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New Member
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Last Login: 11/2/2008 8:58:05 AM
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| I have a 55 gal. freshwater tank, it was converted from a what I believe was a saltwater tank but I filled and rinses several times and treated it religiously to get rid of the ammonia. I got a filter powerful enough for 75 gal tank, an air pump feeding a air stone and tube, an underground filter connected to a powerhead to get a good cycling of water, and all the typical decorations purchased from my local pet store. I have bought several types of cichlids, and other various tropicals. I also bought a young sucker fish (percussimist or whatever). I know cichlids are aggressive but I think with all the room and things for the fish to 'claim' I avoided any fish on fish violence. But for some reason I cannot keep these things alive. Sometimes they die within a few days of being added, sometimes they last weeks, and the one that died today (my last one) was one of the originals I got almost a year ago. I have never had more than probably 10 fish in there no more than 3 inches, and its usually been more like 5 or 6. I try not to over feed and I monitor the chemicals everytime I clean out the tank and refill it, before I put them back in. It also seems like I have a serious algae problem that no matter what I do just grows amazingly fast. I know I could probably change my water on a more regular basis (usually once ever 5 weeks) but I cannot believe that is the cause of my problems. Does anyone have any advice as I am at the end of my rope and refuse to subject any more innocent fish to my apparently terrible skills. Thanks.
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Senior Member
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| All right, sounds like you do indeed have a problem! In order to help you, I'm going to ask some basic questions that you need to answer to the best of your ability. Then we can better assess your situation. What species of cichlids and other fish have you housed? What were their individual sizes, specifically? What are the values of your pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and hardness? I need these in numbers. Saying they're "good" doesn't work because that's an opinion; only numbers matter with these tests. If you don't have the info or your own test kits, take a cup of water to your local pet store and have them test for that info and give you the results in numbers. If they can't or won't, go to another store. How often to you change your filter cartridge? How often do you do water changes, and how much do you remove at one time? How do you acclimate the fish to your tank when you purchase new ones? Answer those and we'll get a better idea of what's going on, and go from there. ...Oh, and it's "plecostomus." Not percussimist. ;)
In the Mountains Of the Mountains For the Mountains
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The questions Nikita asked are the ones we need answers to. Without them, it is impossible for us to help you. We're not trying to be difficult -- we just don't have anything to go on yet.
***************************Be warned -- everyone at college has a weird roommate. If you don't have a weird roomate -- then you're the weird roommate.
Conan O'Brien, Stuyvesant High School.
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Senior Member
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Although there is one more thing... a common plecostomus that you see everywhere shouldn't be in a 55 gallon...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cut HereIf life gives you lemons, squeeze them into people's eyes and run away! }<(((0>
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Senior Member
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Last Login: 11/20/2008 1:14:06 PM
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| Off hand, I'm guessing either a pH/buffering issue, acclimation issue, or a non-N-compound build-up. Those are the three most common culprits for this sort of thing assuming that the fish were compatable and things were otherwise okay. MOA
"Tears aren't a sign of weakness, they're a sign of poor plumbing." --Dead Men's Lies
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/2/2008 8:58:05 AM
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No worries at all guys I definitely appreciate anything since I apparently got in over my head...
I change my filter cartridge about once a month when I do a full tank water change. (I don't do water changes at other times, and I know this is part of the problem :( )I typically syphon the water out and wipe off the walls, rinse the rocks as well as I can, clean the decorations, syphon again then refill the tank. I always dechlorinate, then test the chemical levels. (I keep my fish in a smaller tub with the previous tank water and my water pump blowing bubbles in there) I use my self-test kits I bought and ensure all chemicals are in the good/idea range. I haven't kept a specific log but I will test it right now. Also my kit reference is as follows in terms of the areas my water falls in.
Average(NOW)
Ammonia: 0/0
Nitrate:0/0
Nitrite:0/0
Hardness:soft/soft
Chlorine:0/0
Alkalinity:150/220
pH:7/8
It looks like right now my alkalinity is a problem.
When I have gotten new fish I usually stick the whole bag in the tank to allow the water temp to slowly change (usually about 20 minutes or so) and I don't add more than maybe 4 at a time.
What boggles my mind is that there doesn't seem to be any sort of consistency with what causes the loss. I realize that different fish will react different but I guess I underestimated that.
As far as specific species of each fish I have had I will do my best to describe them but I am pretty clueless. I think most of my cichlids have been African and variations from the mbuna? group. I have had a solid yellow, solid orange, and vertical blue striped ones that were about 3 inches long and 1.5 tall with fins. I have a yellow and black horizontal striped one that was about 2.5 inches long and half inch tall. I had a smaller solid blue one that was about 2 inches long and a half inch tall. The other tropicals I have had were dalmation mollies, rainbow fish, a fish that had a reddish belly and long fins that was about 2 inches long and 1.5 inch tall, and a long skinny colorful fish that was probably 3 inches long and .25 inch tall. All the non-mbuna fish were either schoolers or top-swimmers. I am really sorry I cannot remember more details, but I stopped buying new fish awhile ago and have been trying to figure out my problem.
If you have any more questions please let me know, and if you think I my problem is I just don't take enough care of the tank feel free to tell me that too. I've got a lot of money invested in this thing and I really enjoy the fish but I am not the kind of person to just keep buying fish only to have them suffer and die.
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