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Hi, I recently setup a new 55 gallon tank and transferred my fish from my old 20 gallon tank to the new one. Over the course of 2 weeks, all but 3 died. Many seemed to die from HLLE or hole-in-the-head, but the fish that died also did not eat once in the new tank. I don't understand why.
I have a 55 gallon tank. Dimensions: 48 in L x 13 in W x 20 in H. It's this tank: Top Fin Essentials
I also have two bubblers, an extra filter from my old 20 gallon and a circulation fan. The tank has cichlid sand to buffer the ph, caribsea aquascaping rocks and pvc pipes to make caves. These are the rocks: CaribSea_South_Seas_Aquascaping_Base_Rock_Dry_Rock_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums
What are your water parameters: Temperature: 82-84, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0, ph 8.2-8.4, don't know GH, don't know KH and nitrate 0.
The fish are mostly mbunas. I had 3 kennyis, 1 demasoni, 2 red zebra, 1 venustus, 1 speckled peacock of some type and 1 syno catfish. All but two of these fish were in the 20 gallon tank for 1-5 months. They ate in the old tank. I have always fed them API Cichlid Pellets, but after some time of them not eating in the new tank, I began to mix it up and try some new foods as well, which were new life spectrum (nls) float and nls cichlid pellets, as well as some bloodworms. The fish wouldn't eat it. A week after I put my old fish in the new tank, I introduced two new fish: the syno and a larger red zebra. Shortly after, fish began dying. However, at this point, they hadn't been eating for over a week, so I'm hesitant to blame the introduction of two new fish. I had a new fish die every other day about. The red zebra died 2-3 days after I put him in.
When the fish died, they would start leaving their holes and start swimming near the top of the tank. Then they would began gasping for air a lot, have trouble swimming, and die. Several had marks on their head and lips as they got closer to death and the red zebra had a large hole in its head. After seeing the large hole, I began to treat for hexamita, or hole in the head, with metronidazole (seachem metroplex). The fish seemed to die slower after this, but I still had two die after beginning treatment. I only have three left. I have a venustus that eats everytime I feed them and eats a lot. He seems totally unaffected by whatever got the other fish. I have the speckled peacock but he doesn't eat much, if at all. The syno catfish I see eat bloodworms.
When I first introduced the fish to the new tank, the nitrites spiked high, to about 5 ppm, but I quickly treated it with a 50% water change and treatment with prime (which lowers nitrites). Within a day or two, the nitrites were at 0 and remained so. The fish still would not eat though.
I change 25% of the water once a week and I use seachem prime to treat my water.
I tested for stray voltage, but the voltage in the tank was only .5 volts; my multimeter is extremely sensitive and measures .25 volts between ground and the air, so I think .5 is rather negligible.
I'm still treating with metronidazole.
I cleaned out my 20 gallon and cycled it again. It's finally cycled and I put two small mbuna in there today and they immediately ate. I'm wondering if I should put my remaining peacock that isn't eating back in the 20 gallon, though that tank is really too small for him.
Why are nearly all of my fish dying?
I have a 55 gallon tank. Dimensions: 48 in L x 13 in W x 20 in H. It's this tank: Top Fin Essentials
I also have two bubblers, an extra filter from my old 20 gallon and a circulation fan. The tank has cichlid sand to buffer the ph, caribsea aquascaping rocks and pvc pipes to make caves. These are the rocks: CaribSea_South_Seas_Aquascaping_Base_Rock_Dry_Rock_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums
What are your water parameters: Temperature: 82-84, ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0, ph 8.2-8.4, don't know GH, don't know KH and nitrate 0.
The fish are mostly mbunas. I had 3 kennyis, 1 demasoni, 2 red zebra, 1 venustus, 1 speckled peacock of some type and 1 syno catfish. All but two of these fish were in the 20 gallon tank for 1-5 months. They ate in the old tank. I have always fed them API Cichlid Pellets, but after some time of them not eating in the new tank, I began to mix it up and try some new foods as well, which were new life spectrum (nls) float and nls cichlid pellets, as well as some bloodworms. The fish wouldn't eat it. A week after I put my old fish in the new tank, I introduced two new fish: the syno and a larger red zebra. Shortly after, fish began dying. However, at this point, they hadn't been eating for over a week, so I'm hesitant to blame the introduction of two new fish. I had a new fish die every other day about. The red zebra died 2-3 days after I put him in.
When the fish died, they would start leaving their holes and start swimming near the top of the tank. Then they would began gasping for air a lot, have trouble swimming, and die. Several had marks on their head and lips as they got closer to death and the red zebra had a large hole in its head. After seeing the large hole, I began to treat for hexamita, or hole in the head, with metronidazole (seachem metroplex). The fish seemed to die slower after this, but I still had two die after beginning treatment. I only have three left. I have a venustus that eats everytime I feed them and eats a lot. He seems totally unaffected by whatever got the other fish. I have the speckled peacock but he doesn't eat much, if at all. The syno catfish I see eat bloodworms.
When I first introduced the fish to the new tank, the nitrites spiked high, to about 5 ppm, but I quickly treated it with a 50% water change and treatment with prime (which lowers nitrites). Within a day or two, the nitrites were at 0 and remained so. The fish still would not eat though.
I change 25% of the water once a week and I use seachem prime to treat my water.
I tested for stray voltage, but the voltage in the tank was only .5 volts; my multimeter is extremely sensitive and measures .25 volts between ground and the air, so I think .5 is rather negligible.
I'm still treating with metronidazole.
I cleaned out my 20 gallon and cycled it again. It's finally cycled and I put two small mbuna in there today and they immediately ate. I'm wondering if I should put my remaining peacock that isn't eating back in the 20 gallon, though that tank is really too small for him.
Why are nearly all of my fish dying?