Jason
April 13th 05, 08:13 PM
I have a 12g nanocube, originally with 12 happy guppies. All were
active and doing well. Water chemistry normal (0
ammonia/nitrites--fully-cycled, <20ppm nitrates, pH 7.2 stable). Then,
about 2-3 weeks after introducing fish into the tank, I've been losing
an average of one fish per day.
The ones that die seem normal, including a big (I'm assuming) pregnant
one that was ravenously hungry until she did die. (I do feed them quite
a bit...probably 3 slowly-released pinches of small-pellet food per
day--they eat about a third while they're sinking, and then scour the
bottom for food pellets later. They also nibble at the brown algae that
collects in there--I have fluorite media, rich in silicates) I did a
25% water change after the first 2 died, even though nitrates were
around 30ppm; didn't stop the die-off.
I just noticed that another guppy has a tattered tail and is now
missing one of his "side" (flipper?) fins, and it looks absolutely
exhausted. They all tend to swim near the filter exit where there's a
current, while sometimes scouring the bottom for food.
I have absolutely no idea why they're dying. There are a least a dozen
small snails that appeared in the last week--eggs probably on the
plants. But they seem harmless enough.
Why are the fish suddenly dying, after 2-3 weeks of bliss? Why is that
one fish so beaten-up looking? Anyone have an experience similar to
this?
-Jason
active and doing well. Water chemistry normal (0
ammonia/nitrites--fully-cycled, <20ppm nitrates, pH 7.2 stable). Then,
about 2-3 weeks after introducing fish into the tank, I've been losing
an average of one fish per day.
The ones that die seem normal, including a big (I'm assuming) pregnant
one that was ravenously hungry until she did die. (I do feed them quite
a bit...probably 3 slowly-released pinches of small-pellet food per
day--they eat about a third while they're sinking, and then scour the
bottom for food pellets later. They also nibble at the brown algae that
collects in there--I have fluorite media, rich in silicates) I did a
25% water change after the first 2 died, even though nitrates were
around 30ppm; didn't stop the die-off.
I just noticed that another guppy has a tattered tail and is now
missing one of his "side" (flipper?) fins, and it looks absolutely
exhausted. They all tend to swim near the filter exit where there's a
current, while sometimes scouring the bottom for food.
I have absolutely no idea why they're dying. There are a least a dozen
small snails that appeared in the last week--eggs probably on the
plants. But they seem harmless enough.
Why are the fish suddenly dying, after 2-3 weeks of bliss? Why is that
one fish so beaten-up looking? Anyone have an experience similar to
this?
-Jason