Fish keep dying in my 20 gallon tank -- why?

Question

I had 2 glass catfish, a molly, and 3 brilliant rasboras for a year. 6 weeks ago all died. They were sluggish & a day later slime coats were irritated and white.Per pet store recommendation I treated w/ Melafix & Pimafix.Condition worsened and all fish died. Fish were white & slimy & chunks of slime coat floated in the tank.

I cleaned the tank (no chemicals),got new rocks, plants, filter & decorations, & added fish food & Stability.After 2 weeks I added a goldfish. He was fine after a week so I added another. Both developed symptoms w/in 12 hours. I treated w/Melafix& Pimafix, but both died that day.

Repeated cleaning/cycling regimen. Added 1 goldfish after 2 weeks. Fish was active&happy for 2 days then became sluggish. Treated w/Melafix&Pimafix and he perked up. Behaved normally for 3 days, but took a turn for the worst on day 4. He was upside down on the bottom of the tank, unable to right himself, gills pumping. Died soon after.

Why can't I keep anything alive in this tank?!

Of course, I tested my ammonia, nitrates and nitrites -- but the levels are normal. (I have the liquid chemical kits, not the test strips.)

What could act this quickly? Shouldn't fungi & bacteria take longer to affect the fish? The fact that one became ill within 12 hours of being introduced to the tank, and died w/in 24, is odd to me. I'm 99% sure it wasn't chemical poisoning.

If there is some nasty fungus or bacteria in my tank, what can I do to get rid of it? How can I make sure this tank is safe for the next fish I add? (Because I'm not going to throw out my tank...it was expensive!)

I doubt it's the quality of the water itself, as I use the same city water (treated with AquaSafe) in my very healthy 30 gallon tank...

Answer 1

it sounds like you have a lot going on in your tank,maybe the petshop you got your fish from has a dodgy lot of fish coming in,
its not unusal to buy fish and them die,if you say you have checked sall your levels then im stumped,if your nitrate and amonia levels are high and you add new fish they can die quickly
you did add the right amount of medication,my friend had mouth rot in her tank and accidently over dosed her fish with it and within a few hours they had died ,just double check what you added to the tank,
sorry i could not help more

Answer 2

id let the tank completely dry out for a week or so. this will kill any parasite in the tank that may be doing this. make sure your water is tip top(pet stores will test for free, it may just be as simple as the city changed their water somehow. added more chemicals or who knows what)also, i would stop using the melafix..i prefer to stay away from chemicals..also it seems there is a pattern with it...i mean theyre all dying right? some of those chemicals never leave your tank! even if you empty the water copper and such will stay in the sealent forever. (most pet store employees only know what is "supposed to work" as it says in the handbook and not actual knowledge) also what is the temp of your tank..to cold can do this as well. give it a week..fill up the tank and let it sit for a day or 2 with the filter running etc..and start all over. it may just be your goldfish were sick in the first place if they came from the same store.

aquasafe is a good product and if your other 30g is running smooth i would doubt it as well. try getting a pleco and see what happens as this is a very hardy fish and fairly cheap. also try getting something to help with their natural slime coating as it will help with defense to this type of stuff

Answer 3

It could be the store you're getting them from. That has been known to happen also.

edit, my freshwater fishies would do better after I added a pinch and a tad of aquarium salt into the tank. For a 20 gal, just a shudful (slight handful) of salts will do. Pretty much worked on all of them, except for the dragon eel. I have a local fish in the tank now, he doesn't seem to mind salts, or tap water either. He's the toughest fish we ever caught and acts more like a dog than a fish. Had him sine last year.

Good luck, fish are tough when you actually invest time and money into a habitat for them. And that Betta in the kids room, might be alive, or not, but there's no smell yet, so I'd say nope. They're beautiful and hardy/

Answer 4

So what's your question? you in simple terms choose suggestion on a thank you to maintain your fish from death? we will ought to appreciate a sprint greater education. How long has your tank been set up? what's the water finding out at? (Your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH, KH and temperature) Do you have a heating unit contained in the tank? And in simple terms any FYI, you probable shouldn't upload any greater fish. Your pleco will very without postpone outgrow that 20 gallon tank. (They upward thrust as much as two ft in length) At their totally-grown length, they are going to choose a minimum of a fifty 5 gallon tank, ideally seventy 5 gallons or greater. in case your tank hasn't been totally cycled (it incredibly is what it incredibly is sounding like) then it incredibly is why your new additions are death. additionally, angels are extremely choosy fish, and not o.k. suitable for novices. Plus, they are not getting alongside properly with tetras. additionally in case you further all those fish at as quickly as, it incredibly is why they died. you ought to function fish progressively, no better than 2-3 at a time, and easily each 3 weeks or so. in any different case this might reason a super spike on your ammonia stages, it incredibly is poisonous to fish. It seems such as you ought to have carried out greater study till now paying on your fish.

Answer 5

Doesn't sound like you did anything wrong but it appears that something chemical has gotten into tank. I would drain tank and then wash tank and all decorations in a very mild vinegar solution. Then rinse all items seveal times with fresh water. Refill tank and let run for a week or so before adding fish

Answer 6

Sorry about what happened, Your goldfish that ended up Up-Side down was from Swim Bladder Problem to cure this simply give him a thaw pea.

But the other problem could be fungus and a simple product that i know is "Jungle Tank Buddies Bubble Fungus Treatment".

I hope all goes well soon
WT

Answer 7

What you discribe sounds like ammonia poison or chemical poison

One thought, are you sure that nobody ever put any chemicals like bleach or something in your tank?????????
Did you ever have anybody watching after your fish?

The new fish you got from the store might have been sick already, always check the tanks in your petstore if there are dead fish in there!!!!!!!

EB


PS:
I sent a link to MM


Add*
You said that you tested the ammonia, are you sure that your test kit hasn't gone bad????? Personally I would by me a new ammonia test kit, even if you have the liquid one. The testkits actually require certain temperatures to stay good

Answer 8

first of all wash your tank, rocks, decorations etc with a real soap like dawn dish soap for example(kills bacteria), rinse well.... fill tank up with regular white vinegar (kills fungus) and let soak for a week to get out all the soap then fill with clean water and turn on the pump etc and let the water sit and circulate for 2 weeks to rinse out the vinegar ( taking half the water out and putting half new clean water every other day to make sure its rinseing well) then after 2 weeks fill with clean water and treat with clorine out etc. after 1 weeks take out half the water fill up and treat agian leave a week and add 1 fish, add the fish 2 weeks apart to make sure they are ok.. it sounds like your fish had ick which comes from oil and dirt off of hand etc. do not put anything new inside the tank ever!! its too risky if you have on going sickness... when you need to clean it get another tank treat it in advance and switch them but put half new water with the old water never completely give new water it shocks thier system. when you net the fish make sure you go through the same process with anything that comnes in contact with the fish, wash in soap, rinse in vinegar and then rinse thouroughly with water. get a tank vac it will filter out crap etc and leave the good bacteria etc for the fish so it wont shock them too much too be too clean... p.s. remember no one ever cleans a lake or ocean right? they need a little dirt.

Answer 9

your water does not have enough minerals for the fish and tell your son to stop fishing in the tank

Answer 10

Is there a problem with the filter??