What to do with my tank after an unexpected fish death

[Emily M]

Hi fellow fish keepers!

Been a rough week here in my fish room. Learning many lessons as I’m new to the hobby. 
I lost my betta yesterday, it was a young fish, but stopped eating and within three days was dead. 😩. I had a small ammonia spike, I think because of the food it wasn’t eating. It had no outward signs of illness. PH 7-7.5, nitrates 20, moderate hardness. Temp 80 deg F. 
I am treating another tank for internal parasites (I stressed the fish out moving them) so I do wonder about that, and could I have cross contaminated them. My question is, the tank is nicely cycled, I’d like to put another creature in there (it’s a 5 gallon). How long should I wait, and do I need to treat the water with anything? Confidence is shaken, but I think I need to try again.

appreciate your advice!!

[Wel-Don Tanks]

4 minutes ago, Emily M said:

Hi fellow fish keepers!

Been a rough week here in my fish room. Learning many lessons as I’m new to the hobby. 
I lost my betta yesterday, it was a young fish, but stopped eating and within three days was dead. 😩. I had a small ammonia spike, I think because of the food it wasn’t eating. It had no outward signs of illness. PH 7-7.5, nitrates 20, moderate hardness. Temp 80 deg F. 
I am treating another tank for internal parasites (I stressed the fish out moving them) so I do wonder about that, and could I have cross contaminated them. My question is, the tank is nicely cycled, I’d like to put another creature in there (it’s a 5 gallon). How long should I wait, and do I need to treat the water with anything? Confidence is shaken, but I think I need to try again.

appreciate your advice!!

First I am sorry for your loss, never easy losing a fish.  If I can give encouragement though it is to not let this shake you to much but learn from it and try again.  On the basis of your fish being treated for internal parasites that would not come from stress after moving them, not sure if there were other signs of that.

With your 5 gallon tank, try looking at it as a new starting point and a new thing to learn in the hobby.  I would recommend doing a water change on it, gravel vac, glass clean down to just get it set up.  If you do not have live plants in the tank this can be the new learning for live plants.  Starting with something simple like an anubias or small crypt plant.  Stocking wise, betta fish are great for that size tank but if you wanted to try something new white cloud minnows, neon green tetras, rosy loaches or even a pea puffer.  Hope to see you continue in the hobby and update us all on your success here on the forum.  You got this!

[Emily M]

1 hour ago, Wel-Don Tanks said:

First I am sorry for your loss, never easy losing a fish.  If I can give encouragement though it is to not let this shake you to much but learn from it and try again.  On the basis of your fish being treated for internal parasites that would not come from stress after moving them, not sure if there were other signs of that.

With your 5 gallon tank, try looking at it as a new starting point and a new thing to learn in the hobby.  I would recommend doing a water change on it, gravel vac, glass clean down to just get it set up.  If you do not have live plants in the tank this can be the new learning for live plants.  Starting with something simple like an anubias or small crypt plant.  Stocking wise, betta fish are great for that size tank but if you wanted to try something new white cloud minnows, neon green tetras, rosy loaches or even a pea puffer.  Hope to see you continue in the hobby and update us all on your success here on the forum.  You got this!

Thank You so much! I love planted tanks and have them in the 5 gallon as well. Appreciate the advice, I’ll ask my little one (she’s 😎 and let her decide what to do next!