All my fish are dying. 😥

[Vicki]

Guys, I really need some help.  All my fish are dying and I really don’t have any idea why.  They’re dying in tanks that have been “established” since about February.  I’ve lost some fish before in them but my Mollies have been in there doing great since the beginning - and they just started dying two or three days ago.  Then today, I only had about 4-5 of my 15-20 fish come up to see me when I went over to feed them - that’s a HUGE change.  That’s in my 45 gal tank with a ph of around 8, 0.25 ammonia (that’s what it’s been since the day I started, it’s never changed), 0 Nitrites but 10-20 ppm of Nitrates.  I don’t know what to do. I’ve got plants growing in there, a sponge filter with bubbles, and a HOB filter. 

ALSO, in my 20 gal tank (with the same water parameters), all my guppies and tetras died except for one of each - I took them out and put them in my 10 gal tank and they’ve been doing fine.  Oh - my Betta in that tank has been perfectly fine (so far, anyway).  

SOOOOO, I’ve taken all my fish from my 45 gal tank and put them ALL in my 10 gallon.  I don’t know what to do other than change out that tank every day and maybe empty and recycle the other two?  I seriously need help -  If my fish die, I’m quitting the fish business - it’s breaking my heart.

[Mychala]

What have you done with the tank in the last week or so? What type of fish are all in there? Do they have any signs of illness? 

[Vicki]

I think I added a new fish about two weeks ago.  It just died last night.  That’s all I’ve needed to do.  It doesn’t need to be cleaned very often because the water seems to always be fine when I test it - and it looks clear and there’s not too much mess in the substrate...

So really, all I’ve done is feed them - same food I always do.

 

[Vicki]

Oh - I’ve got Angel fish, mollies, tetras, plecos and otos.

 

[Vicki]

My tetras and angel’s are all alive and seem to be doing ok.  I think I’ve lost three mollies in the last three days.

 

[gcalberto]

6 minutes ago, Vicki said:

I think I added a new fish about two weeks ago.  It just died last night.  That’s all I’ve needed to do.  It doesn’t need to be cleaned very often because the water seems to always be fine when I test it - and it looks clear and there’s not too much mess in the substrate...

So really, all I’ve done is feed them - same food I always do.

 

Did you quarantine the new fish? 

It looks like the new fish might have brought a disease that is now wrecking havoc in your tanks

[Mychala]

It might be a disaster moving all of them to the 10 gallon that may make that tank crash. Are they dying all at once or just here and there? And massive sudden water changes are stressful as well. Definitely understand getting nervous and wanting it fixed but sometimes its better to figure out what exactly is the problem before possibly stressing things more. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by Mychala

[Vicki]

Nooooooo, I didn’t.  And I want to kick myself for it.  I have a Q tank, but the filter broke in it, so I just popped her in the tank.  I’ve never had problems buying from the box store I got it from, but maybe this was the time.  So, now that I’ve got ALL of my fish in my 10 gal, should I just treat everyone in that tank?  And what about my Bettas - one of which is alone in my 20 and one is alone in my 45.  Do I treat ALL my tanks?  I’m so sad - and really overwhelmed.

[Vicki]

Mychala - I don’t know how to respond with quotes, so I’ll just use your name.  In my 20 gallon (where all my guppies died) They all died within about 2-3 days.  And in my 45 gal, I started losing one-two/day.

 

[Mychala]

@Vicki no worries! It can be so stressful when you don't know what's happening. But we all make mistakes and thaanyhow we learn to do better. It sounds like you may have a bit of a hodge podge in there of different fish types. I'm wondering if you have some aggression going on and fish are getting picked on as well. You might keep an eye out for that.  I agree I think something could have been introduced with the new fish and you might check out the sick fish thread to see if you recognize anything. I would treat for internal parasites. If you don't think any chemicals or anything bad accidentally got into the tank large water changes are only going to cause more stress. Smaller more frequent water changes are better. I'm not sure how many fish are in your 10 gallon right now and if it can handle it for treatment...someone else may be able to help you determine the best way to treat things. Maybe a salt treatment in all the tanks will be sufficient. 

