Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 208 Location: Mumbai/ Vasai
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:31 am Post subject: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
HI everybody
good day
i have a sudden out break in my chiclid tank & all my fishes are Dying.
i already lost2 pairs of girrafe haps & 4 pairs of yellow lab & red zebra &
only few survivours now-
the syptoms are my fishes are not eating, either floating towards the surface
of lying on the gravel floor or hiding in the cave , some of them are just swiming like tumbling in the water
this is the 2nd tme this happend first time i lost 1pair of Gt severams &
lot other fishes
i have quarinined fw yellow lab n red zebra in a small tank with salt water
n fungal medicine with one capsule of tramicin
Joined: May 05, 2006 Posts: 183 Location: Whitefield, Bangalore
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:50 am Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Ginish,
Sad!! But kindly provide the answers to these questions before anyone can/may express an opinion.
Where are you from? What is the tank's size? What is your substrate? What is the size/type/make of your filter? Do you have temperature control inside your tank? How long has your tank been up and functioning? What is your water change schedule? WHat kind of fishes (beyond the generic description) do you have in your tank? What is their size? How long have you had them inside that tank? WHat do you feed them? Is the incidence of death sudden, or was it over a period of time? Did death start following a water change?
Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 208 Location: Mumbai/ Vasai
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:22 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Hi Arup.
Thanks
I from Mumbai, my tank size is of 36X 18 X12, I have white gravel with crush sea shell
Substrate, my tank is filtered on a power filter (1000lph), but I don’t have a heater, my tank is in function from almost 3 years with cichlids, but this breakthrough had happened a couple of time b4, I have a water change schedule of 40% once in a week
I have about 4 pairs of red zebra cichlid of 1 1/2â€
2 pairs of yellow labs
2 fire mouth.
2 pairs of giraffe haps
Their death was not sudden few of my red zebra cichlids started staying on the surface
in the corner of the tank & try to lift their body out of water & other settle on the bottom of the tank like they are tired & sleeping. They stopped feeding I doubted that they may be caring babies. But ysday few fishes started tumbling & all of them where like hiding in caves followed by death of fishes one by one – I had done e water change abiut a waak back of 5%,, I have been feeding thm with pallets , fast red, n chiclid flakes …
Joined: May 05, 2006 Posts: 183 Location: Whitefield, Bangalore
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Probability number 1: You made a small water change a week ago. These guys are very susceptible to nitrates - could it be that there is an excess of nitrates in the water?
Probability number 2: Did you feed them blood worms or any other meaty stuff day before yesterday?
Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 208 Location: Mumbai/ Vasai
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:09 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
how can i eliminate nitrates - i have moved them to a quarentine tank
i was planing for completly breaking down my setup & fresh start till they recoer in my quarantine tank of 1 1/2ft, & dont fed them any thing live since i had few fishes dying due to blot
Joined: May 05, 2006 Posts: 183 Location: Whitefield, Bangalore
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:07 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Never bypass the water change schedules in an established tank. In case you feel that you might miss a schedule, run two to three changes during the earlier week and reduce feeding.
Your quarantine tank is small, and I am almost certain that the nirtogen cycle is not established. So keep changing water at regular intervals (20% twice daily.....preferably store the water in a bucket for a aday and use that the next day to ensure that there is no chlorine etc) while they are quarantined.
The key to HAPPY FISHKEEPING is to do things at regular intervals.
I am sure they'll be fit and fine in a week to two.
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:16 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Quote:
since i had few fishes dying due to blot
How is bloat associated with live food?
Nitrate elimination is very difficult but for a freshwater setup, simple water changes go a long way.. you could also add a few hardy plants.
Recently there has been a series of heavy rains in the city due to which the water temperature has taken a beating, 1 day its close to 28-29degrees, and when it rains, it goes down to as much as 21-22... this is one of the main reason fish suffer, currently, even my discus are having the same trouble; try keeping the temperature stable.
