My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

My fish tank is acting weird...?
I've got a 30 gallon. 4 male guppies, 6 female guppies, 5 fry, 5 cories, 6 harlequin rasporas. I added 3 Junge Labs Fizz Tabs Parasite Clear tabs last night. Today I found the water cloudy and 1 of the females dead. (now I have 5) The males are all acting fine, but 1 female is only hiding, she wasn't like this yesterday thought, and is breathing very hard. One doesn't move much, just floats around. One is kinda shy but otherwise normal. The last one is acting super active and uber healthy. What gives??

P.S. I took the carbon out before treating. I put it back this morning hoping it would clear up the cloudiness. It didn't help at all so I added another one about 3 hours ago. Nothing changed. Seriously, what gives??
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

P.S.S. I saw the female that is freaking hiding pooping the day before, was white and stringy. I didn't overdose, it says each fizz thing treats 10 gallons, I added 3. The fry and the males are acting fine. I was thinking maybe the females have IP's and are pooping it out or something??
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by marksrush »

Hi. There are so many things that can cause cloudy water and fish die-off, but since this happened right when adding the anti-IP medicine, my first thought is that the ones doing poorly had a large IP infestation. When you treat for IPs, and the fish has a bad case of them, the mass dying of the worms can cause its own problems. Ultimately, though, you need to supply the info requested above (in the pink area) before anyone can help you a whole lot.

By the way, I see in your profile that you have a couple of puffers in a five gallon tank, but you didn't include what kind they are. I can't help but be curious - after all, being proud of what you keep is part of the fun! :)
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

I forgot about the red!! Will do. Oh, and its not a 5 gallon, its a 10 gallon, I'll change it, with 2 dwarf puffers, Bullet and Bug (boy & girl).

1) Don't have one. I'm so sorry! I've got enough money now, all I need to do is pick one up today, and I'm actually going today to get one so I'll do it when I get home tonight, woo!!

2) 30 gallon~ 5 cories, 6 harlequin rasporas, 4 male guppies, 5 female guppies, 5 fry in a breeder net and 1 fry on the loose.

3) 50% every other week, I use Tetra Aqua Safe for dechlorinizer and Junge Labs Parasite Clear Fizz Tabs.

4) None

5) Been up for a month, I "supose" its cycled, but I can't prove it, I don't have a test kit. Cycled with 3 year old tough-as-nails platy. Still have it.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by marksrush »

You're not adding Parasite Clear every time you do water changes, are you? Probably not, but it just seemed to almost suggest that from what you wrote above.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Do a massive water change. 80% would be good. My guess is that the cloudiness is from ammonia.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

Okay. After, oh, a week. The cloudiness is 100% gone. No I don't add the Parasite Clear every water change. Just once. So far 2 more females have died. I could tell that with them they had something comming out of them. And they were both heavily pregnant. Perhaps they died during birth? Anyways another only 3 females remain, with 4 males. Uh oh. 3 males are super, 2 females are super, but one female looks like shes bleeding in the inside. Only one side too. She's not swimming much either. One male has fin rot and his whole tail is falling dieing, he's acting slow too. I also got 3 ghost cats on Sunday.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

Oh, and guys, I'm not going to be on nearly as much now. You know, school. So it basically limits me to evening/early night if homework's done.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Fin rot is the result of poor water quality. You probably have ammonia in there. Daily water changes may be in order.

If your other fish were sick, then why on Earth did you get more???
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

On Earth they were really cool. I can always get them rehomed. I did a water change, 25%.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

With ammonia and/or nitrites in the water, you need to do a much bigger change.

You bought them because they were cool, without consideration of their welfare? What if you can't find a suitable home?
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

Woah. My female guppy has a huge gash on her side! I don't think a guppy could do this, I think it was the ghost cats. If my friend won't take them, I'll just have to enthusize them. Properly, of corse. With ice and water.

I'll do a water change in the morning before school. Bigger this time.

I'm sorry LilGreen. I was doing good for awhile but now.. not good for my rep.
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

Why would you euthanize them? Can't you just return them?

Use one of those old empty tanks you have and seperate the catfish! You should also isolate the injured guppy. Remember that when these fish are in uncycled hospital/isolation tanks, they'll need big water changes every day.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


Image

Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!

I AM A DUDETTE!

NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by Lil' Swimz$ »

I can but my mom isn't driving this week or next week. You mean set up the spare tank in my room? My mom would NEVER allow me to do that, I'm suprised she even let me get teh 30 gallon! Well, I did enthusize them. I had the female with in a breeder catcher but she died this morning.
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LilGreenPuffer
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Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
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RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond.
Location (country): United States
Location: Kentucky

Re: My tank is acting weird... Cloudy water, fish death, babies?

Post by LilGreenPuffer »

If your parents won't let you set up a spare temporarily or do big enough water changes, then you really have a problem. Please don't get any more fish until you are no longer living with them.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."

Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi


Image

Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!

I AM A DUDETTE!

NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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