my tropical fish seem to slowly die why?

Question

i have had both gold fish and tropical fish for a long time now but it seem im always buying fish one dies of one breed one out of another my heater is where it susposto too be temputer is fine tank is always clean and the food is great lately i have had my neons,catfish,glassfish..and even my leachy snake looking thing the hubby put in the tank normal tank roacks white ones a few plastic plants i just dont undertsnd it but i know i dont like spending 5 ,,6 ,,7 or even 10 dollars on a fish if it is going to die and most of them i get at big fish stores like bigs als in berrie ontario canada some one out there please help nothing is working

Answer 1

I'll try--- i owned a pet shop for 10 years.
first- don't ever change all the water in the tank. sipon 1/4 of the water from the bottom of the tank close to the gravel--once a month, it sounds like an ammonia buildup.
in my store, I'd have a schedule to do so many tanks daily, so i could cover all in the 30 days.
the snaky like thing you had was probably a killiloach. the bottom feeders usually go first.

Answer 2

There are so many things that could be happening... It sounds like you're trying, but without more specifics it's hard to know what the problem is. If you really want to fix things, stop buying more fish and start learning more about the hobby. If you're not even sure what the fish are called, you're not going to know how to keep them alive. There is a lot more to keeping fish than throwing them in a tank and feeding them once in a while. Do some research on:

** Tank Maintenance -- There are levels you need to test and keep under control; ammonia is one example but there are others. Water changes have to be made and the filter media needs to be cleaned and/or replaced, but if you do that wrong, you can have troubles too.

** Fish Species for tank preferences and compatibilities -- Goldfish and tropicals have very different needs and should neither be housed together nor taken care of the same way. Even just in a goldfish tank, there are different types that need different things, and moreso with tropicals which are more varied.

** and Fish Care -- There are many symptoms to keep an eye out for which can give you clues as to when things are starting to go wrong in your tank. Fish can be treated and tanks can be adjusted so you don't have to keep losing fish, IF you know what's wrong with them.

Either ask more specific questions here or, better, join a knowledgeable fish hobby forum like the one at www.aquahobby.com and ask questions. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

best thing to do is drain the tank, get new rocks new plants and start over. it could be a bacterial bloom in your tank or an unseen parasite living in the substrate. Get it all set up with new stuff and cycle it (let it run with a filter) for at least 6 weeks with no fish. Then add some cheap $2 fish like platys or swordtails, to help get the bacteria levels right. If this doesnt fix the problem, get your fish somewhere else.

Answer 4

My first question is how long have you had the tank set up? and how big is your tank? There is a good possibility you have overstocked it and gotten too much ammonia for your bacteria to process. I would suggest getting an ammonia, nitrite and nitrate kit pronto and check your water perameters. That is called the nitrogen cycle if you want to look it up on the web.

Good luck!

Answer 5

mollies prefer brackish water -- more salt than you can put in with the other fish. it helps keep them healthy. it sounds like you need another heater but i doubt thats why your fish are dying. my best guess is they are getting stressed in their travels. try to find a way to keep them at an even temperature while you are moving them around -- like an insulated lunch sack or small cooler. they could also be stressed from their travels. i usually fish shop midweek because all the stores get shipments on friday. that way they have made it through the weekend at least at the pet shop. i go betta shopping friday night to get the good ones though! do you know what kind of sucker fish you are buying? try to stick with plecos that don't get very big in a 50 gallon. some plecos will outgrow your big 50 gallon even! the lesson here is know your suckerfish before you buy one.

Answer 6

How big is the tank and what are you putting in it. First find a website that describes the nitrogen cycle of an aquarium. Then buy a test kit for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Learning the cycle should solve most of your problems.

Answer 7

if you have done a water change and changed too much water, or if you never add water you may have a ph increase and decrease thats causing the fish to die, it could be calcium,its all over the place so many possibilities, all i can say is buy hearty fish such as oscars or ghoramis, or tetras, stay away from livebearers, and only put goldfish in with goldfish, they expell way to much ammonia for other fish to exist in