If you do not have a heater or not planning to get one, whenever it rains and you feel the water's becoming cold, try installing an incandescent bulb in the tank to keep the water 'warm'. Do not worry, even if you keep it on through the night, and if members argue about the fish's "biological clock", it saves a fish from contracting a lethal infection\condition.
Joined: Dec 17, 2003 Posts: 557 Location: Belgaum Karnataka
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:27 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Hi,
for a start remove all the sand,keep the Aquarium bare bottom,change 50% water daily and ensure that you dont feed for the next 4 days,hopefully the fishes will improve.
with warm regards
Shishir kamat
Joined: May 29, 2007 Posts: 2181 Location: Hyderabad
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:05 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
How well is your tank oxygenated, do you have any kind of aeration in there (as u told fish hanging near the surface)?
For an over crowded tank you'll surely require a chemical and biological filteration to cut out the nitrates, mechanical powerhead filter will not do. Buy a top filter box(it can be attached to a powerhead) add some bioballs/ceramic rings in it for bio filteration and activated carbon for chemical filteration. First of all go ahead with water changes as advised above.
The cichlids are the toughest fishes if given a good water quality and high quality food.
Many hobbyists make a mistake by feeding them specifically carnivore cichlid food(dry or frozen), their intestines are long, to digest herbivore diet, fat from carnivore fish food can cause blockade of these long intestines resulting in bloat, then finally death.The cichlids you have are more herbivore than carnivore, they should be given algae & spirulina pellets and flakes & fresh veges, sometimes given a treat of tubifex worms and prawns.
And Lastly dont forget your water change.
Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 208 Location: Mumbai/ Vasai
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:07 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
hi,Amod.
i ve heard thar feeding tubiflex & bllodworm some times block the intestine of chiclids
& cause Blot which is difficult to cure ,, i have lost few fish with the same symptoms as blot
& i use to feed them live food.
Joined: Dec 15, 2006 Posts: 3670 Location: Calcutta
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:22 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
Hi Ginish,
A warm welcome to IAHians gang.
Quote:
My tank is filtered on a power filter (1000lph)
Top Filter will do the better job, as these filter have enough emplty space for filter media, such as bio balls, ceramic rings, activated carbon, zeolite etc
There are different kinds of filter media available to control nitrate, ammonia etc
Quote:
I don’t have a heater, my tank is in function from almost 3 years with cichlids, but this breakthrough had happened a couple of time b4, I have a water change schedule of 40% once in a week
Get a good quality heater or do as Amod suggested. Frequent temperature changes are bad for any living creatures. This could also be a reason for the death of your filshes.
20% water changes on daily basis is very good in fresh water aqua hobby using anti chlorine medicine.
Joined: May 29, 2007 Posts: 2181 Location: Hyderabad
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
This link will provide you the idea of DIY Top Filter I made, it'll cost you less than Rs100 to make one.
I think there is no alternative to activated carbon(cant use coal, it is a different thing) it is cheap, here in Hyd a kg will cost you around Rs 80-120, this can be used for more than 6 months for your tank size. For the bio filteration you can use brick broken into small pieces instead of ceramic rings/bio balls, it is porous, good for bio filteration.
Joined: Aug 19, 2005 Posts: 4895 Location: Mathura, UP
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: UREntly NEed HELP!!!! all my chiclids are dying
This looks like incomplete nitrogen cycle or it can be cholrine poisioning.
Do you see any red patches , burns on body of fishes. If yes it can be ammonia poisioning. Ammonia burns the gills of fishes and hence they breathe heavily.
It can also be cholrine poisioning, do you use a decholrinator.
Temp vairance does cause problems but these symptoms lookmore like bad water quality problem.
For future buy a ammonia test kit. you can also use Nessler's reagent, for a Rs. 100 you can do more than 10000 tests
Regular water changes are very essential for healthy fish, however do not change more than 25% of water.
I am not very sure about this but, your tank tank looks overstocked to me, and that might have contributed to upset ammonia cycle.
After reading you last mail, the cahnces of ammonia poisioning are very heavy.
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