Shrike

Hi.

I set up a new 125g freshwater tank, running 1 xp4 and 1 xp3, about 2 weeks ago. temp 81F, don't know about the ammonia, nitrite/nitrate parameters or pH. There is a turtle in the tank, separated from the fish (2 small catfish, and formerly my 2 algae eaters). The same turtle shared the tank with these fish for at least 6 months. I moved the turtle and fish 2 days ago from a 40g tank that was a dirty mess, but did have flat rocks with lots of algae on them.

I moved some of the rocks into the new tank. The algae eaters seemed fine in the new tank. I put some algae disks into the water, but the algae eaters didn't appear to eat any of them. When I returned home from work today, one of my lovely chinese algae eaters was dead (the larger one), and the other was obviously ill, dying less than an hour after returning home.

I am saddened and perplexed at losing both fish so quickly after moving them, ostensibly into a better home. I am wondering whether two days of not eating could do this, or whether something else is likely to have killed them. Any ideas? Thx.

Lucy

Hi Welcome to Fish Lore
I'm really sorry you lost your fish. That really stinks.
It would really be helpful you know what your readings are. Just a guess, but if your tank wasn't cycled and you weren't doing daily water changes I would think you'd have ammonia readings which could have killed your fish.
I don't know too much about turtles, but I'm pretty sure they're huge waste producers.
81F seems kinda high. Do you have an airstone to provide extra oxygen?

Usually when things go wrong, especially in a new tank it's best to rule out water problems and go from there.

The members are always happy to help. Perhaps someone else could provide more insight.

Good luck, I hope you figure out what went wrong.

Shrike

Thank you. I will get a kit to test the readings.

gremlin

A couple of options of what may have happened. Not enough food, Not enough oxygen. Chinese Algae Eaters are voracious eaters. They need a lot of food all the time. They also need a high oxygen content in their water. I have three CAE's for my pond. They are very good at keeping it completely moss free in the summer. Right now, it is too cool and so they are inside. I bring in moss covered rocks from my pond, bundles of moss from my sister's pond, as well as feeding them bottom feeder tablets and algae wafers. They also have two filters and an air pump with bubbles going to four different air stones (one of which is the bubble wand all across the back). They will sit right on top of the air stones sometimes. The tank is kept at 74-75 degrees farenheit. They are doing just fine. I'm not sure mixing the fish with the turtle would be a good idea. Turtles have bacteria that is normal for them that can harm fish. What kind of turtle do you have? As the turtle gets older and larger, it may start chasing the fish and possibly eating them.