Why do my white clouds (little fishies) keep dying? pliz help!?

Question

i bought 5 little white clouds today n 2 have alredy died!! when i first got them i noticed that 1 had an eye missing but that is a surviver!! the dead ones kept jus bobing in the waves of the filter then the next minute they died!!! the others look fine and aren't near the surface so i think they'll live. also the tank is new but i've put water conditioner in,av fed them so whats up? pliz help!

Answer 1

Things are sometimes difficult with a new tank as the biological filtration unit is not yet up & running properly & conditions in the tank are not yet stable.

It's true that you might have had unhealthy fish from the shop, but it may also be that the fish became too stressed on the journey back to your place & into the tank. Unless, the plastic bag containing the fish is floated for a while to stabilise the temperature, the fish can become stressed because of the different water temperatures.

Sometimes things like fly killer sprays & air freshener sprays used in the same room as your tank can contaminate the water & kill the fish.

If I were you, I'd get hold of some Stresszyme & some Stresscoat as well & add to the tank. Stresszyme helps the biological filter & Stresscoat helps remove chlorine from the water, conditions fish & alleviates some stress.
http://www.nunnie.com/newtank-3.html

However, as the remaining three are still alive, it's likely that the worse is over. I'd wait three or four weeks before adding any more - just to avoid 'new tank syndrome' .

There's loads of articles linked on this site that might give you some help & advice:
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/setting_up/index.html

Good luck.

Answer 2

When I first got into having a fish tank years ago, I had the same problem. I had a friend who was able to give me advice on why we had the issues we did. Basically, you have to have a proper bacterial balance in your tank for the fish you add. Cycling the tank, before adding fish to prepare it is really important. Basically, your tank has to have enough bacteria established to be able to handle the feces of the fish you add. This good bacteria breaks down the feces preventing it from turning into amonia, which is often deadly to fish in high amounts. If there isn't enough bacteria, the amonia levels will rise and once they reach a certain level, your fish will die.

There are products you can buy at the store, one specifically called "Cycle" that is pure bacteria. I used to add a little of this any time I added fish to a tank. But when ever I was just starting a tank out, I would use goldfish instead. Goldfish are very hardy fish and can survive through what most tropical aquarium fish cannot. So I would get maybe 10 feeder goldfish for a 55 gallon tank and leave them in for a couple of weeks. Goldfish produce a lot of waste quickly and this encourages the growth of the bacteria. Due to the fact they are a hardy fish, they can tolerate the higher level of amonia that occurs much better than most tropical aquarium fish can. Then I would return the feeders to the store and slowly begin to stock my tank.

Works great every time. Just remember, having that proper level of good bacteria in your tank is really important.

Answer 3

First off its possible that the place where you got the fish from sold you some bad fish. Second did you test the water to make sure ever thing was ok with the ammonia and nitrate level before putting the fish in there? If not I suggest you take a sample of the water to your pet store and have them test it. Third make sure you are feeding them once a day. Also you could tell the pet store what is going on with your fish if the water is fine they might be able to help you.

Answer 4

From the gasping, this is probable they're dying from ammonia poisoning, the two from the tank no longer having cycled or different source of ammonia, or probably another ingredient of water chemistry, so i could get a minimum of a dip strip attempt equipment and attempt for each little thing. it may desire to be the pH or hardness of your faucet water. while you're changing 25% of the water two times a wwk, there could ought to be particularly important quantity of ammonia. nonetheless I ought to ask did you cyceede the, did you attempt it, and have you ever saved it under seventy two stages, and is it filtered? Are there any dazzling rocks that could desire to be toxing them out? particularly the main significant reason I spoke back your question is the previous answer you purchased. 10 white clouds in a filtered 10 gallon tank is a very appropriate quantity and not the rationalization they're dying.. i turn into involved by why you sparkling the tank so oftentimes. IF this is on the grounds which you have no longer have been given any power clear out, this is why they're dying.

Answer 5

Maybe you didn't let you tank run long enough before you put your fish in, gotta let the water cycle a bit. You also gotta put a product from the petstore that contains live bacterias that a tank needs.
Or maybe your filter is too powerful for them, eyes get caught in it or the fish itself gets caught in it.
Also, when you put a fish in a new environment, you don't just throw them in the tank, you gotta let the bag from which they come in, float for about 30 minutes so they get used to the temperature, most fish are sensible to temperature changes, it stresses them and kills them.

Answer 6

they were probably too sick or stressed in the first place.

Answer 7

you know food can keep fish alive...