All my fish keep dying! And I have no idea why!?
Okay, at the beginning of the week I had 5 fish in my fish tank (3 guppies and 2 goldfish, one was a Bubble Eye and I’m not sure what the other one was, but it was white with like blotches of orange and I just got it maybe a month ago). Anyways, towards the beginning of the week my new orange and white goldfish died, before he died he wasn’t doing so good…he didn’t eat, he wouldn’t swim very much and he wasn’t very social (he pretty much stayed away from the other fish, and the other fish didn’t get close).
Then late last night two of my guppies died, at this point I noticed kind of a white film over the fish. Also on one of my guppies I thought I saw a little spot of blood or something, but this particular guppy was one you can kind of see the insides of so it might of just been part of his insides…or maybe I was overreacting or something. I didn’t know what to do and I was tired so I just went to bed, but this morning I woke up and my last guppy was dead.
Now all that is left is my Bubble Eye goldfish, which despite the white film seemed to be doing fine but now I’m noticing his tail fin looks almost like someone cut it with scissors or something, and his coloring is turning really dark (it just looks like hes covered in dirt) in some places but like white in others.
The tank itself doesn’t look good either, it looks dark and dirty (which it didn’t yesterday) and the ground is covered in what looks like fish poop but its orange (like almost as orange as my goldfish was). Now my Bubble Eye fish is just sitting at the top (hes not dead because hes still moving).
Its probably too late to save my Bubble Eye goldfish but I just wondered two things:
1. What happened to my fish?
2. I will clean my tank out before I put any new fish in the tank but is there anything special I should use or do other than that?
I’m not sure what sized tank I have, I think about 10 gallons maybe? Which from researching I don’t think is enough for even one goldfish, let alone two, (sorry, I’m not really smart when it comes to fish, I just listen to what the pet store people tell me, who said that guppies and goldfish will do fine together). But I’m almost positive it has a proper sized filter.
I’m not sure what it means to Cycle the tank before adding a new fish (like I said before, I’m dumb when it comes to this fish stuff).
And I’m also unsure of how to get the readings of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate
Tags: 3 guppies, blotches, bubble eye, dirt, fish tank, Goldfish, guppy, hes, orange, poop, scissors, tail fin, white film
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
Sounds like your fish have ich. Ich will kill off your fish quite quickly if not treated you need ich meds here.
ALso guppies are fine in lower water temperatures as well so no worries there.
The link below explains what cycling is and how it affects your fish.
DO NOT clean out the tank. You already have a cycle in the tank. By doing so you will need to wait a few weeks before getting fish again, or the same thing is going to happen all over again.
You also need to keep your fish on a weekly 25% water change with gravel vacing.
Read the link it will explain.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
1. Goldfish should only be housed with other goldfish. They produce a massive amount of waste- did you have at least a thirty gallon cycled tank with heavy filtration? If not than the goldfish were too much for the system to handle and the fish died of ammonia poisoning.
If you can see fish waste breaking down on the bottom of the tank you need to use a siphon to vacuum the substrate.
2. Do not clean the tank out entirely. It would destroy what little beneficial bacteria that has accumulated. You need to purchase an aquarium test kit and test your water. You should be performing a weekly partial water change of 25 percent while vacuuming the substrate.
~We aren’t born knowing proper fish care, we have to learn it through books, and credible magazines and websites. You just need to do more research before purchasing any more fish.
Cycling/The nitrogen cycle- The process in which you take the time to accumulate beneficial bacteria which breaks down fish waste, ideally before fish are added. Adding fish in right away means that your water was biologically dead, or devoid of this bacteria.
http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/misc/fishlesscycling.html
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
First off, Guppies are Tropical fish and Goldfish are Cold water so they really shouldn’t be housed together because of their different temperature needs.
Now, it sounds like you have a few issues going on, but we need some more information. Please take the time to answer these questions so I can help you figure this out.
What sized tank do you have?
Does it have the proper sized filter?
Did you Cycle the tank prior to adding fish?
What are your test readings for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate?
When you come back with the answers this will help us figure things out better, but to me it sounds like your fish had a case of Columnaris. I’m not 100% sure though.
EDIT: It’s fine in not knowing something, but you really have to research this kind of stuff before getting a pet. I didn’t know this stuff when I first started out either. Your not dumb at all, it’s just that we all have to learn from our mistakes.
The tank you have is too small for Goldfish. For one Fancy variety of Goldfish, you need 20 gallons and then for every additional Goldfish you add on 10 additional gallons.
A small group of Guppies however, can do well in a 10 gallon tank. I wouldn’t go over 5 though.
Now, Cycling refers to the Nitrogen Cycle. This is when we create an environment for our fish by allowing good bacteria to colonize within the filter media, gravel, and other hard surfaces of the tank. This bacteria, when at sufficient amounts will eat the Ammonia from decomposing fish poop and turn it into Nitrites. Another type of bacteria colonizes and turns Nitrites into Nitrates. Both Ammonia and Nitrite are poisonous to fish in any amount, but Nitrates are fine under 20ppm (parts per million). Partial water changes are perfect for bringing those levels down.
