the balanced 3 tetra also dead. So sad...
It seem those partially sick one who cant swim well fish is affecting the one that seem okay and swim fast one, i suspect it is some kind of disease, if not why the fast swim fish also dead at the end???
By the way, my filter I dun know what it is, just a sponge type suck in from the another outlet that generate the water bubble out.
Anyone has any view which type of fish is the most easy to rear one? Some of my colleague said goldfish, what is yr view?
I feel that you should cycle the tank properly first before considering adding any type of fishes. Even if you get a hardy fish, it might survive but not live healthily and might be short lived.
You might want to consider getting a test kit to make sure the water is stable.
Cheers!
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