deaths in the tank...

this mornning i turned the light on in my fry tank, and every bn pleco was dead. there was like 25 at .75in.
ithey were all fine last night.
all 20 of my fulu fry are fine. so idk what happened.

Ouch. What a major loss!!! Did anything get into the tank?

not that i no of. i just dont know why they would die and not the fulu.

Ouch!

i have had them for a month and none die. thats what i thought was weird.

Ouch. Hope the fulu make it.

wow that sucks. i hope you figure out what is wrong

Do you test pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, TDS (hardness) frequently?

the fulu seem fine. as well as the guppy fry. just the bn.
like 1-2 a month i take a water sample to petsmart. and everything is usaly fine.
i will be taking a sample up there today for sure!!!!!

im not 100% sure but i think my 20 fulu fry went to war against them.
i had to left and they are bitting them constantly.
they just killed another so im down to 1.
most of the bn bodies were not full. something ate them.
dont know if it was other bn or the fulu.

I don't want to sound like an ahole, but every serious fish keeper needs basic test kits.....The liquid drop kind as the strip kits are horribly inaccurate.....When anything seems abnormal one should check the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.....One should also keep up with the TDS and hardness.....................Why spend the big bucks on nice fish and skimp on monitoring the conditions that the fish live in.

Not saying that you do, but too many people do large panic water changes that more often cause fish stress instead of helping them......There is wisdom in checking conditions and doing careful small water changes of 10 to 15% every other day until a cause for the initial problem is found and corrected.

PS: Perhaps the others were just munching on the already dead bodies.

To be honest I never check my water levels and I dont have a test kit. I'm not saying this is the way to go about it but when I 1st started and I had water problems I would always freak out and test the water and blah blah blah. Sometimes I could never find the problem with tester kits. Now I have a schedual I go by ...water changes and tank cleanings 2 times a month . I also dont feed heavy. I hardley ever have any problems in my tanks...I have 36 so there is a bunch that can go wrong but I do good at preventing that. I have sold LOTS of fish to people on here and that are not on here and from what I know the fish are happy and healthy. Once again im not saying this is the way to go about it but I got fustrated with test kits.

dano wrote:

I don't want to sound like an ahole, but every serious fish keeper needs basic test kits.....The liquid drop kind as the strip kits are horribly inaccurate.....When anything seems abnormal one should check the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.....One should also keep up with the TDS and hardness.....................Why spend the big bucks on nice fish and skimp on monitoring the conditions that the fish live in.

Not saying that you do, but too many people do large panic water changes that more often cause fish stress instead of helping them......There is wisdom in checking conditions and doing careful small water changes of 10 to 15% every other day until a cause for the initial problem is found and corrected.

PS: Perhaps the others were just munching on the already dead bodies.

KMX.........There is no further point in me trying to help others with established methods or good fish keeping habits........I don't even fall back on my 45+ years of experience in fish keeping, but mix the old with the new scientific approach......It is a fact that most fish problems are a result of poor water quality or inadequate nutrition.

Sorry and good luck

Dano

dano wrote:

KMX.........There is no further point in me trying to help others with established methods or good fish keeping habits........I don't even fall back on my 45+ years of experience in fish keeping, but mix the old with the new scientific approach......It is a fact that most fish problems are a result of poor water quality or inadequate nutrition.

Sorry and good luck

Dano

Very true about the fish problems being caused b/c of the water quality ect. But everyone has there way of doing it and there own opinion. I was not saying you were wrong or rite I was just throwing my 2 cents in. Im not sure what you mean about no further point of you trying to help others out. Your opinion is always welcome here no need for sorrys and good lucks.

KMX wrote:

To be honest I never check my water levels and I dont have a test kit. I'm not saying this is the way to go about it but when I 1st started and I had water problems I would always freak out and test the water and blah blah blah. Sometimes I could never find the problem with tester kits. Now I have a schedual I go by ...water changes and tank cleanings 2 times a month . I also dont feed heavy. I hardley ever have any problems in my tanks...I have 36 so there is a bunch that can go wrong but I do good at preventing that. I have sold LOTS of fish to people on here and that are not on here and from what I know the fish are happy and healthy. Once again im not saying this is the way to go about it but I got fustrated with test kits.

Perhaps it is just in my interpretation, but this statement from the "Boss" of the forum sure makes me feel that what I have to say is just so much drivel and not to be thought of as useful info....In essence, you don't worry with this stuff, so why should anyone else.

