Can i buy more gupies despite having deaths in the tank.?

Question

Hi everyone, i have a tank of guppies that i purchased 3 weeks ago. I only had 6 fish to start in a large 96 litre tank. I was adviced that the filter needs to mature, which I beleive it has done as the water used to be a little cloudy and now it is crystal clear (without any intervention at all). I started with 6 fish but i am now down to 3 as the others died over 3 weeks. I am not overfeeding and am treating the tank with both an antibacterial medicine and an antifungal one (as adviced from shop). I was wondering whether it would be possible to buy some more fish this weekend despite the recent deaths... The other 3 seem absolutely fine and they are eating well and are very active.

To be honest, i want to buy more as only 3 fish in a 96 litre tank does look a little silly. What does everyone think?

Answer 1

Have you tested your water parameters at all (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)? It *might* be possible to cycle in 3 weeks if you have gravel or filter media from established tanks. But if you're using an antibiotic medication and what cycles your tank are BACTERIA, you can't have a cycled tank if the bacteria in the tank are being killed! You probably are no more cycled that if you had just purchased and set up a new tank this morning.

My first bit of advice is to do a 50% water change (your ammonia levels are probably high and to remove the medications you've been putting in your tank - you should never add medications if you don't have an identifiable disease, doing so may cause more harm than good). Do another 50% change again tomorrow. Instead of using medications, add some non-iodized salt to your tank (about 5 tablespoons, since your tank is about 25 gallons - add to water first, then add this to your filter).

The salt will help prevent parasites and fungal infections, and it won't interfere with the cycling of the tank. The guppies also appreciate having some in their water - they can take far more than the amount I've recommended, but this will do in the event you want to add other fish in the future.

I'f hold off for a few weeks before adding any more fish - give your tank time to actually start to cycle with the three you have, then in 3-6 weeks add a few more. You'll still get small ammonia spikes with each addition of fish, so wait a week or so between additions so the bacteria can build up to accommodate the increase in the amount of wastes.

Answer 2

A tank cannot "mature" or cycle in three weeks. You need to do a lot of research. Look up the following items---Tank cycling, Nitrogen cycle,beneficial aquarium bacteria,How to do water changes, fish-less cycling, and get a good aquarium book.

Answer 3

either take a water sample to the fish store or buy a test strip kit yourself and check for nitrates and pH. There could be a problem there. Also, check and see what day your fish store receives their fish deliveries and then buy fish several days AFTER that date. Any unstable fish will have died by then and you'll have a better chance of keeping the fish alive.