noggin

Hi guys! Awesome site.

pH: 6.8
KH: 0 d
GH: >16 d
NO3: <10mg/l (sorry we work with the metric!)
NO2: 0
NH3: 0
NH4: 0
Temp: 28 Celcius

Tank is cycled.

Why do my guppies and tetras just keep dying?! When the clown loaches and plecos are 100% happy as Larry?!

My guess is the hardness is too high?! It looks like our tap water here in Cape Town is pretty crappy...

Thanks in advance!!

Beth1965

Sorry about your fishies. What size is your tank?
Beth

noggin

63 litres

Beth1965

That'a almost 17 gallons...What did you do to cycle the tank?
The temp at 82.4 seems high to me. Someone else will comment, Im sure.
Beth

Lucy

Hi noggin welcome to Fish Lore

Sorry about your gups and neons, they're more sensitive than they used to be.
Are you using the liquid or test strips?

Are they commom plecos? If so they need a much bigger tank, 55 and up and your clown loaches will also need a bigger tank as they can get large.

Just a guess, but even though your existing fish seem happy in the tank now, it's may not be possible to add anymore without the undue stress of an overstocked tank.

Don't know anything about water hardness and it's effects on neons and guppies, hopefully someone else will address that.

Good luck.

AlyeskaGirl

Welcome to fishlore!

I am sorry you are loosing some fish.

We all use a liquid test kit called the API Master Test Kit. It only tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Test strips don't give correct readings from my experience.

Since you are not sure what is going on I would do a 50% water change along with a gravel vac using Prime or Amquel Plus for your water conditioner. Eather one detoxis ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for 24 hours and removes chlorine etc. Most of us here on FishLore use eather Prime or Stress Coat Plus (detoxis ammonia only, removes chlorine etc.) Since you don't have it now it is fine to do a water change with what water conditioner you have. Plecos are huge waste producers and having two of them is too much. Most plecos sold are the common plecos or Sailfins that get huge....up to 18". They require a large tank as well as the Clown Loaches. They grow to a foot long. So, to get down to it your tank is way overstocked and way too small for the fish that you have except for the neons and guppies. My guess is your fish are dying from ammonia poisoning from because you are using test strips that give incorrect readings. I hope you don't loose anymore fish babys.

noggin

Sheesh you guys are quick.

I use a Sera (www.sera.de - German so I suppose it must be accurate!) liquid NH4/3 test, and Sera liquid pH test. I've also got the Sera Quick Test strips which seems accurate to me (compared with a bromothymol pH test kit that I have that WAS NOT accurate - I'm not sure if the printing was off or if the test was just whack).

In time I will get a bigger tank - I just though maybe I should start small. Ok so I will get rid of one of the plecos - they do seem like waste producing machines, although they keep the tank very clean.

I've recently done a water change and gravel vacced, always use a Chlorine removing agent... I do hear that our water here is not what it used to be. Maybe I should try some rain water or borehole/wellpoint water?