View Full Version : why are my fish diying???
jesusgirl
06/06/2011, 11:06 AM
i have a 41 gallon tank. i have had it for about 2 mounths, and all my fish are diying or getting sick. i dont now what to do. i alredy took a sample of my water to petco and they said the water was fine. so if anyone has any suggestions please let me now. thank you. :)
jesusgirl
06/06/2011, 11:07 AM
please help ??
tymon
06/06/2011, 11:08 AM
do not buy from petco if you have been, bad product. what kind of filteration do you have? what is your water movement. do you use tap water?
bigkenny76
06/06/2011, 11:09 AM
did you get the results of the tests ? ,, buy your self a good test kit just so you can keep track of the tank ,, areyou sure the tank went through a full cycle ? also whe you say your fish are sick, do they have spots , cotton looking stuff ? also +1 on not buying from petco.
zeeter
06/06/2011, 11:14 AM
Petco has the worst history with saltwater fish. Not sure about fresh. I had a petco fish kill three others before via a bacteria infection. I don't trust them to buy fish from anymore, and I certainly don't trust them to do a water test for me since they can't keep their tanks healthy.
I think that the topic here starts and ends with the word Petco.
tymon
06/06/2011, 11:19 AM
it could be other problems in the tank though. Petco could have introduced many problems that should be address before adding more new fish. also a picture of the set up will help alot.
jimmy_beaner
06/06/2011, 11:27 AM
Not all Petcos are terrible. The saltwater tanks in mine are run by hobbyists. No problem from anything I've bought from them. I think the problem isn't "they're Petco fish"; being from Petco isn't a death sentence.
In other news, you should have some water testing capabilities at home. Run these tests or ask for the full results so you can post your water parameters. This should be ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, salinity, temperature, pH, etc. What kind of fish did you have? How long have you had your fish in the tank? Did they have any symptoms? How much liverock were you using? How many fish are in the tank? You will likely want to run some Prime or something right now (assuming the die off has caused a small ammonia spike).
You must provide more information so real feedback can be given (more than "that's what you get with Petco fish")
tspors
06/06/2011, 11:33 AM
First off 2 months is early to add fish to a tank. You have barely cycled and you added how many fish? Is this the first set of deaths or the second round? Temm me your time line of the last two months, willing to bet you rushed it and now you are paying the price.
lastpikd
06/06/2011, 11:36 AM
I know that the local petcos where I used to live got their fish from the same whole salers as the lfs that I worked at. It's not the quality of fish that is the culprit, but the in shop care they may receive from the store that may make the difference. Imo, support your lfs rather than the giant corporate monster.
Step one: go up to the top of this forum and thoroughly read all of the stickies with a * * * in front of them. That will tell you many things you have not yet asked, and will probably answer all your questions at once, including the ins and outs of setup, how and when to introduce a fish, and how to maintain the water.
zeeter
06/06/2011, 01:04 PM
Ok, I'll acknowledge that not all petcos are bad. It's just that I don't trust them. In general they do SW as an afterthought. I suppose you can find one that is dedicated to the hobby, but it's too much of a risk if you ask me, unless Petco is your only option.
After the cycle it's ok to add a couple of fish at a time. Usually chromis or something like that. Hardy but welcoming of newcomers. For the OP, how many fish did you add after the cycle? And if you had trouble testing, how did you know your cycle was done?
lordofthereef
06/06/2011, 04:35 PM
Guys, rather than condemning PetCo (where all we KNOW they did was check water), we need more information.
Was the tank cycled (and how)?
What sort of biofilter is in place? Assuming live rock, how much?
Where are you getting the water? Assuming you mix, what salinity do you mix to?
How often are water changes conducted?
What species of fish are you keeping?
What are you feeding them?
How long are you able to keep these fish alive?
I assume you (OP) don't have a test kit. This should be among the first things you do. Petco PROBABLY only tested for ammonia.
I am also going to assume you don't have a quarantine. What do these fish look like prior to death?
There are just too many variables, from bad water chemistries, to parasitic infestation of the entire tank. Condemning PetCo is the wrong thing to do here IMO. The OP can very well go purchase fish from another LFS and replicate these same symptoms depending on what the actual causes of the problems are.
lordofthereef
06/06/2011, 04:36 PM
Step one: go up to the top of this forum and thoroughly read all of the stickies with a * * * in front of them. That will tell you many things you have not yet asked, and will probably answer all your questions at once, including the ins and outs of setup, how and when to introduce a fish, and how to maintain the water.
:thumbsup:
david pinder
06/06/2011, 04:58 PM
Petco is not the problem a tank of that size you must start very slowly adding fish the system takes time to build and you might be overriding the system adding to much too fast
thebkramer
06/06/2011, 05:08 PM
FIRST OFF...
:bounce3: WELCOME TO RC & THE ADDICTION!! :bounce3:
Second.. I'm really sorry for you losses!!! :sad1:
Third.. I hope you weren't scared off!! There are some Very Friendly, Experienced Reefers here on RC!!! :o like Sk8r and Lord of the Reef (there were/are others too ;) )
I hope we can help find out whats going on!!!! :bounce1:
jbowen
06/06/2011, 05:16 PM
I have 2 Petcos in my area, one is good for saltwater fish the other is not. It really depends on who is taking care of the system. The "bad" Petco's livestock manager has never owned his own tank. Nuf said.
As for your fish die off, we need a lot more info on your set up and the type and quantity of fish you purchased.
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