# I seem to lose a fish every other week. - once a month why?



## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

Hey, i have a 150g tank with 15 cichlids.
couple mbuna, few peacocks, and some tangs.
I NEVER see any fish fight. its pretty calm, but for some reason, every other week, or once a month. 
The fish are adults that are dying. 
I do water changes every other week. temp is at 80. 
any suggestions


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

what are your nitrite, ammonia, and nitrate readings?
what are the exact fish in the tank? 15 fish is kind of a low number for a 150 and it could be an agression issue, you may not always see it but it could still be going on, are fish hiding in the corners? and are the fins frayed? please provide more information


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

You really should list the species you keep just so we know exactly what you have.
I have to tell you I think your stock list sounds like the problem and aggression is probably heavy even though you haven't witnessed it.
You have three groups of fish that are very different in many ways especially in temperment.

I would also drop the temperature a few degrees and do weekly water changes.
I am not saying this is why the fish are dying, I would consider aggression to be the issue here.


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

i mistaken the count.,,,theres about 25 in there now,,,, lost about 5 fish in 2 months....

ill be completely honest,,,,,i have had these fish for a long time without any problems.....and i have never tested water,,,,were talking 4 years......so,,,,i had about 30 fish.....and just recently *** been losing some....

i have 2 thromometers....one says 80 the other says 82.....should i put it at around 78?

frontosa
4 daffodil
4 julie maleri

afra cobue
afra white top 
2 rustys
5 yellow labs
species 44

2 ob peacocks
firefish
taiwan reef
german red
electric blue iceberg
maleri sunshine peacock

could it just be because they are getting old?


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

we still need parameters...before then after your waterchanges

as questioned before...are the fish otherwise looking healthy, swimming okey and in there normal region of the water column, are there any fish in any corner?

are the brichardi breeding?


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> i have 2 thromometers....one says 80 the other says 82.....should i put it at around 78?


1) I would put it at 76-78
2) Spend the money and buy a test kit or just take it to the LFS to get it tested for free.
3) Who died?
4) How big is the Frontosa? I had a similar run of death long ago - Can you say nocturnal predation? Not actually eating the other fish - but really stressed them. Once I guessed this, the tank behavior made sense and the frontosa being moved ended the deaths. Just a thought.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

i was going suggest something about the front but what i have witnessed with a big front was no aggression at all just the occasional gulping of fish whole or a mysterious disappearence come morning.

i only question the daffodils because a breeding pair can run an entire tank ragged regardless of tank size

and the parameters before and after waterchanges to look at wild swings in levels in particular ph


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## GoofBoy (Jul 3, 2007)

> i was going suggest something about the front but what i have witnessed with a big front was no aggression at all just the occasional gulping of fish whole or a mysterious disappearence come morning


That is why I brought it up.

The front sat in a cave at one end of the tank and the other fish tended to just stay away from that end and get rather skittish when the front came out. I never saw the him actually be aggressive. But with that thought in mind - it all made perfect sense, like I said, deaths stopped as soon as the front was moved - and the whole tank was used equally again.



> and the parameters before and after waterchanges to look at wild swings in levels in particular ph


Great thought :thumb:.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

that is such a messed up mix of fish that i think it's agression issues, you maynot have had issues before because the fish hadn't matured enough to be agressive and now something has finally clicked for some one in the tankand they are going crazy


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

the front is about 6 inches. From what i see, probably the most graceful fish i have, he minds his own business....the daffodils are three 2" babies. and 1 6".... the peacocks chase each other...the labs chase each other....the same species like to chase eachother,,,but tangs dont fight the peacocks or mbuna, ect. 
by no aggression, i mean for cichlids lol....we all know there will always be some...

what died was

1 rusty
3 lelupi
1 tropheus. (was a 2", he was stressed out)

ill have to test my water and get back to you guys....


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

What are you feeding your fish? Bloat can move slowly through a tank & can come from the wrong food and or stress.


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## matthew1884 (Jul 24, 2009)

*Dewdrop*
Thats what came to mind was bloat, especially for the tropehus.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

There is no doubt that bloat could have played a part in the death of the Tropheus.

Did you find bodies for these dead fish? What did they look like? Were there any symptoms that they might be sick or stressed the day before?


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

Yes i found bodies for all fish....full, no nipping eyes intacked....
i feed hikari cichlid pellets, and omega one cichlid pellets


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

I've had the same issue, turned out to be bloat.

Just a FYI by the way, Jungle "Hole-N-Head guard" http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... catid=4821 works well for bloat. I was turned onto buying it by my local cichlid store instead of Metronidazole, since Metronidazole is the main active ingredient in Hole-N-Head guard. Pricewise you can treat more water for less money.


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

is there physical signs of bloat?


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

i feed hikari cicglid excel and moega one cichlid pellets


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## ilikebeer1985 (Dec 21, 2007)

i thought it was just a coincidence. But
i lost 2 julie maleris
a 7" frontosa
a 6" OB peacock
something is up in my tank


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