Well Im sorry you think that way. You can stay your more then welcome here. Or you can go... your more then welcome to leave. Just b/c it says "bossman" dose not mean what I say you should do or think thats the correct way to go about doing it. Like I said everyone has there opinion. I know many experianced fish hobbiest that don't have test kits and I know many that think they gotta have one. I'm am very new to this hobby...only about 5 years in. I have lots to learn and I learn each day by doing.

Perhaps we need a woman's opinion on the matter. It all comes down to what you as an individual feel comfortable with. As with most things in this world, there are usually quite a few good or bad ways to do almost anything, and this is true in the fish world as well. If you feel more comfortable using test kits then that works for you, if you get confused and/or frustrated by them and prefer to rely heavily on strict maintenance schedules then that's up to you. Personally I prefer to do both. But again that's my personal practice, not scientific fact. Most people prefer to do what works best for them and is easiest or most cost effective. But even if you don't do regulars water testing it is always a good idea to keep logs for your tanks to record anything unusual and have some sort of record to fall back on to figure out what happened if there is an aquatic catastrophy. And no matter whether or not you test and/or change your water diligently catastrophic accidents or bacterial crashes can and do happen on occasion, even to the most seasoned veteran and newbie alike. So for what it's worth, that's my 2 cents. I hope no one gets offended, cause we can all learn from each other. And with 45 + years in the hobby, you're obviously doing something right! And Kory, you've got an awful lot of fish still swimming and procreating, so something's working there too. Just goes to show, there's more than one way to skin a fish, or um, cat.

dano wrote:

KMX wrote:

To be honest I never check my water levels and I dont have a test kit. I'm not saying this is the way to go about it but when I 1st started and I had water problems I would always freak out and test the water and blah blah blah. Sometimes I could never find the problem with tester kits. Now I have a schedual I go by ...water changes and tank cleanings 2 times a month . I also dont feed heavy. I hardley ever have any problems in my tanks...I have 36 so there is a bunch that can go wrong but I do good at preventing that. I have sold LOTS of fish to people on here and that are not on here and from what I know the fish are happy and healthy. Once again im not saying this is the way to go about it but I got fustrated with test kits.

Perhaps it is just in my interpretation, but this statement from the "Boss" of the forum sure makes me feel that what I have to say is just so much drivel and not to be thought of as useful info....In essence, you don't worry with this stuff, so why should anyone else.

dano i do water tests at times but i have had very good luck with water quality I do not think that the BOSS of this site is dismissing your input. i happen to agree with both of you because you both have great points.

if you have an established tank and you make no major changes and the fish do not seem stresses i feel there is no real need to test if you do a scheduled water change. I do test once a month most times but others i may not feel the need to. With that said if you make any changes such as add fish or change substrate or put a new filter unit on your tank it is very important to check your levels with a good test kit
my schedule
week1 10% water change and dose with salt Epsom salt and baking soda clean and or replace filters
week2 10% water change and dose with salt Epsom salt and baking soda
week3 10% water change vacuum and dose with salt Epsom salt and baking soda
week4 test water quality 50% water change and dose with salt Epsom salt and baking soda

that's my method and it works for me Wednesday night is wet night in my house.
my methods are just that and i know a lot of people have their own methods and i think it is great here at usa fishbox we have thee ability to meet all kinds of experience levels of fish keepers. i am a novice and have learned a lot here and i hope more knowledgeable people like your self can join this site and bring their knowledge to the table and expand their own.

Well said.

I used to use test kits but I would get frustrated and turn OCD when nothing I did would change the test results. Some of the kits you get (the cheap ones) can be very sensitive and not give the correct result so I have decided to stop using them. They all say that my water is bad but I have never had fish die (unless it was killed by another fish) and my tanks seem just fine. HOWEVER I have been told that if I were to invest in a very expensive test kit it might be helpful. I think what it comes down is what works for you and what makes you feel comfortable. I take my water samples in to my fish store every so often to make sure everything is fine. Hope that helps.

I have the tetra laborett liquid test kit. It cost about $25 and works well and has almost everything you need in it, fresh and salt. For more in depth testing you can also purchase the single tests that are for 1 type of test.
I don't test my water too often, but If is see a possible issue I run a full test on the tank. I agree a log is very beneficial but my kids kept drawing on mine so I gave that up.
I feel that everyone should have a liquid test kit even if they don't use it very often. I also agree that maintenance is a key to a healthy tank. But when in doubt run a test.

Dano, your input on this forum is very appreciated. You have written some good advice and all of it I have listened to and put into play. I will be taking a tap water sample to the department of health soon just so I know the exact numbers and quality of my water. This is based upon advice you had given me and I have taken to heart. So please stick around and keep sharing your knowledge.

Sorry, Ili for hijacking your thread