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Most of My Fish Seem Stressed and I don't Know How to Fix It

dedofspace

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9 Jan 2023
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Australia
Hi, I'm new to this forum as I needed a place to ask questions. I've had a 38 x 30 x 20cm tank for about 5 months (the previous owner had left it to rot and I cleaned it up. I would have sold it but I found 2 ember tetras so decided to see if they'd survive the new tank. They did so I got more fish.
Fish in the tank:
5 ember tetras
5 neon tetras
1 leopard cory
1 bristlenose pleco
1 golden panchax/kilifish (quite small)


The ember tetras are all see through, one neon tetra gets more ragged by the day (he is now missing a fin) and all the tetras seem to stick in one corner of the tank unless scared away or there's food. The leopard cory doesn't move around much. I had 2 but one of them died, also very shredded. The panchax is the happiest of the lot and is the only one that has improved in it's health since leaving the petstore (it had fin rot and scales falling off but now it doesn't). The bristlenose is also ok.

The tank
I am uncertain of what kind of filter I have but I will attach an image. It has a spray bar on top because the filter being underwater causes too strong a current, I had to put duct tape around the bottom half of the filter, also because of strong currents.
I have a small heater bar for the tank that keeps it at 27°C
I have recently covered the tank light to reduce the brightness as I read that tetras prefer slightly darker tanks.
I have 1 plastic plant and a couple longer plants (cannot remember the type) that have had the majority eaten by the bristlenose.
I had the tank water tested and was told everything was perfect.
1/3 water change every 2 weeks and 1/2 every 2 months
I feed them Aqua One tropical flakes, Feed On The Wild Side insectivore granules, and occasionally shelled and mushed up peas.

Please help I haven't kept fish before and have been doing my best to give these guys the best I can.
 

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Solution
It's a steep learning curve, but it's great that you've noticed they aren't doing great and are looking for how to help them :)

I would drop the temperature, gradually, to around 24oC. The current is a little warm for those species, and the lower temperature will mean more oxygen availability and also slow down their metabolisms.

Lowering the light was a good idea. A little more cover will help too - your long stem plants (the real ones) if you cut them in half, you can replant the tops you cut off and that will make make them more bushy and increase the cover.

Bristlenoses are algae eaters - I expect he really likes the peas. He'd probably benefit from an algae waffer, or you could feed him a little more fresh foods - a slice of...
It's a steep learning curve, but it's great that you've noticed they aren't doing great and are looking for how to help them :)

I would drop the temperature, gradually, to around 24oC. The current is a little warm for those species, and the lower temperature will mean more oxygen availability and also slow down their metabolisms.

Lowering the light was a good idea. A little more cover will help too - your long stem plants (the real ones) if you cut them in half, you can replant the tops you cut off and that will make make them more bushy and increase the cover.

Bristlenoses are algae eaters - I expect he really likes the peas. He'd probably benefit from an algae waffer, or you could feed him a little more fresh foods - a slice of courgette/cucumber, a strip of sweet pepper, they eat quite a range. You can put the veg on a fork or teaspoon handle to weigh it down so it doesn't float around the tank.

I would be inclined to do you water change weekly as you are having issues as cleaner water is always a good first step.

It's quite a small tank for the fish you have - a full size bristlenose can grow to 5" and the kilifish are quite large too - I'm not sure if he might be a threat to the embers at full size too! Long term I think you need a plan for either rehoming or increasing the tank size. It might be an idea to have a look for a larger second hand tank to upgrade.

I hope that helps :)
 
Solution
Hi, welcome.

Tam's advice above is good so I'll just add a little about the fish. Embers and neons are fish that love to live in groups, the more the merrier really, so can be quite shy and timid when kept in smaller numbers. It's counterintuitive but the more cover the fish have, the more you generally see of them and cover really makes fish happier. I would try and add lots more plants if you can as it will also help with the water quality. Some floating plants are a good start as they are very easy to keep and you can easily remove them, plus the brisle nose should leave them well alone.
Neons can be fine nippers, so what you are seeing might be social aggression but it could be a fish disease which we can tell from the pictures. Adding more plants or hiding places will allow the subdominant fish to keep out of the way and heal up if it is fin nipping.
 
everyone’s advice above is good so I won’t repeat what they’ve said. I would recommend removing the bristlenose and panchax as soon as you can. They both get too big for this tank. Bristlenose can produce a lot of waste and reach up to six inches. The panchax has a surprisingly large mouth and could definitely eat your tetras once it’s fully grown.

make sure you have a large amount of plants and water changes of around 25-50percent should be undertaken at least once a week.

