Any fish keepers who understand aquarium warm water fish (1 Viewer)

Aug 27, 2009
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My Ex is away for a month and has left me in sole charge of her two main fish tanks. I have a book of to do's with all the paraphernalia for there wellbeing. The water is crystal clear and all pumps and aerators are working.
I have been feeding them mainly with blood worms and pellets. I have been changing 20% of the water and replacing the top filters regularly. But yesterday One of her best fish a big chap about 8' long was dead in the bottom of the tank :eek:.
Any ideas please. My only thought is have I been giving them enough blood worms, she did emphasize before she left not to overfeed them. Have I been giving them enough food, can large fish starve to death. I have upped their food now just incase. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
 

irnbru

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How often are you replacing the 20% of the water and are you replacing it with the same temperature of water. Just a guess, its many years since we kept fish.

Best bet is to ring an aquarium shop. Hope no more die.

Check the temperature of the water for the tropical fish.

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DBK

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You'll want to go to a shop anyway to buy a replacement fish so you might as well ask for some advice at the same time. :)
 

irnbru

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Water should be around 76-80f in general. 25-27c
 
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Aug 27, 2009
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How often are you replacing the 20% of the water and are you replacing it with the same temperature of water. Just a guess, its many years since we kept fish.

Best bet is to ring an aquarium shop. Hope no more die.
Thanks irnbru, I have changed the 20% just once so far she has been away two weeks. I had instructions to use my elbow and mix hot and cold for the correct temp before poring it in. I used a sucker to remove any debris from the bottom of the tank and as I say the water looks nicely clear. The tank is a real mix with 12" long snakes large white African toads and a real mix of fish it looks really nice but takes some looking after. Perhaps he died of old age she has had him for some time.
Now I have to pluck up the courage to tell her.:(

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Aug 27, 2009
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Water should be around 76-80f in general. 25-27c
I have been keeping an eye on that during the recent heatwave. It has been keeping around 25-27 and I checked the heater is working. All the other species appear to be doing really well. (y)
 
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Good job she's already your ex !
I doubt you underfed them, more likely over fed
Thanks Figaro, they appear to be starving when I feed then it gets a bit heated in the tank when the blood worms are sinking down, I make sure that everything has gone before I put more food in around every other day.
 

Jim

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The water can be very clear, but still full of harmful nitrates and phosphates. Take some of the tank water to a decent fish supplier and they will tell you if anything is wrong with it (y)

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Aug 27, 2009
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The water can be very clear, but still full of harmful nitrates and phosphates. Take some of the tank water to a decent fish supplier and they will tell you if anything is wrong with it (y)
Thanks Jim, I did give this a thought I have added some white balls that she left, it says on the box to reduce phos and nitrates but if I have any more probs I will take a sample to her fish supplier for testing.
Looking after fish is not as easy as it first appears...:)
 
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You sure he was not just having a nap.:)
This was my biggest fear but the toads were starting to have a go at the corps, I still give him time to wake up before I disposed of him. I did think of the freezer until she got back so she could give him a proper burial but decided against it.:) Mustn't joke I still have to tell her yet:oops:
 
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Geo

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Are you letting em out for wee wee's and No2s or just letting them do it in the tank??:Eeek:
 
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Are you letting em out for wee wee's and No2s or just letting them do it in the tank??:Eeek:
I kid you not, some of these toads could take me for a walk...:)

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Get yourself down the shop and buy another one the same.
She might not notice..

Or she might say, that fish is looking well I thought he would be dead By the time I get back as he's been unwell...
 
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My Ex is away for a month and has left me in sole charge of her two main fish tanks. I have a book of to do's with all the paraphernalia for there wellbeing. The water is crystal clear and all pumps and aerators are working.
I have been feeding them mainly with blood worms and pellets. I have been changing 20% of the water and replacing the top filters regularly. But yesterday One of her best fish a big chap about 8' long was dead in the bottom of the tank :eek:.
Any ideas please. My only thought is have I been giving them enough blood worms, she did emphasize before she left not to overfeed them. Have I been giving them enough food, can large fish starve to death. I have upped their food now just incase. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.


At 8' long mr B it had probably out grown the tank;)
 

Langtoftlad

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Are you treating the water before putting it in the tank?
Tap water is chlorinated and poisonous to fish - so fresh water needs to be treated with something like Aqua Safe before adding to the tank
Healthy fish can go several days, if not a week or more without feeding, so I concur that overfeeding is more dangerous than underfeeding.