Now, in order to test for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate you will need liquid testing kits. API is a good brand that I personally use and recommend. It’s fairly easy to do once you read the instructions carefully.
Now, as for your sick Bubble eye. It still sounds to me like Columnaris which is a bacterial infection and does need medication to treat. I would suggest using something called Binox which is an all over treatment for many types of ailments and it will make your water yellow. Take out the carbon in your filter pad and follow the directions to the T.
A few tips:
Never do more than a 50% water change unless something drastic has happened in the tank (chemical spill, wide spread illness etc). Otherwise, you will just be killing good bacteria. There is also no need to take gravel out and rinse it either, which is why a gravel vac is perfect.
Never throw out your filter pad like they say to do every month. This is where good bacteria colonize the most and if you throw it out, the Cycle has to start all over again which can do more harm to your fish. You can, however rinse it in tank water every once in a blue moon. When the pad gets really bad (falling apart bad), you will need to add a new pad in with the old inside the filter for 1 month so that good bacteria can be transferred.
Very good luck to you and check out the links. Possibly these sites will help you out with more of your questions as well.
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
The fish didn’t like you so they just died…
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
my little sister isn’t into the cichlid like me but she has a tank of your exact same fish ….Water changes or cycling the tank(same thing) are when you take old water from the tank and add new (PREPARED) water to your tank….if you have a gravel vacuum then this is a good time to vacuum the gravel out a little…. if no vacuum just stir the gravel up a little pic b4 you do the water changes to help get the poop and food out of there..Don’t over feed it cause ammonia to rise from rotting food and a tank that small will foul up quick…Go to any local pet store to see if they have testing kits(which they do) also many stores will do a water test right there just bring some water in to them…..As for they fish dying maybe didn’tt change the water and it got nasty or did you use a neutralizer to get the chlorine and other heavy metals out of they water?I use this brand called tetra aqua..Aqua-safee is this water conditioner that allows tap water to be safe….I get my at wal-mart for like 4 dollars for 8.45fl oz bottlethat’ss last a while……Just with the proper research you can get your aquarium full of life…..
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
Before sacrificing any more fish, please go to a book store or library and get a beginner’s book or 2 about aquarium keeping and one about goldfish. You will continue to be dumb about fish until you put forth the effort to learn about them.
Goldfish need at least 10-20 gallons of aquarium all to themselves for just one fish, plus 10 gallons for each additional goldfish. They need a filter rated for twice the size of the tank, and should never, ever be kept with tropical fish. Your fish likely succumbed to ammonia poisoning. Many pet store people will tell you anything to make a sale. You have to educate yourself on what you can and can’t do.
You need a water test kit to test your water. To start with, you can use 5-in-1 dip strips. They aren’t preferred by the experts, but are very easy for a beginner to use. Just follow the directions on the container.
Cycling a tank must be done before adding any fish. This process involves a long, drawn-out explanation, so I’ll just say read some books. Any decent beginner’s book will explain how to do it.
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
goldfish and guppies dont mix cuz goldfist need room temp water guppies are tropical fish and need to be with other tropical fish
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
Well first, you only have a 10 gallon. You need 20+ gallons for 1 goldfish. You also had guppies and stuff. So your tank was quite overcrowded. That may have been a reason why.
You said his tail fin looked as if it had been cut by scissors. I believe that is called fin rot. Idk what white film is. But all of these could possibly be prevented by checking water for ammonia, nitrate, p.h., etc. It’s simple, get a little of your water and bring it to the pet store and they will tell you.
Goldfish are NOT clean. They are very dirty. So you have to do weekly water changes(just 25%) So on top of the overcrowding it was DIRTY which probably caused the disieses.
Next fish you get i would reccomend it being neon tetras, albino cory catfish, zebra danios, and mybe even ghost shimp.
Good luck!
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
it sounds like the gravel is covered with uneaten food, you are probably, among all the other things done wrong, overfeeding them.
Goldfish should never be kept with tropicals, no matter what store people tell you. they are high producers of waste and need filters rated for much larger tanks, along with weekly partial water changes. Your Bubble should never have been in with any other fish, gold or otherwise unless it was another bubble. their eyes are very delicate and other fish can damage them.
Here is a link on cycling and what it all means:http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/CycleAquarium.php
This one is keeping goldfish:http://www.exoticgoldfish.net/index.html
Please read both before replacing your fish. Make sure you know exactly what you have to work with, and that means how large a tank, what type of filter..etc. this will impact on what kind and how many fish you can actually keep health. Is there a privately owned fish store in your area? Most of the large chains do not usually have knowledgeable people on hand. Sorry if i offend any who do work for them and do know..bless you! A local shop might take more time to see that you know what you are doing, or even if you don’t they might take the time to help more.
September 29th, 2009 at 09:42
You should try putting in a filter. Goldfish poop alot and it’s digusting. If you were another fish wouldn’t you try and escape to. Well your fish did and they ran out of air at the top trying to swim out. So they died, thats why fish always are at the top when they are dead, (scientists and you other people, stay away from this one just let it be)