cindyp303

i lost one to day and the other 3 are starting to act the same way i have a test kit on order buy i have a pool chlorine test kit i used that to test the chlorine and it red 0.6 . is that to high 4 them theres a strange smell from the tank but hard to explain what it is. i took a bottle of water down today to get tested and they said it all fine . should i move the clowns to my guppy tank
i have electric yellows and blues in with them the temp is between 25. 26 C thats 78 . 77 F but im mot sure to put it up i dont want to hurt my cichlids

Butterfly

Sorry your having problems with your clown Loaches. How many gallons is your tank? If you have any Chlorine in your tank at all it's bad for your fish in fact can be fatal. You need to use a dechlorinator of some kind (prime if you can get it is great) to get rid of the chlorine.
Clown Loaches should not be kept with Lake Malawi Cichlids. Here is an article that can explain it better and in fewer words than I can http://www.loaches.com/articles/why-...alawi-cichlids
Here is information on what your clowns need to be happy. http://www.loaches.com/species-index...a-macracanthus
Keep us posted and let us know if we can be of any more help.
carol

Butterfly

Sorry for the back to back post but I thought of some thing else You need to get a test kit of your own so you can test your water when ever you need to.
Aquarium Pharmaceutical master test kit for freshwater is the one most recommended. It is a liquid test and much more accurate than test strips. If you have the LFS test fr you please ask what they use to test with and what the numbers for ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are. Knowing this is very important for your fish.
Carol

cindyp303

hi ive got a test kit on order it should be hear tuesday .
my tank size is thats about 120 litres we measured it it was
Length 70 Cm
Width 40 Cm
Height 43 Cm that where the water level is at now i lost the othere last night only 1 left now i was told that i can keep loaches with my cichlids the shop had them with theres and the tank had a bout 20 cichlids in it . so i might go back and talk to them im not happy with the shop i got them from i think they lyed to get money im going to order book on my cichlids .

aquarist48

Hello Cindyp. Sorry to hear about your Clown Loss 120L=31g approx.)
Clowns can grow 12 to 16 inches as an adult and will require a much larger tank. Butterfly gave you some great links for more information.

Until your test kit arrives I would do daily 30 to 50% water changes. A good possibility your fish are suffering from ammonia/chlorine poisoning. Add a product called Prime or AmmoLock, or Amquel + to detox the ammonia for the 24 hour period until it's time for your next water change. The water conditioners mentioned will also resolve your chlorine issues.

Best of luck!
Ken

cindyp303

i have a large tank that's about 120 liters we measured it it was
Length 70 Cm
Width 40 Cm
Height 43 Cm that where the water level is at now i didn't know a bout the tank cycle i have 2 electric yellows and 2 electric blues and 1 clown loacher

i was told buy another fish place to do 10% water change every day to help with the cycle . but i read up and it say's once a week so would 10% every day be ok i have a test kit on order i get it Tuesday that's when it should be in . i have a Aquis 1000 canister filter

aquarist48

Hello Cindyp. I've merged your two threads since they are dealing with the same subject, an uncycled tank.
Thanks!
Ken

Butterfly

Cindy your aquarium information says you don't know about the nitrogen cycle. This is what we're referring to when we say cycle. Here are some more links that will help you with this.
Fishlore Articles for Beginners

As Ken said earlier 120 liters = 31 gallons. With six Clown Loaches and four cichlids the tank was severely overstocked. Even with the one clown and four cichlids left the tank is stocked. Petstores are in the business to make money and many think nothing about selling you what ever you want without finding out if you know what you need to to be sucessful in your new hobby. That's why it's so important to research before buying.
I would definitely not buy any more fish until the tank is cycled.
all very good advice
You mentioned having a guppy tank. How long has it been set up? How big is it. Condition wise the guppys and the Clown Loach you have left are more compatible depending on how it's stocked and how big the tank is. Loaches are very bad to get ICH at low water temps and under stress so a temp of 80f won't hurt the guppys and the loach will love it.
Keep us posted.
carol

cindyp303

i was given these to put in the water
Water Ager CN : it says on the bottle instant chlorine , chloramine , Ammonia & heavy Metals Neutraliser + slime coat
and the other bottle i was given is
Amtrite Down : the bottle says Ammonia/nitrite Reduction aerobic Bacteria

Butterfly

If you still had a chlorine reading when you tested it then the chlorine remover isn't working.
I've never used that product so can't say whether it will work or not. The only product I know of that will even come close to cycling a tank is Tetra Safe Start.
Please read the links I gave you so you can make knowledgeable choices about your fish.
Carol

cindyp303

the guppy tank is only little i have 9 guppys and there only 2 pumps that sit on the side of the tank not great ones but the tank has been running 3 weeks now and i havent lost 1 but i have a old one thats not looking to well but hes old

aspects

CL are also known for being shipped in with swimbladder issues. not to mention they are very susceptible to disease such as ich due to their tiny soft scales.

Butterfly

Interesting. I haven't had any swim bladder issues but chilling and stress are the two most frequent causes of ICH and other diseases for Clown Loaches.
Carol

jdhef

If you have chlorine in your water, it will more than likely kill of any benificial bacteria (whether naturally occuring as part of the cycle or added from a bottle).