My Swordtail Died! Why?

Sad News. My male swordtail died a few days back and today the female black tail also died. There are no white spots on them and their fins seems OK too. The other fish are all apparently fine, eating and swimming well. What could be the reason?
I did a water change yesterday. My water has a TDS of about 450, which is the usual range.
The two fish who died have been in my tank for 4-5 weeks.
The other fish I have are 6 platy, 2 tiger barb and 4 Zebra Fish.
Any help?
I am attaching 2 photos of the female who died today, please look at it and correct me if there are any signs of infection.

 

Have you checked your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate)?

 

I do not have any test kit except a TDS meter. I have ordered an API master kit, which will probably be delivered in 10 days.

 

I do not have any test kit except a TDS meter. I have ordered an API master kit, which will probably be delivered in 10 days.

Alright.
How long has the tank been running and did you cycle it? Also what size tank is this?

 

The tank has been running for quite a while. Almost 7 months or more. It is a 23 gallon tank with 18 gallons water.
I have just tested the TDS and it is 393, but pH is 8.2 !!

 

Don't worry about the pH. That is not the issue.

 

Don't worry about the pH. That is not the issue.

OK, thanks.

 

How often are you doing water changes? What kind of filtration are you using? Is the temperature regulated?

Do any of the others have clamped fins? Inflamed gills? If something was contagious, they could be uncomfortable but not enough to slow down and stop eating.

Unfortunately it might be difficult for anyone here to diagnose without the water parameters. I don’t have a ton of experience with disease, but I certainly don’t see anything external. If they are having white stringy poop though, that can be a sign of internal parasites. Have you noticed any abnormal poop?

Since they were the two newest ones, I wonder if they had been stressed at the store and they just never fully recovered from the move. I’m not sure though as 4-5 weeks seems like a long time. I had a shrimp that made it 2.5 weeks and then mysteriously turned up dead one day. Water parameters were perfect for shrimp.

 

When you did a water change, did you clean the filter or change the filter cartridge, if you have one?

 

How often are you doing water changes? What kind of filtration are you using? Is the temperature regulated?

I do weekly water changes and I did one on Sunday.
I use a sponge filter which is cleaned by tank water at the time of the weekly water changes.
Yes, the temperature is regulated by a heater which is set to about 23 C.

Do any of the others have clamped fins? Inflamed gills? If something was contagious, they could be uncomfortable but not enough to slow down and stop eating.

Others do not have clamped fins or any red spots

When you did a water change, did you clean the filter or change the filter cartridge, if you have one?

When I do a water change, I clean the sponge filter using the tank water.

 

Hmm. My best guess is that they were stressed or something has gone wrong with the parameters (but sounds like they should be fine based on your routine). But I’d just keep a close eye on them and maybe someone else can chime in. I’m so sorry they didn’t make it and I can’t be of more help.

 

Another male swordtail is now slow and disinterested. She didn't eat anything tonight. Again, there are no signs of any infections that I can see.
I have added 5 ml of "neutralised flavine" (it has an orange colour) available here as general purpose medicine for fish infections.

 

I think that was white ick I’m guessing and that could’ve happened quick I’m sorry for the fishes life but it could be white ick disease

 

I think that was white ick I’m guessing and that could’ve happened quick I’m sorry for the fishes life but it could be white ick disease

I don't see any signs of Ick. It could be a lot of things, but we really need to know the parameters to have a place to start. Honestly with the OPs stock, tank size and lack of a test kit I would like to know the parameters.

 

Do you have any pet stores or aquatic specialty stores nearby that tests water? Might be better to get a reading now if at all possible. Most anywhere that sells fish here will do that, but I have no idea what the pet stores are like in the rest of the world.

 

Update. The male swordtail died the next day on Feb 7th. So, I did a 5 litre water change and added 5 ml blue chemical to the tank after dilution in 5 litres water. This blue chemical is sold here as a treatment for parasites of fish.
Things stabilised and I haven't lost any further fish since then.

 

Update. A small female platy has just vanished. I can't see it or its "body parts" I have moved the decor too, but no signs of it. What could have happened?
Has anyone else had similar vanishings earlier?

 

no
but do u have a lid? could it have jumped out?

 

If you have any decorations with twisted/angled hollow insides I highly recommend looking in there. It’s how I lost my platy Archie. He was jammed so far up it took a lot of water from my hose to get his corpse to appear.

 

no
but do u have a lid? could it have jumped out?

Yes, there is a lid and it couldn't have jumped out

If you have any decorations with twisted/angled hollow insides I highly recommend looking in there. It’s how I lost my platy Archie. He was jammed so far up it took a lot of water from my hose to get his corpse to appear.

I hope not

 

wow that is awesome Sel thanks for mentioning

 

In case you want more details, the thread is still up. Here's a link to the post when I found him.

I Can't Find Archie!!!!

 

I’ve unfortunately heard of that happening. I read one way to block them is to fill the area with aquarium safe silicone. I did this with the hole at the bottom of my Terra cotta pot for my betta.

 

I found out that story like last week it was so sadead: