lydy | Fishies. (Reply)

From: (Anonymous)

Well, from what it sounds like is that it's an ammonia or PH kill off. I am currently have this problem with a catfish, who will probably die, but I'm going to give him a chance to fight through it. If this is a new tank (though I don't think it is), then there should be high levels of ammonia, but this will drop off as the nitrates and nitrites balance. Get something like ammonia lock (or something like that) to stop this, but your test kit (which you should get) will still test positive for ammonia. Just now, it won't be toxic ammonia. Loaches, meanwhile, are masters of hiding. If they are in that tank, you won't know about it. To find them, you have to dig up every ornament and look inside and they won't just fall out of it. Be careful, clown loaches have spines under their eye. Might even check the bottom filter if you're really desperate. There's sometimes holes in it even if the rocks cover it up, Loaches can and will get in there. Oh, and these things have to be in groups of four or more or they will get depressed and die. It's a very gruesome death. But you're trying to keep their numbers up. And yes, they will eat one another when they die. Look for sculls more than bodies and count your fish every time you feed them. Way too many fish in the tank, by the way. You're going to need a 55 or 75 to support the angles and the blood parrots (who will eat the angles and neons and anything else they can get their mouth around) and the loachs (of which get 9 inches each and then will eat everyone if the happen to breed.. only happens when they are full grown). Angles will also eat smaller fish and they get big (Aggressiveness has been only mildly bread of them. they are still mean little such and suches when given a chance). Over crowding might be some of your problem also. Rule is one gallon to one inch of maximum fish size. and two gallons to one inch for ciclids and other tall fish (loachs, angles, discus, oscars). Only problem with blood parrots is they are little mutants and will often have problems with eating as they get bigger. Snails don't like warm water and the loachs will eat them! It's their food in the wild. They only live a few months as it is, unless the water is cooler than normal tropical fish temp. Which, your tank should be an angle fish temp (go to www.fishprofiles.com for neat stuff on temp, PH, and about your fish). The heat probably has hurt your fish, big time. That's way, way above their normal tolerance range. Ten to one, this was what caused all the deaths and your catfish's spinning problem. Get that tank moved to the coolest area of the house possible and floating bags of ice will kill the fish as this is putting cold and hot spots in the tank. They are better off at the 90 than at swimming between the two and dealing with the temp going up and down and up and down... well, you get the idea. A bigger tank will also help to keep the water temp down, but unless you're willing to install an air conditioner, I would upgrade. Best bet. Don't by any new fish after a kill off. Wait for a few weeks and then add fish slowly. One group at a time starting with the least territorial. Angles and other ciclids should be added last. I also find quarineein tanks to be bad news also, unless you have the tank as well established as your main one. They cause ammonia kills on their own. Just make sure to buy fish from a trusty place which doesn't have ick on any of its fish or they keep it under control when they do. And, they dip their nets in an ick killing solution between tanks. Hope some of this helps, though I know it kinda jumped around (and a few spelling mistakes, I'm sure). I'm not an expert at any of this, but I've had some trial and error experiences. Good luck.