Hi All,
My first visit and first post to your site.
I’m hoping for some advice.
I have a 38 gallon bow front tank set up originally September 2022. I use a combination of well water (pretty hard from tap dGH 250-300) mixed with about half bottled water (dGH 35). It holds 30 gallons once filled with substrate and stuff.
The tank cycled nicely with a couple of black neons from a local store. It seemed to do very well so I added lots of plants. They had done well with minimal care. I gradually added a few more local fish and that went well. Water testing was all normal and stable.
I added more fish recently from Aqua Huna (Dec 10, 2022). They were Panda Corys, Otos, and Black Neons. Except for a couple that did not handle the travel they have all looked great.
On 12/14/22 my smaller Angel started looking fuzzy fins and weaker. I started Rid Ich and API “Fin and Body” treatment but it never seemed to recover and died 12/24. I also added a Catappa leaf later that afternoon. Otherwise not much else had been changing. I followed all the medication directions exactly and did water changes as directed. The other Angels all looked great.
Until 12/29 I had 5 Corys. That morning they were all happy and very active together on the bottom. Later in the morning I found one dead. He looked fat and normal. Today another one was acute dead. No apparent symptoms prior and again he looked plump (but not fat). No skin or fin lesions.
So, I’m just confused and not sure what to do as I am sadly expecting the Corys to keep dying now. And then I don’t know when or how to proceed to get more to keep them safe.
I do regular (nearly weekly) water tests (API Master Kit and GH/KH). Maybe I test too often but all my numbers have been very good.
Water temp 80 - 82
pH 7.6
ammonia = 0
nitrite = 0
nitrate = had been 5 but about 3 weeks ago I started using liquid fertilizer on the plants at the directed dose once a week, so now the nitrate is 30 and stable. (Specialized Nutrition)
GH = 107
I have 3 Angels (about dollar size), now 3 Corys, 3 Oto, 13 Black Neon and 5 Nerite snails,
There is minimal algae and the many plants looks good.
I typically do 15-20% water changes every 2 weeks even though the tests are all good
I feed a combination of dry flakes, dry worms, dry daphnia, frozen blood worms and frozen brine shrimp.
There are also dry pellets made for bottom feeders.
I don’t feel we overfeed, and the fish sure wish there was more! All have slightly rounded bellies.
Anyway, I’m frustrated and depressed about the little guys. If you can think of anything I should or could be doing, your advice would be truly welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Roxanne Batt