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At 8' long mr B it had probably out grown the tank;)
The tanks are pretty big but she has a bigger one on order for when she gets back. She has a shoal of sharks in there too all around 5" long that zoom around the tank like power boats.
 
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Are you treating the water before putting it in the tank?
Tap water is chlorinated and poisonous to fish - so fresh water needs to be treated with something like Aqua Safe before adding to the tank
Healthy fish can go several days, if not a week or more without feeding, so I concur that overfeeding is more dangerous than underfeeding.
Thanks Langtoftlad, according to her instructions 20 tap water at the same temp as existing. I think this is why only 20% is changed each time so that the chlorine can be filtered out without affecting the fish. She did in the past only use HI water but stopped this when she got established and now just uses tap water.

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Langtoftlad

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but stopped this when she got established and now just uses tap water.
:eek:
My limited knowledge [only have a Biorb] is that a 20% water change is to preserve the good bacteria which changes the fish's waste from ammonia into nitrates.
Unless your fresh water supply isn't chlorinated [eg well water], then you do risk poisoning the fish and/or the bacteria - some fish are hardier than others though and might tolerate it for a bit.
 
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:eek:
My limited knowledge [only have a Biorb] is that a 20% water change is to preserve the good bacteria which changes the fish's waste from ammonia into nitrates.
Unless your fresh water supply isn't chlorinated [eg well water], then you do risk poisoning the fish and/or the bacteria - some fish are hardier than others though and might tolerate it for a bit.
Thanks again Langtoftlad. what you are saying makes sense and I will talk to the fish supplier who she uses, I know that she only ever uses tap water herself and has done for a couple of years, perhaps it is as you say the type of fish she has.
 

Langtoftlad

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Thanks again Langtoftlad. what you are saying makes sense and I will talk to the fish supplier who she uses, I know that she only ever uses tap water herself and has done for a couple of years, perhaps it is as you say the type of fish she has.
Please do - the chlorine won't kill fish instantly but it will poison them, and/or kill the bacteria which will result in ammonia build up which will also poison the fish.
Your ex may well use tap water but forgot to mention the squirt of water conditioner she adds... Perhaps have a look at what she's left out for you - anything labelled water conditioner, treatment, safe etc.
Good luck.

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Please do - the chlorine won't kill fish instantly but it will poison them, and/or kill the bacteria which will result in ammonia build up which will also poison the fish.
Your ex may well use tap water but forgot to mention the squirt of water conditioner she adds... Perhaps have a look at what she's left out for you - anything labelled water conditioner, treatment, safe etc.
Good luck.
Thanks I will..
 
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Well I've done it, just been on skype to my ex I told her about the dead fish. She took it well she said she had been a bit concerned about that particular fish before she left. He has not looked 100% for a couple of weeks. I feel a bit better now...;) Thanks for all your good advice(y)
 

Ridgeway

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Hopefully all OK then. Fish do die at some point and many out live their natural lives if kept well in captivity. Good you got him out and checked everything.

I would suggest to leave any tap water over night in a bucket as this will allow the Chlorine to evaporate naturally, not really a need to add dechlorinators unless you need to use it immediately.

With the weather being hot over the last couple of weeks then aquarium water temperatures rise very quickly and this sometimes does put extra pressure on the system of both the fish and the aquarium. Keeping things cool can be quite a challenge.

And glad she took it well, pretty sure any fish keeper would notice the difference between an old friend and a new comer and if Mr Big has gone then you can bet if she anything like me then there's plans of replacements already:)
 

laird of Dunstan

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The tanks are pretty big but she has a bigger one on order for when she gets back. She has a shoal of sharks in there too all around 5" long that zoom around the tank like power boats.
guess that you are going to become shark food them buttons :)
The other posts are quite correct about not using tap water straight way ,i used to aerate the stuff in a bucket before use ,also syphon out the old water using a small hose skimming over the bottom ,its the fishes own urine and faeces that cause the problems untill the substrate filters have built up enough good bacteria to take care or the nitrates. I have kept both fresh water and marine tropical fish in the past :)
 
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But the question has to be did you cook your own chips to go with it or just nip down the chippy?

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