White Cloud Minnow deaths?

Question

For the past few days my minnows have been dying and I can't figure out why. When I go to bed they're all fine, in the morning I find one stuck to the filter. This has happened three days in a row now and I have no idea why. Ammonia is 0ppm, Nitrite is 0ppm and nitrate is about 15ppm. I do weekly water changes of about 30%. I did change the substrate from gravel to sand on Monday, but I've left the top layer in pantyhose in the tank to keep the beneficial bacteria, until it grows on the sand. Also, the filter media is mature and all the decorations have been in the tank for months. I've been adding stability also since making the change.

I did add two new minnows to the tank on Tuesday, when the first 2 died I figured it was them but now that a third has died I'm not sure what's going on. There's no sign of disease or other health issues. Other occupants are a bolivian ram and 2 cories. It's a 20 gallon tank. Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

The cory cats are not agressive at all, the Bolivian ram may be the culprit. If it is a small tank and he is growing into an adult, he may start becoming territorial and is staking out his claim to an area of the tank (or the whole tank, if it is small).

The white clouds swim back and forth a lot and do not stay in any certain area. As they swim into his territory, he may be attacking them. A sharp blow by him slamming into them can cause internal injuries that will not show up as damage to the fish. When it is dark, he may be stalking them, if he is substantially larger than they are.

I would watch the tank from a distance and sit very still while doing it. See if the ram is not doing some chasing when he is not aware of your presence. Not to say that he is deliberately stopping when you are there, but his attention may be diverted when you move around by the tank.

I caught one of my 7-bar frontosa chasing and nipping a smaller one by doing just that. At first I thought it might be fin rot, but it only presented in small spots, not along the whole edge of the tail and dorsal. I left the tank light on and turned out the room lights and watched from across the room and saw the larger fish start chasing the smaller one all over the tank, he was relentless. Needless to say, I removed the smaller one to its' own tank at that point.

A larger, deeper tank may solve your problem, giving the ram room to have his own territory and the white clouds room to swim freely. Try planting one end of your tank and leave the other end open. The ram likes hiding places and the clouds like open spaces.... Hey, I'm a poet and didn't know it...;o)
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Answer 2

Are you sure your test results are correct? If you're using strips, these are notorious for giving inaccurate results, and if you have a liquid kit, the chemicals are only good for 4-5 years. A confirmation by your pet store on a sample could check this. Even though you're seeding the sand with your old gravel (good move on your part here), the loss of the rest of the bacteria should produce an effect in your results.

What's the temperature of the tank? White clouds prefer cool water, so the temperature may be too high for them. With warmer temperature, there is a decrease in the dissolved oxygen.

Another possibility that I thought of is an intestinal worm called camallanus which can easily go unnoticed. These only appear (out your fish's anus) when they're at rest - they pull inside when the fish stops swimming. They're dark red and threadlike - here's a photo, although I've never seen them stick out quite that for: http://www.alaquairum.net/imagenes/Camallanus1.jpg.

Here's a link I had to look for on treating camallanus: http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/CamellanusTreatment.pdf The two times I've had to treat for this, I've used two treatments spread out a few days so I was sure to kill any from eggs in the tank.

Answer 3

It may be a territorial fish doing the damage. Or some fish are just fickle. Get another species that lives longer like black tetras.

Answer 4

If you have any health problems with your pets just e-mail me as I am a vet

my e-mail is...........

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I just use yahoo for pet questions :)