[Vicki]

2 minutes ago, Mychala said:

@Vicki no worries! It can be so stressful when you don't know what's happening. But we all make mistakes and thaanyhow we learn to do better. It sounds like you may have a bit of a hodge podge in there of different fish types. I'm wondering if you have some aggression going on and fish are getting picked on as well. You might keep an eye out for that.  I agree I think something could have been introduced with the new fish and you might check out the sick fish thread to see if you recognize anything. I would treat for internal parasites. If you don't think any chemicals or anything bad accidentally got into the tank large water changes are only going to cause more stress. Smaller more frequent water changes are better. I'm not sure how many fish are in your 10 gallon right now and if it can handle it for treatment...someone else may be able to help you determine the best way to treat things. Maybe a salt treatment in all the tanks will be sufficient. 

😬 I’ve probably got close to 40 in my 10 gal.  I’m so worried about them I’m just sitting here watching them - like... I’m going to do CPR if one starts failing. 🙄. But at least I wont be surprised.  The darn fish die, then the remaining fish cannibalize the dead guy.  I don’t even have a fish to bury! It’s just gone!  haha!  I feel like I’m 10 years old - not the grandma I actually am!  (I’m also talking to my kids - they want ME to dish out punishment to my 4 year old grandson because he accidentally bought a movie using my Amazon account.  Like I care! 😂. I told them to have him write us a letter. Then I’ll have something to save!)  Anyway, back to fish - yeah.  I’m obsessing! Lol

[Mychala]

I'm not sure of the best route to go here, so wait for more advice. I'm thinking you may have some serious problems with the 10 gallon being that full. I think put everyone back in their tanks, treat with salt. Keep the stress down. Make sure everyone is getting enough food if fish keep disappearing that quickly, and that there isnt a bully. Keep a close eye on your water parameters to make sure they are stable. 

[Kat_Rigel]

9 hours ago, Mychala said:

I'm not sure of the best route to go here, so wait for more advice. I'm thinking you may have some serious problems with the 10 gallon being that full. I think put everyone back in their tanks, treat with salt. Keep the stress down. Make sure everyone is getting enough food if fish keep disappearing that quickly, and that there isnt a bully. Keep a close eye on your water parameters to make sure they are stable. 

I agree- I think putting that many fish in the 10gal will stress them out quite a bit and could make any disease worse. Or if you have a bully fish, now they are even easier targets.

I am curious what your gh and kh are? My understanding is that livebearers like mollies and guppies like hard water, while angels and tetras like softer water. I have not kept angels, but perhaps they are tough to keep with livebearers due to the difference gh and kh preferences.

I agree also that you may have a bully. My understanding is that angels can be big bullies, but again this is what I've heard, I have no first hand experience with them. Are all of your fish about the same size?

What do your fish look like? Any signs of disease, like white spots? Red gills? Just anything that looks strange or different?

I recommend separating the fish, especially the angel. But split them all up into different tanks to decrease the amount of stress on them. (Or get more hospital tanks.) I would increase the temperature and add aquarium salt (assuming you have no inverts, or live plants.) 

[braids]

Since they've been so stressed it may be a good idea to shut the lights off in their tank. And keep bright lights like computers and tv's from flashing in their tank. And kids and pets away and quiet. To help them relax a bit. They've been through a lot.

I'm a bit concerned too about the quantity of fish in your 10 gallon. But transferring them again without a plan probably isn't good either.

I wish I had more to offer than compassion.

May what you need find you!🍀

 

[Vicki]

Thank you, everyone.  I ended up moving about half the fish back into the big tank - I kept my favorites in my small tank since it’s the only one my fish seem to manage to stay alive in.  

As far as bullies go, I’ve been watching them all pretty close, and the only one of my fish being picked on is my Betta.  I think my neon tetras are giving him a hard time.  The rest of my fish seem to have enough rom that they’re all getting along fine.  As far as size goes, my angels are the same size as most of my fish - I bought them young and small for that particular reason.  And these fish have been living together for several months without any problems, so, again, I’m flummoxed.