Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: Cazzybaby on May 22, 2014, 08:25:57 AM
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Walked in the room twice yesterday to find the clown loach and yoyo feasting on firstly a black phantom tetra then one of my golden barbs. I have removed the 3 to a separate tank to prevent them killing any more. The clown was due to be picked up today anyway but I am going to get rid of both the yo yo's too now. Can I just take them to a fish shop or do I need to ring them first ?
I don't know what has happened to suddenly make them do this but it's spoiling my enjoyment of the tank. We still have the shark and the sucking loach for now, I hope they don't cause any trouble. I'm looking forward to getting a nice little shoal of something pretty without the stress of finding dead bodies.
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I'm sorry to hear that.
Are you sure that the loaches killed them, or were they just scavenging the bodies?
Have you tested the water? Always best after something like that, and you might want to consider a largish water change as well.
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I agree with Colin, the fish are likely to have died, or at least were sick and lying on the bottom, and the loaches just spied their chance of a meal. All fish will eat dead fish. And with loaches living on the bottom that is their natural place to look for food.
The fish have just been through an upheaval and, considering the poor choice of fish, I wouldn't be surprised if the previous owner had neglected the tank too. It is possible that the reason there were too few of the shoaling fish is that there had been full shoals but most of them had died, meaning that the fish you got with the tank were quite old and therefore more likely to succumb to the move.
So long as you rule out poor water conditions (by testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH), and do a water change (always advisable when fish die for whatever reason) then I would put it down to just one of those things.
As for rehoming fish, always contact the shop first as not all shops will take fish in.
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The fish that died hadn't been showing any real signs , I never saw them listless or anything. Just alive one minute and half devoured the next. It could have been they just died very quickly but I'm not so sure. My friend has actually took all three fish for his 5ft tank and my remaining fish ready seem a but more happy and are venturing more round the tank. I tested the water yesterday it was 0,0, 40. I haven't tested the ph. I will do that now
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The pH is usually not a problem. I just mentioned it to be on the safe side. There is always the possibility that something has made it change eg new decor that dissolves and pushes the pH up (limestone and coral are the main problems here).
And just to check - anyone sprayed anything in the room? Any plug in air fresheners? These can get into the tank water and affect the fish.
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I just did the ph to be sure and on the normal ph range it looks like almost 7.6 do I did the high ph and it reads 7.4. The only things I've put since getting the tank are some fake plants, one ornament , 2 real plants and a couple of pieces of slate.
We never spray things around the house and I won't have air fresheners.
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The pH is fine, though without a reading from a few days ago we can't say if it has changed.
I remembered about the sprays this morning talking with my mother, so I thought it was worth asking. After her stroke, my mother now can't get to the hairdresser so we've just found a mobile hairdresser. She came on Monday and used she used hairspray. It wasn't important this week (long story but she was stranded upstairs due to a problem with the stairlift) but next time the hairdresser comes, she'll use the kitchen. I have 2 fish tanks in the kitchen so I won't let her use hairspray in there. Or the dining room, as my main tank is in there. And my husband won't let her use it in the lounge in case it gets in his hifi. So where can she spray it? As you can tell, sprays have been on my mind this morning ;D
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The fish that died hadn't been showing any real signs , I never saw them listless or anything. Just alive one minute and half devoured the next.
One of my guppies turned up his little fishy toes at the weekend and, like yours, he was swimming happily around his little tank on Friday night yet on Saturday morning he was singing with the choir celestial for no apparent reason..... except he was old. Sometimes stuff happens.
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I think it was just the fact it was two in one day made me really suspicious . Hopefully I won't have any more for a while ::)
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I would be suprised if the loach had killed them as mine barely bother with my other fish or even my shrimp if anything in the tank had attacked them and killed i would look at the ruby shark mine is peaceful one day and a trouble maker the next althow he tends to just chase then leave them alone
I to have lost a few fish in my first few weeks so I know how you feel it is sad to loose them but keep at it and the rewards will come :)