Kflory Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 I am hoping to get some advice we are DESPERATE!!! I have a 20-gallon hex tank. We have had it a little over a year. It was doing well until about December and we started losing fish left and right and I can't figure out why. For context, we started with 5 Glo Fish Danio, 5 Glo Fish Tetra, and 2 Cory cats. At the moment I have fake plants but I am working on doing some research to start adding live plants. These are the current tank parameters and they have stayed consistent through this whole ordeal pH- 7.5 PPM Nitrates- 5.0 PPM Nitrite- 0 PPM Ammonia- 0 PPM KH-80 PPM (test strip) GH- 120 PPM (test strip) Water Temperature (76-78 F) I noticed our tank turned cloudy and a few days later turned very very green. No algae on the surfaces just green water. The day it turned green we lost our first danio. I did a small water change. It was recommended I limit the lighting. I got a timer after that so the lights stay on for 5 hours daily. The green cleared but it stayed cloudy. I asked a few people and Facebook groups and it was thought to be a bacterial bloom. I left it alone. There was no change in the water for about a month. The fish started to die weekly after this all the same way. They would start to swim erratically, then flip around and upside down, and eventually die. This all would happen within a matter of hours with no previous "signs" or "symptoms". I watched one do this in a matter of 20 minutes. Mid-Jan. we are down several fish and now the water is turning green again. I broke down and treated the water with API Algeafix and accu-clear. This finally gives me clear water....for a few days. Then we were cloudy again. So here we are end of Feb. I have 1 glo fish tetra, 1 danio, and 1 cory left. I did a water change again over the weekend due to the worst green water I have ever seen. Anytime I do a water change I use conditioned water and then dose with seachem stability. I don't change filter media, I have sponges and just rinse them in fish water. If you read this far I appreciate it. I just wanted to encompass the WHOLE story. What am I doing wrong???? The attached picture is of the tank last week and that is generally how it usually looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kflory Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 I want to add that the fish that die aren’t bloated or puffy. They don’t look like they have a disease of any kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 When you get green water or a bacterial bloom that will lower levels of desloved oxygen what filtration are you using have you noticed Any rapid breathing hanging out near the surface @Kflory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kflory Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 (edited) Not really. The Danios have always played and swim more near the surface but not all the way to the top. I have an aqua clear HOB. For filter media I have a sponge, some filter floss and bio rock things. I also have a small air stone. @Colu Edited February 28 by Kflory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 (edited) On 2/28/2024 at 10:35 PM, Kflory said: Not really. The Danios have always played and swim more near the surface but not all the way to the top. With no symptoms to go off other than green water and bacterial bloom its odd one have you noticed any fish spitting food out loss of appetite sunken belly Edited February 28 by Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kflory Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 No. They eat fine. Look and act perfectly normal until all of the sudden they aren’t. @Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 Parasitic infection can cause the odd random death spread over a long period of time are your using a dechlorinator like prime when doing water changes @Kflory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kflory Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 I use API water conditioner to treat water before I add it to the tank. I use seachem stability afterwards @Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 you may have something else going on. green water by itself is not harmful for fish. unsightly for humans. just floating algae. usually provides oxygen, and food for young fish. you could indeed have a bacterial bloom to go with it. which would drain oxygen. but looks like you have a good air source going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kflory Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 The frustrating part has been trying to figure out the “something else”. 😭 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Oh I understand exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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