HH Morant

My lone electric blue acara

Miss Red

I have done 50% water changes with 0.5 ppm ammonia in the tap water. The ammonia - 0.25 ppm in the tank after the water change - was gone within 12 hours. The filters, the plants, and the tank processed that much ammonia in that short time, and the fish showed no signs of distress. That was double the ammonia reported here. I know that doesn't help much to solve the mystery of the killer tank. Is there a spouse or housekeeper who cleans around the tank? Someone who might not be so careful about getting a little bit of cleaning product in the tank? Kids who might want to play with the fishies when you are not around? Like @Guppysnail, I noticed that the lift tubes of the sponge filters are at the surface, which would limit and perhaps prevent aeration. That would be consistent with the labored breathing of the fish before they died. I am not sure that fish deaths with very light stocking - like these - could be from lack of aeration, but maybe that is why it took a few days for the fish to die.

I was also puzzled about the sponge filter seasoned for a few months, but with no beneficial bacteria. If the filter was cleaned thoroughly when it was transferred I suppose it is possible that the beneficial bacteria may have been washed away. A gunky biological filter is a good biological filter, and thoroughly cleaning it can do damage.

Pretty good photos of a platinum

Here is a good one.

Mr. Glitter still my favorite

Angelfish definitely don't need live food. I don't know of anyone that feeds angelfish live fish, as opposed to non-fish live foods. It is difficult to raise enough live fish to feed them all the time. When you run out, buying feeder fish risks bringing disease into the tank. I agree with mountaintoppufferkeeper (or "MTPK") that you should just go back to what he was eating before. So did you name the 14th neon "Lucky," "Speedy," or "Dessert?"

Bristly Close-up

I haven't tested my tap water lately. I will do it tomorrow. Shortly after the Big Freeze my tap water had 0.5 ppm ammonia. I could do a 50% water change, making it 0.25 ppm ammonia in the aquarium, and the ammonia and nitrites would be zero within 12 hours. The tank could convert that amount of ammonia that quickly.

I am in Houston, too. You are right about the ammonia added to the water after the Big Freeze. One way to make the hobby simpler and more enjoyable is to have fish that can live in your water as it is. There are lots of fish that can live in our Houston water. I think the ph in my aquarium is usually around 7.8, but I don't test it regularly and I don't deliberately do anything to affect the ph. I have angelfish, brown and spotted holpo catfish, bristlenose plecos, corydoras, and an electric blue acara. I also think that the importance of ph is exaggerated. Most fish can live perfectly well in water outside their native range. See aquariumscience.org in the articles regarding ph.

Lefty O might be right about the snack thing. I don't have any experience keeping hoplos with smaller fish like white clouds.

Here are photos of the two varieties of Hoplo catfish in my tank.

My hoplos are not aggressive towards any of the other fish, but I don't have anything as small as White Clouds. The hoplos do their thing and pretty much ignore my other fish. There are two kinds of hoplos that I know of. Spotted hoplos (mine are albinos) are also called marbled hoplos, They get up to 5 inches long, Brown hoplos get bigger - up to 8-10 inches long.

I don't have anything helpful to say, but I hope Tater gets better. A great name for a fish.

Another 14th neon name - "Dessert"

Another alternative for naming the 14th neon - "Speedy"

I have 4 bnps with angels in a 120-gallon tank. When the plecos were small, the angels pecked at them occasionally when they were on the glass. Now the plecos are around 3 inches and the angels and plecos ignore one another.

I have put a lot of things in my tank, and each could be a source - live fish, plants, wood, substrate, soil, root tabs, rock wool on plants, my fingers (hands, arms), fish food, pleco caves, superglue, filter media, medications, water treatments, and other stuff I am overlooking right now (like water?). And maybe some things come in that are airborne. Who knows? Anything that is airborne outside can come inside on my hands, hair, and clothes.

Fish love mosquito larvae. When I was a kid I remember my father feeding mosquito larvae to angelfish in a 50-gallon tank. The presence of live food excited the fish so much and jump-started their hunting instinct. The wiggling action of the larvae drove the fish crazy. It seemed there was no possibility of the larvae surviving for long. They cannot effectively hide because they have to come to the surface for air. But if your fish are not aggressive feeders, maybe a larvae could survive long enough to bite you. My father would catch the larvae in a net and put them in a jar of aquarium water. Then he would pour the water into the tank. I don't remember any other measures to sanitize them. I don't have a source for mosquito larvae, but if I did I would certainly feed them to my fish.

And Armyvet is right about Fish Folk.

Looks great! I want some!

I know how you feel. I have felt the same way. I think I was trying too hard, expecting quick results, and expecting my tank to be perfect. I now realize that this hobby is rewarding and fun if I can just stop thinking that way. Now I try to be less intense and more patient, I know it sounds lazy, but I am in this for the enjoyment. I do what comes easy. I know I can have a beautiful aquarium by finding what works for me and doing that. I try not to stress about what doesn't work. If a plant doesn't grow well in my tank, I try a different plant. There are a million ways to have a beautiful aquarium. I just have to find one. It also helps when you get beyond the start-up phase, when you are repeatedly faced with drop-dead emergencies because of what is happening to your fish and your tank. A mature tank is so much easier to take care of, and I think I am finally getting there. I hope you find what is right for you in this great hobby.

Yes, you have to replace the meds you remove with water changes. Limiting or eliminating feeding for a few days will help, and may allow you to skip some water changes. You will need to test each day to see if a water change is needed.

I would go ahead and treat the fish and do a water change every day. With a 10 gallon tank a water change is not such a chore, and you will get the fish into your established tank sooner. You could also try to move some additional beneficial bacteria from your established tank to the quarantine tank.