Cheers
 
As above. And get more plants, lots more plants. Try a selection from Tropica's "easy" range, or similar from elsewhere. More plants will make a world of difference in addition to the above advice. You will need to feed the plants too. Most off the shelf ready made fertz will do so long as it has N,P,K and traces. If you're interested in further reading try this and this.
 
Tank is too small, dump a load of sticks in (from a aquatic store, or research here) no point buying plants imo. As they’ll likely die and make water worse - one problem at a time.

Covering the light was a good idea but I suspect line of sight, water params, water temp and flow is stressing them. If you’ve got access to some alder cones, add a few.

Feed them some lice food if you can.

Agree with most other posters👍
 
Hi dedofspace
I'm also a new fish- and aquatic plant keeper - about nine months or so, and sooo much to learn! Thank goodness for the good people on this forum. I have a tank similar height and depth as your tank but about 60cm long. It's planted.

I just wanted to say that I decided to take my bristlenose pleco back to the fish store. I got him at about 1 inch long but he had grown to four inches in length and was dominating the tank and was aggressive at feeding time, which was stressing out my corys (even though they move like lightning when lunged at). Sad to see my first fish go, but the tank was too small, and my corys are happier now.

Hope that helps!
 
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All good advice. As well as asking here and getting guidance I spend a lot of time on the Seriously Fish website and try to read carefully and see the connections between a species habitat and what I can create, also size, compatibility, and water conditions. At the start we all get excited by this or that species, like a chocolate box, and I still do, but reading the detailed summaries helps me to (sometimes) avoid mistakes. It's more interesting keeping the fish when you know more about them and where they came from. It's definitely true about embers. In a tank that size it's better to have one 'pack' fish and enjoy their behaviour, than 2 wee confused groups which are stressed.
 
I would remove the duct tape, unless the makers of the brand in question guarantee it is aquarium safe.
You might be able to reduce the current by pointing the flow from the spraybar towards the nearest glass.
Definitely get some more plants, cheap fast-growers will do for now.
I just realised I had already removed it a while ago before even posting this 😅😂
 
Thank you all for your knowledge and suggestions! I had tried my best to do as much research as possible when putting more fish in the tank, but there's only so much a bunch of websites and patchwork knowledge can do. When I have a bit more money in my hands, the fish will be the first to be treated!
I will look at moving around my plants, and I will turn off the heater in summer (winter here can get genuinely quite freezing). I will also be setting aside some time in my week specifically for water changes, as I have a disability that can make such regular upkeep tricky sometimes, especially with my usual schedule.

For those who suggested I remove the panchax or bristlenose: the panchax I will keep and even if it ends up being one of the only fish in the tank, that will be fine by me. If it gets too big, I love it too much to not get a larger tank once I have the funds. One of the reasons I originally bought it was because I had a feeling some of my ember tetras were a mix of male and female, and wanted to help keep populations down if they were to breed, and now I'm very attached to it's silly little face. The bristlenose so far has kept my tank in an algae-free state and, like the panchax, I would get him a bigger tank, if need be.
I'm considering looking into taking the tetras back if I cannot get them into a happier state in the next few months, and if I do, I'll look into a bigger tank. The previous tank owner worked in a pet shop with a large fish selection, and he had many more fish in the tank than I have currently. The "fish experts" at the local pet shop have assured me that my tank is fine for the fish but I am now evermore dubious of their actual expertise since the general consensus here is quite opposite to their advice.
 
You don't need to turn the heater off, rather just adjust the temperature so it's lower. In the average summer here many of us have ambient temperatures high enough for the heaters to not come on and by setting it at 23-24c you will likely not have it on over the summer.

I don't know where in Australia you are but for a home feel of interesting videos you could have a look a keep fish simple on youtube. I think he is up in brisbane and has done tours of local breeders plus he helps promotes other locals. The availability of fish and plants is much different for you so might be good to see what can be done in your country.

I've not watched this video but he is normally passes on good advice and it might be helpful to you, if not it's a link to his channel

 
Update
Since I first posted, some of my tetras developed ich after 1 infected neon (the picked on one) spread it. I got myself a 75L tank and moved the panchax, pleco, and cory into it. I did some research and realised that I would not have the energy, local resources, or funds to make a big proper planted tank so for now the tank is going to remain without. I don't have the energy right now to explain my new setup but the 3 in the new tank appear to be much happier, swimming around, looking for algae, their scales bright and fins splayed. The tetras will remain in the 20L and I will continue to take care of them. If they all end up contracting ich, I know I dont have the resources and time to take care of them but will give them what I can until they pass. After that I may choose to either clean out the tank and sell it, or clean it and start anew with a couple guppies. It's not anywhere near an ideal situation and is sad for the tetras but it's all I am able to do. Thank you all for your advice
 
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