# Fish keep dying



## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

So my cichlids keep dying in the same basic manner. Ill buy one, and everything will be fine for a few months and then poof! Sunken belly and then dead.I water change about every week or two. I have a 55 with two fish in it. Two....
could there be a lingering virus in the rocks i have or the tank itself? I'm almost about to just dump this whole fish thing for awhile till i can get a new tank or something. My water levels tend to be good as well, just they all die the same way.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

What species are they? How long has the tank been set up?


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

blue colbalt and a yellow lemon. takes but up for over a year. just wondering if these parasites are in the rocks or tank itself.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Well, disease or parasites aside, mbuna should be stocked in multiples, ideally with 1 male and multiple females per species. 3 species is the usual recommendation for a 4 foot 55g. They're aggressive fish and don't do well in pairs and even less so as singles per species.
Leave the tank empty for a couple of weeks before restocking. In the meantime, I'd recommend posting your preferred stock list in the malawi folder to ensure that the fish are compatible.


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## b-ran2 (Mar 22, 2015)

Try taking out your rocks and boiling them so you can cross one thing of the list of wat coul be wrong and maybe start putting some aquarium salt in to kill some bacteria all I can really think of unless your fish are not eating do to aggression to eachother


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

To desinfect use chloramin-t

Nothing will be lingering after that


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

wortel87 said:


> To desinfect use chloramin-t
> 
> Nothing will be lingering after that


is that safe?


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

GTZ said:


> Well, disease or parasites aside, mbuna should be stocked in multiples, ideally with 1 male and multiple females per species. 3 species is the usual recommendation for a 4 foot 55g. They're aggressive fish and don't do well in pairs and even less so as singles per species.
> Leave the tank empty for a couple of weeks before restocking. In the meantime, I'd recommend posting your preferred stock list in the malawi folder to ensure that the fish are compatible.


its more of a money issue. I know i need about 18 or so fish in there to have a proper tank, but i didnt think two fish where going to matter that much. They just keep dying of the samethings it seems. So like i said i wasnt sure if any of it was in the tank or rocks.

Cant i bake the rocks as well?


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

Yup perfectly safe without fish in it ofcourse. when using the desinfection dose it kills just about anything.

After a few good rinses its gone. it burns itsels up.

In the right dose it is also used for treating all external parasite and bacteria infections on live fish . Remember "right dose "

Nasty stuff. had a unknown external disease in my tank some time ago. Treated with all sorts of meds. Nothing worked till i used chloramin-t. cleared it right up.

Its like potassium permanganate but not as nasty


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

wortel87 said:


> Yup perfectly safe without fish in it ofcourse. when using the desinfection dose it kills just about anything.
> 
> After a few good rinses its gone. it burns itsels up.
> 
> ...


well i have one fish left...no other tanks to drop it in. how long would it take till i could put the fish back in?


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

wellllll if the fish has the disease you will reintroduce the disease back in the tank.

you need to take your tank down. and use new gravel. boil your rocks. then wash everything with chloramin-t. same thing for filter. after filling the tank multiple times with water your done.


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

wortel87 said:


> wellllll if the fish has the disease you will reintroduce the disease back in the tank.
> 
> you need to take your tank down. and use new gravel. boil your rocks. then wash everything with chloramin-t. same thing for filter. after filling the tank multiple times with water your done.


so then wait till the fish dies then? if i ever does. well i dont use gravel so thats one step i can skip. I removed the rocks for now and plan to boil them at somepoint. 
What would i do with the media? dump then and cycle all over again?


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## wortel87 (Apr 15, 2014)

if it doesnt die its not sick  and then probably was a stress issue. Yup dump the media.

Stock accordingly to save allot of trouble


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## Darkstream81 (Mar 24, 2015)

well im still going to buy some paraguard and does him anyways. till then one fish it will be for now.


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## MeCasa (Apr 5, 2014)

Why buy expensive chloramin when bleach will accomplish the same thing?


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