i have a tropical tank (my first) and every few week a fish seems to die.?

Question

it is a 2ft tank running since november 2006. I have serpea tetras, tiger barbs,gouramis,a red tail black shark(just put in). i treat my tank with stresszyme weekly. I also do a partial water change plus clean my filters every 2week. I feed them once a day. Hope you all can help please!

Answer 1

Well, a fishtank can only support a certain amount of fish. Once you reach that amount (called a "Bioload"), your tank simply cannot support any more fish, and then you cross the line into Overcrowding, which can kill your fish.
You have a 2 foot tank, yes? How many gallons is it? 15? 20? 25?
You sound like you may have too many fish. You didn't specify how many of each you have, but in a 15-25 gallon tank you could have a school of serpae tetras, a couple gouramis, and that's about it. The tiger barbs and red tailed black shark are too much for the tank to handle. You may be able to get away with the tiger barbs if your tank is closer to 25 gallons, but it'll be tight.

At the very least, consider bringing the RTBS back to the pet store.

Also, increase the frequency of water changes. Every 2 weeks isn't too bad, but if you're overstocking, you need to do it weekly; replace 30% every week.
Be sure to never replace your filter cartridge unless it's falling apart. All your good bacteria live there, so if it gets gunky, just swish it around in a bucket of old tank water.

You can add a little aquarium salt to boost them up, about 1 flat tbsp per 5 gallons, disolved first in dechlor water.

Lastly, consider the source of the fish. Some stores just don't take good care of their fish, or get low quality fish (rejects). I would never buy fish at walmart, for example, but most large chains are usually okay, with the exception of some Petcos.

Answer 2

One of your water parameters is probably way out of whack. Get a test kit that tests for

PH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate

Check your temperature. The tetras / barbs prefer 78-80, and the gourami's prefer 76. I'm not sure about the shark, but I have one at 77.8 & its doing fine.

Also, if you have any decorations that are not for a fish tank, like rare crystals, painted objects, metal jewlrey - they can all leach poison into the water. Copper is deadly to most fish even in small quantities.

In cleaning your filters, you really shouldn't scrub the bio-media (the sponge or wheel after the poly-fiber floss and carbon). At most, rinse it if its clogged. This can kill billions of nitrifying bacteria and cause ammonia spikes.

In smaller aquariums, its more important to dechlorinate the water before pouring it in. The chlorine can kill tons of good bacteria destabalizing things.

One thing that may help as a general tonic is to add a tablespoon of aquarium salt / sea salt / kosher pickling salt to the aquarium per 10 gallons. You can do this for a very long time, and it often helps with new tanks. It aids osmotic regulation and prevents nitrite poisoning.

As a last resort, you can check your water's general hardness. If your tap water is super hard or super soft, some fish may not be able to cope. This is very rare though. Most fish sold in the aquatic profession accept fairly extreme hardness values.

Answer 3

Well it is most likely the tetras or the shark. Sharks usually are agressive but tetras are as well. I go to a store that tells you how agressive fish are. Sometimes there are fish that are really friendly that start killing each other because of nerves. Make sure to break the food up thouroghly. I suggest having a heater if you don't and sometimes sucker fish and cleaning shrimp help. Also check the water for cloudiness, which is caused by adding too much food and poop.

Answer 4

Are you dechlorinating your water? Also is your water too hard for the fish, gourami's like it quite soft. How long has your tank been running, did you nitrogen cycle it? Did you add all the fish in at once or every few weeks? Every few weeks is better.
How much are you feeding them? Do one flake for each fish, fish can go two months without feeding.
Maybe you could get your water tested? If not try and buy a home test kit.
Remember not to buy expensive fish first of all or they could die and be a waste of money!
Good Luck!

Answer 5

Where are you getting the new clean water from? I use jugs of distilled water or spring water that i know are at my room temperature. I also will refill the jugs with tap water, but i always make sure that the water has a few days in the same room with my fish tanks so that the temperatures are the same for all of the water. How much are you feeding them? That can also affect your water quality.
Sometimes it can also be you local water supply. Find out if other people in your area have been losing fish after water changes.
Also not all species are compatible and sometimes we all have little fishy murder mysteries. Make sure any new guys will get along OK in your tank before you buy them.

Answer 6

cleaning your filers that often removes the good bacteria from the filters too! you should change it every month- every three months depending on how soiled it is! take a cup of water to the local petstore, and see what the pH is at and check the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. do you have heat? if so what is it at? you should take 25% of water of the tank per week, making sure the water you are putting in is the same temperature as the water the fish are in. i use aquasage from tetra when i change my water. but anything that removes chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals is a necessity- especially when you are using tap water.

Answer 7

An important thing to do before you let the fish into the tank is to put the clear bag containing the fish into the tank and leave it there for one day to see if there is anything unusual happening in it.sometimes,the fish may get restless,that is caused mainly if the water is too hot or cold for the fish.

Answer 8

In addition to the other good answers here, I see you put "aggressive" fish in with "passive" fish. Get your tetras outta there!

Answer 9

Check Your pH and plz specify what fish you have and the amount of gallons your tank is

Answer 10

Sounds like your PH balance is off. You also mught want to check the water you are using. If it has too much iron ( such as well water) it might be killing them. also water that has been softened by a water softening system will also cause damage if it isnt checked.. take a water sample to any REPUTABLE pet store and have it tested..