Unexplained fish deaths

[sr20det]

Came home today to find a dwarf cory dead in my tank, lossed one on weekend. I tested water then Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5ppm. Ph 7.5, temp 23-24'c, 400 TDS. Gutted.

Same result again today. It looked well yesterday. I have 2 guppy fry which are growing fast and looking healthy, along with 3 Rasbora hengeli, all look ok.

I can only think it was temp though certain it hasn't dropped below 23'c today or TDS. Did a water change yesterday. Baffled. Could be ph as read they prefer less then 7.5. Mind looking online many have success with 300-400 TDS and a higher ph then me. Only leaving temp?

It could well be a number of things, only thing new added recently is cattapa leave bags?
To stain the water, which slowly been cleared by filteration I think.

London water is a pain, or I am doing something majorly wrong, just don't know what.

25l p@h cube BTW

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Are you dosing easy Carbo? Being bottom feeders they will be the first to kick it in the case of higher levels of the stuff.

Others will 'breathe' at the top, but the cory probably wouldn't.

 

[sr20det]

Are you dosing easy Carbo? Being bottom feeders they will be the first to kick it in the case of higher levels of the stuff.

Others will 'breathe' at the top, but the cory probably wouldn't.

Nope, no ferts, no co2. Portions of mosses, and java fern. Not much light either, introduced plants to sap up nitrates and ammonia, that I did show readings of about a month or few weeks back. And they have helped as since then, all readings including nitrates are low, 0 for others. Hence I attribute deaths to either temp, TDS, or ph. TDS and ph have shown to variate in other peoples tanks, so not sure it would kill them. Had them for 2 months too. Am gutted to say the least.

 

[Nathaniel Whiteside]

Hhm because 2 died in 2 days it would suggest something. Maybe cappatta was subject to pesticides of sorts? Or another alternative could be if you've stirred up some ammonia or nasties from the substrate when you've been adding leaves?

I know how it feels mate, never great.
Hope you get this sorted.

 

[sr20det]

Hhm because 2 died in 2 days it would suggest something. Maybe cappatta was subject to pesticides of sorts? Or another alternative could be if you've stirred up some ammonia or nasties from the substrate when you've been adding leaves?

I know how it feels mate, never great.
Hope you get this sorted.

It could be, when I did a water change debri did get sturred up (it does with most water changes tbh), but a ammonia test (for what its worth) showed 0 still. Cattapa could be a possibility, but not sure, as it was the bags (tea bag styles ones) hard to wash and the likes. Designed for aquarium use, so would have thought they would be ok?

indeed the 2 in a matter of a week does indicate something is not right, and i can only put my finger on 3 things. TDS (400 is a tad on the high side for what is softwater fish but not sure it would kill them as searching online many keep successfully around 300TDS?), PH (7.5 which might be high seeing in the natural assume 6.0-7.0 would be more normal) or temp (no heater in tank as it hasnt droped below 20-21'c last couple of weeks and I think they prefer a minimun of 24'c I think). But cant put y finger on what, as I would like to change whatever it may be :?:

I will stick the heater back in I think and take it from there

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
Sorry for the losses, Corydoras pygmaeus gulp air from the surface like other Cories, so they should have some tolerance off depleted O2 levels. They are quite a sensitive fish, so any loss of water quality is likely to lead to death.

A thing I've noticed with mine is that they only eat very small food items, like microworms.

cheers Darrel

 

[sr20det]

Hi all,
Sorry for the losses, Corydoras pygmaeus gulp air from the surface like other Cories, so they should have some tolerance off depleted O2 levels. They are quite a sensitive fish, so any loss of water quality is likely to lead to death.

A thing I've noticed with mine is that they only eat very small food items, like microworms.

cheers Darrel

I did check this, and one that died yesterday was very plump looked well fed, and when I fed the night before it looked happy and searching for food (I found they never stop searching for food, which to me indicates happyness/comfort) but on weekend, the fish that dies then just didnt move, just sat in a corner, and lossed its appetite, and when I saw this, I tested the water, and found nothing :?: , sure enough the next morning, it was gone.

