why do my tropical fish keep dying?
by Aquaboy on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | 7 Comments
my fish keep dying i do water changes,we put water conditioner in every thing we are ment to put in we do ,and i have got a ph test and a nitrate test and they are fine so we really dont no can any one help
my tests are fine i had them tested at a fish shop they said they was ok.my fish tank has gone through the cycle it has been running for 5 months
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hmm…. Do you have a heater to keep the water at the right temperature? I know some fish are picky about temp. idk what else to offer, but good luck.
Could be disease, could be parasites, could be water quality….are you SURE you are reading your tests correctly?
You should have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5-20 nitrate. If you DONT have NITRATE, your tank is not cycled and that could be the cause of fish death.
The cycle of a tank is how the colony of beneficial bacteria breaks down the waste in your fish tank.
The cycle starts with the fish. The fish produces ammonia (waste). Once this is in the water, your first colony of beneficial bacteria begins to grow. It eats the ammonia and turns that into a product called nitrite. Nitrite and ammonia are BOTH very toxic to your fish. Now….one nitrite is in your tank, your second colony of bacteria forms and turns the nitrite into nitrate. Nitrate is the last stage of the cycle and that is why you have no ammonia, no nitrite, and some nitrate in a healthy, functioning aquarium. The first two products both get converted to nitrate which is the least toxic of the 3 by-products.
IF YOUR TEST RESULTS ARE 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate, your tank is NOT healthy.
This means your toxins are not being converted to nitrate. Your tank is not cycled.
I always point this out to people when they say they are having problems with their fish because NOT UNDERSTNADING WATER QUALITY is the biggest reason fish die.
90% of the time, fish illness can be prevented by properly monitoring and understanding water quality.
You need to always test for AMMONIA, nitrIte, and nitrAte. If you are not testing for all 3, you will not have an accurate reading. Your ammonia could be spiked out of control and that will kill your fish.
Check out Even if you dont keep goldfish, they are an amazing source of information for the new fishkeeper and their forums are wonderful. You can learn all about water quality and how to test for it and understand it. Its not hard once you understand it.
In the mean time, get a test for all 3 of those things I mentioned, write down the EXACT results, then post back here with the exact numbers you got from the readings. Then we can help you better, but until then, we cannot help.
Good luck.
How many fish?
How many gallons?
Over crowding causes rapid chemical changes that can be fatal. Also, oxygen levels are compromised in a large crowd.
The 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon of water is a myth by the way. There are more factors to consider.
The surface of the water must be clear. Water lilys and other surface covering won’t allow for air and water to mix at the surface. This is essential even if you have an air pump and stone.
Certain species are not compatable. Research the kind of fish you have. Even if there is no sign of violence, fish can be harassed to death.
Temperature is key. Research what your fish find comfy and make sure the water stays that temp consistently. Drafts from windows, AC units/vents, and placing the tank against an outside wall all impact temperature. (the cold from outside seeps through the wall and lowers the temp in the aquarium)
Sometimes decorations, accessories, and even gravel can be accidently mis-labeled for use in aquariums when they have been treated with something that kills fish. I recommend taking all the decorations out and see if you have better luck. If they live, consider getting new decorations, if they die, you’ve ruled that out as a problem.
Good luck,
Seems like there isn’t any problem with the water, if you had done the tests correctly. Maybe its the temperature of the water. They are tropical fish,so ideally the temp shd be around 25-30, with some fishes more tolerant beyond this range.Large fluctuation will cause stress and expose them to previously harmless situation such as parasites and diseases which a healthy fish shd have no problem.How about an ammonium test? If you had added in too many fish at one go, it might cause the filter to overload,try adding a few at a week or two interval.Is there signs of bullying as well?These are just some of the things to take note of.
what size tank? what type of fish? have you tried a different pet store?
maybe you have too many fishes.when i first have my fishtank i had some fishes and they started dying one after the other and didnt know the cause. i have an advice you should put some salt in the tank every time you change the water it works my fishes dont die from that time
Need more info.