What kind of soil are you using? I don't have my test kit chart with me, but 0.5 may still be toxic for an ammonia reading. I would move the fish to a container with conditioned water until the ammonia is 0.0
Help! Problems with my fish introduction
Hey everyone,
My name is Jonathan and I'm from Brazil (hope my english is understandable).
I'm a begginer. My first tank (20L) got ready two weeks ago (11/05).
I watched a lot of videos about the Walstad method and thought I was ready for the try.
Got the tank and some plants: Amazonense, Cabomba caro, Ludwigia Palustris, Bacopa Caroliniana, Hydrocotyle Leucocephala, Hygrophila Corymbosa, Nymphoides humboldtiana, Phyllanthus fluitans, Eeocharis parvula and Java moss.
The plants seemed to be thriving. I was seeing some growth, some roots and my parameters were fine (I guess): pH around 6,8; soft water, low levels of Amonia and Nitrite (never past 0,5 ppm).
So I got the fishes: 6 Rasboras Galaxy. They arrived yesterday and from the moment they got into the tank, they began to swim weirdly. At first, it seemed they couldn't float well. They were constantly struggling to keep their "hight" in the aquarium and kept sinking. At some point, they were going to the surfance and were falling the hole column straight to the bottom... By the time I decided to make a 40% water change, two of them had already died.
After that, things got better and the other 4 fishes seemed to be ok. I then put a water pump to create some wave at the surface and benefit the gas exchanges. The water turned yellow after that:
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Maybe because of the pump's noise, they're more shy, hiding more and I see them a lot less. So I'm always worried and searching to be sure they're still there. I saw two of them this morning but I really don't know if the other two are still ok...
What do you think caused those 2 fishes death? And what should I do to keep the others safe?
I obviously suspect an oxygen issue, but why and how do I fix it?
I'm really grateful this Forum exists!!
Thanks in advance for all the help S2
Hope I can learn more in the process and keep my aquarium and fishes healthy.
My name is Jonathan and I'm from Brazil (hope my english is understandable).
I'm a begginer. My first tank (20L) got ready two weeks ago (11/05).
I watched a lot of videos about the Walstad method and thought I was ready for the try.
Got the tank and some plants: Amazonense, Cabomba caro, Ludwigia Palustris, Bacopa Caroliniana, Hydrocotyle Leucocephala, Hygrophila Corymbosa, Nymphoides humboldtiana, Phyllanthus fluitans, Eeocharis parvula and Java moss.
The plants seemed to be thriving. I was seeing some growth, some roots and my parameters were fine (I guess): pH around 6,8; soft water, low levels of Amonia and Nitrite (never past 0,5 ppm).
So I got the fishes: 6 Rasboras Galaxy. They arrived yesterday and from the moment they got into the tank, they began to swim weirdly. At first, it seemed they couldn't float well. They were constantly struggling to keep their "hight" in the aquarium and kept sinking. At some point, they were going to the surfance and were falling the hole column straight to the bottom... By the time I decided to make a 40% water change, two of them had already died.
After that, things got better and the other 4 fishes seemed to be ok. I then put a water pump to create some wave at the surface and benefit the gas exchanges. The water turned yellow after that:
Maybe because of the pump's noise, they're more shy, hiding more and I see them a lot less. So I'm always worried and searching to be sure they're still there. I saw two of them this morning but I really don't know if the other two are still ok...
What do you think caused those 2 fishes death? And what should I do to keep the others safe?
I obviously suspect an oxygen issue, but why and how do I fix it?
I'm really grateful this Forum exists!!
Thanks in advance for all the help S2
Hope I can learn more in the process and keep my aquarium and fishes healthy.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
You may want to go to youtube and watch the Drip acclimation method for aquarium fish. It is likely that the water in your tank and the store have different parameters. I have killed fish before, when I was starting, even when I thiught I was doing thungs right. It is not recommended that You just put new fish in the tank. I will send You a link to the explanation I posted just recently.
in the meantime, while this forum is an excellent resource, I also recommend this site, as it is very helpful for a beginner:
The 2Hr Aquarist
The ultimate guide to mastering the freshwater planted tank. Grow anything, defeat algae and create amazing aquascapes like a pro.
www.2hraquarist.com
of course there can be a wide range of reasosn, why fish are not doing well connected to issues specific to your tank.
also, when testing water is it much better to use the liquid tests, rather than paper strips. The strips are a good first pass to detect BIG swings, but they are not accurate. It is the liqiud tests that are more on point. This is the most common one out there. With time you may find that you will be testing water less and less frequently.
a smaller tank is harder to keep, because it is most sensitive, which is counter intuitive to people.
Best of luck!
TDS and water change advice
I'm wondering how close I should match my tank TDS to the water going in? For example; tank is 150 ppm and the water going in is 50 ppm...would I try and get the water going in closer to the tanks 150 ppm or don't adjust it all? I know it depends on fish and plants for what's right for me but...
www.aquaticplantcentral.com
I was going to "drip acclimate" the fishes. I changed my mind after a couple of Youtube videos. Those explained the dangers of the method due to high levels of amonia in the bag. Here's the link:You may want to go to youtube and watch the Drip acclimation method for aquarium fish. It is likely that the water in your tank and the store have different parameters. I have killed fish before, when I was starting, even when I thiught I was doing thungs right. It is not recommended that You just put new fish in the tank. I will send You a link to the explanation I posted just recently.
in the meantime, while this forum is an excellent resource, I also recommend this site, as it is very helpful for a beginner:
The 2Hr Aquarist
The ultimate guide to mastering the freshwater planted tank. Grow anything, defeat algae and create amazing aquascapes like a pro.
1 - 7 of 7 Posts