I feed mini algae waffers (they just nibble at it as it softens in water like all the pellets really), blood worm pellets, krill pellets, 1-2mm catfish pellets, try to variate, and they tend to take any flake at bottom, if they get to it before the snails, guppy or rasbora.

 

[sr20det]

Hi all,
Sorry for the losses, Corydoras pygmaeus gulp air from the surface like other Cories, so they should have some tolerance off depleted O2 levels. They are quite a sensitive fish, so any loss of water quality is likely to lead to death.

A thing I've noticed with mine is that they only eat very small food items, like microworms.

cheers Darrel

What are your water params darrell, do you add tanins/humic leaves too? Rain water too?

 

[Matt Warner]

Hi, I couldn't help but notice that from your post the other day you were planning on using rain water for your water changes. Have you started using any yet? If so, then this could be your problem, if you've used too much, too soon then the change in water hardness could be what killed your fish.

 

[sr20det]

Hi, I couldn't help but notice that from your post the other day you were planning on using rain water for your water changes. Have you started using any yet? If so, then this could be your problem, if you've used too much, too soon then the change in water hardness could be what killed your fish.

Nope, not started yet, I have lost a trio of Rasbora Hengeli from the tank when I first set it up (2-3 months ago now), and this triggered me to plan for or to sort rain water as a softwater alternative (thinking it was tap water that was the issue) for them and with tanins lower the PH too. I still have 3 rasbora who seem happy, but the intention was to rectify the hardness, tbh, only after I bought my TDS meter have I been testing everything and finding potential values of different waters.

But up till now, solely been tap water, treated, left overnight to get to room temp and cosistantly around 350-400TDS, PH 7.5.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

What are your water params darrell, do you add tanins/humic leaves too? Rain water too?

I've got about 10, some should be in a 30L tank on their own, but with shrimps and snails. For the last year they've had a pair of Apistogramma cactuoides in with until I re-home them, which is not ideal. Which means there aren't any shrimps any-more, and they haven't had any babies survive for a while. I also now have plenty of Hydra and Planaria, so I'll have to have a re-think.

If any-one wants an adult pair of well coloured Double Red A. cacatuoides they are "free to a good home".

The tank is my traditional low tech. jungle jungle, 100% rain-water with added dead leaves. I don't ever measure any of the parameters, but last time I dipped the conductivity meter in it was about 100 microS.

I put a few more in the tank at work as an insurance, they are now in with Dicrossus maculatus and a few C. hastatus, in a similar set up.

I feed them with a small amount of earth-worm/spirulina flake, Red Astax crumb and Grindal/Banana Worms. The tanks also get Daphnia every day. They ignore everything except the worms, and they don't seem overly interested in the Grindal worms.

cheers Darrel

 

[sr20det]

Hi all,

What are your water params darrell, do you add tanins/humic leaves too? Rain water too?

I've got about 10, some should be in a 30L tank on their own, but with shrimps and snails. For the last year they've had a pair of Apistogramma cactuoides in with until I re-home them, which is not ideal. Which means there aren't any shrimps any-more, and they haven't had any babies survive for a while. I also now have plenty of Hydra and Planaria, so I'll have to have a re-think.

If any-one wants an adult pair of well coloured Double Red A. cacatuoides they are "free to a good home".

The tank is my traditional low tech. jungle jungle, 100% rain-water with added dead leaves. I don't ever measure any of the parameters, but last time I dipped the conductivity meter in it was about 100 microS.

I put a few more in the tank at work as an insurance, they are now in with Dicrossus maculatus and a few C. hastatus, in a similar set up.

I feed them with a small amount of earth-worm/spirulina flake, Red Astax crumb and Grindal/Banana Worms. The tanks also get Daphnia every day. They ignore everything except the worms, and they don't seem overly interested in the Grindal worms.

cheers Darrel

Nice one bud, I think I am going to switch to rain water along with an external Ex400 filter. And go heavily planted high tech. Hopefully they will be happier. I have one left (cory) at the min, all on their own , will only get more till after I make the switch now me thinks