I recently had a tank full of zebrafish and guppies dumped on me. I have a filter, heater and thermostat in the tank and they've been doing fine for about a month. I had no decorations or rocks in there until a friend gave me some gravel. I rinsed it very well and put it in the tank, and now all of my guppies are hovering together in a corner at the top of the tank, and the zebrafish stay in the middle, but also at the top. I lost a guppy this morning and some of the stupid snails (that snuck in through the old owner's filter) are dead too. My zebra's are looking bloated. Any idea what's wrong?
2007-02-16 10:17:13 · 6 answers · asked by Lisa E 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
By the way, the gravel was brand new...not previously used. It was still in the bag.
2007-02-16 10:18:27 · update #1
I do use tap water but I treat it with dechlorinator prior to adding it to the tank.
2007-02-16 10:23:15 · update #2
What kind of gravel is this? Is it the normal "aquarium gravel", pea gravel (the kind used for construction and gardening), or crushed coral?
As a guess, I'd say something in the gravel is causing your pH to change. This is why I'd suspect you're using something other than aquarium gravel for a freshwater aquarium. If you've had the fish and snails for about a month without die-offs, doing regular water changes, and this was the only change you seem to have made, it's the only thing that's obvious.
Have you tried a water change since your fish have started dying? Or taken the gravel out? Do you know your pH from before the gravel and have a test kit to measure it now? These are some things you can at least try to improve your fishes' comfort.
2007-02-16 10:46:07 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Was it actually aquarium gravel? Anything not made specifically to put in aquariums can hurt fish. Also, if you rinsed it with tapwater there might be a BIT of chlorine which kills fish, but probably not alot... if you think there might be a bit of chlorine that's bothering them, take the lid off the tank and the chlorine will evaporate in about a day or so.
It might also have nothing to do with the gravel. It's quite common for fish to decide to hover in one area of the tank and avoid other species. Many fish end up finding their territory and deciding to stay there after they've been in a tank for a while. Try getting some aquarium plants that they can hide in so they don't feel so threatened by eachother.
You also might want to go the the pet store and find test kits that can test for various things that might be wrong with the water if your fish keep looking sick or keep dying. The employees there should be able to direct you to appropriate water-testing products.
2007-02-16 10:28:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
treated tap water is fine but may be a bit hard but thats fine for guppies.
its possible the gravel might be releasing some minerals into the water thats not good for the fish.
make sure it was specifically made for aquarium use.
2007-02-16 11:15:41 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you test the water? Bloating can be a sign of poor water quality causing dropsy.
2007-02-16 10:25:20 · answer #4 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, is the water "Natural Spring Water" because if it is tap water (from the sink) they will die. That is all I can think of.
2007-02-16 10:20:47 · answer #5 · answered by Beth 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
put some rocks in there
2007-02-16 10:21:26 · answer #6 · answered by casey 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