Joy

I have a 55 gallon freshwater tank with 2 Fantail goldfish, 2 Black Moors, 7
Neon Tetras, & a Common Plecos. I am a fairly new fish owner and as a result, I
initially started with a 10 gallon tank that was much too small for my Goldfish
& my Algae Eater, which were the only fish I had at that time. I upgraded about
three weeks ago to the 55 gallon and added the Neon Tetras shortly thereafter.
I used Biozyme for the first week and a half, to jumpstart the growth of good
bacteria. I have read about new tank syndrome and had faith that this product
would do what it claims to do. I had great luck with the new tank (which also
has a filter with carbon in it) until yesterday. My Algae Eater died and I have
no idea why. He went to a dark place in the bottom of the aquarium yesterday
morning, stayed there all day and then, by evening, had died there.



I have not rinsed the brown permanent filter that sits back-to-back with my
disposable filter, because I know that I needed to establish the growth of
beneficial bacteria. All of my other fish are thriving in the bigger tank. I
haven't seen any sign of illness in any of them. I've tested the water with a
five-in-one test strip that measures Nitrites, Nitrates, alkalinity, pH, &
Hardness. The water registers to be ideal in all of those categories. I used
water conditioner when I initially set-up the tank. I had been giving him
little algae wafers especially for a Plecos before turning off the lights at
night, but I'm not sure that he was always the one that ate them--I've seen the
Goldfish picking at them before. I put salt for freshwater aquariums in the
tank when I set it up. The water temperature fluctuates between 73 & 74.5
degrees.



I can't think of anything else you may need to know to come to a conclusion
about his cause of death. I am afraid for my other fish now. Do you think I
have new tank syndrome? If so, how can I remedy this fast? Is it possible that
my plecos was simply ill? I didn't notice lethargy, but then again I didn't
expect him to be too terribly active in the day, knowing that he was nocturnal.
I really appreciate your time and expertise in figuring out what happened and
helping my other little guys continue to thrive.



Thanks!

Joy

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!
im sorry for your loss joy rip mr plec!
I would see if you can find an API liquid master test kit as soon as you can...test strips are too unreliable and give you a false sense that things are ok when they really arent...you need to test for ammonia as it sounds like the tank might be having some cycle issues...biozyme dies off when you stop using it and the tank still needs to properly be cycled....once you have a reliable test kit, it will be better to help you more in case things are severely off with the water...

eiginh

I think you may have to do daily water changes b/c your bioload seems to be building up a lot. Especially with goldfish and plecos. I agree with Shawnie, you might have a cycling issue and you need to purchase a liquid test kit.

bolivianbaby

Welcome to Fishlore I'm so sorry about your pleco. Great advice above. Once you have a liquid test kit and can post those results, we can advise you better on how to keep your remaining fish alive and hopefully happy and healthy.

aquarist48

Hello Joy and Welcome to Fish Lore. Glad to have you on board. Great tips and advice above. I also believe that you may be dealing with ammonia issues at this point. Until you get your test kit (API liquid, Master Test Kit) I would go ahead and do a water changes, 50%, add some Prime or Amquel +, something to detox the ammonia for 24hrs. Anytime something seems to be wrong with fish, a water change is always a good place to start. See if you don't see a difference. If you can I suggest the new test kit as soon as you can. I know we sometimes can't rush right out and get what we want. Wishing you and your fish the best. Keep us posted.
Ken
(NOTE: once you get your test kit...should you add the Amquel+ to detox the ammonia, you may still get a reading of ammonia in the tank however it will not be toxic for 24 hours. )