dieing rosey reds

my rosey red keep dieing slowly, acouple a day, sometimes more or none. any idea why? there back half start to turn pale then they die before the days over.. i usually feed the almost dead one first. the got my water tested and they said it was fine. help plz
thanks

Feeder fish are usually kept in dirty tanks and not taken care of. By the time you get them home, they're already pretty sick from all the mistreatment. I'm trying to start a breeding colony of rosy reds and I've had three quarters of my stock die off a few days after bringing them home.

my rosey red keep dieing slowly, acouple a day, sometimes more or none. any idea why? there back half start to turn pale then they die before the days over.. i usually feed the almost dead one first. the got my water tested and they said it was fine. help plz
thanks

Edited by Bob, 27 December 2008 - 11:52 AM.

the got my water tested and they said it was fine. help plz
thanks

Hi, dont take this a being rude because it isnt meant that way. Buy your own test kit, the water parameters being "fine" doesnt help you or anyone else assist you, did they use a dropper kit or test strips? Test strip are very unreliable, for $9 to $25 you can purchase an API master test kit online or in a store, these are very easy to use if you read the instruction booklet as you test, dont just use the cards. You need exact numbers not your water is fine, you need to know the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite levels, you should know your PH but as long as it is not extremely high or low it is not as important as long as it is stable.

The other thing that was mentioned is these fish are kept in very poor conditions so acclimation would be important, they are used to poor conditions and going into a tank with good water parameters would be a shock on their system, I know it is easy to think that good water would be better but they still need to acclimate to it.

Also instead of feeding any sick ones, promptly dispose of them as soon as you notice a problem. They could be carrying bacteria/fungus/etc that is going to cause more problems for you and the seemingly healthy ones.

I am adding this since I read your other thread after posting this originally. What size tank or barrel or tub did you put these 200 fish into? what kind of filtration are you using? was the tank cycled first? Just say you went with the common 1in of fish per gallon of water guideline that is used so frequently in the tropical community you would need atleast a 200G tank to properly house these fish.

Edited by brian1973, 27 December 2008 - 07:05 PM.

i have them in a 1o gallon they should have plenty of room they just feeders. i got a filter for a slightly larger tank. got my waater tested at petsmart they filled out a paper i got all the numbers they used test strips. i put some aquarium salt in 2day hope that helps.. i had it set up for awhile but i been do water changes very frequently.

i have them in a 1o gallon they should have plenty of room they just feeders. i got a filter for a slightly larger tank. got my waater tested at petsmart they filled out a paper i got all the numbers they used test strips. i put some aquarium salt in 2day hope that helps.. i had it set up for awhile but i been do water changes very frequently.

You put 7 dozen rosey reds in a 10 gallon? Unless that 10 gallon is being filtered through a 100+ gallon sump/filter, most if not all are going to die. You'd have to be doing water changes on a hourly basis if not more and the stress of that would kill the fish. You can probably keep two dozen in a 10g temporarily (a week maybe), unless they are all 1/2" or so. Even doing that, you are likely to lose a few just because of how unhealthy they are.

i have them in a 1o gallon they should have plenty of room they just feeders. i got a filter for a slightly larger tank. got my waater tested at petsmart they filled out a paper i got all the numbers they used test strips. i put some aquarium salt in 2day hope that helps.. i had it set up for awhile but i been do water changes very frequently.

I am going to be as polite as I can but that is worse conditions than most petshops keep feeders in, if they are just feeders why care if they die? They may just be feeders but with the conditions you are keeping them in you are going to spread disease and any illness and also risk passing that to any fish that you feed these too..

I am looking at my 10G that I set up use to grow out small numbers of convict fry and am thinking of getting another because I think 30 fish that are only 1/4" right now are overcrowded in that tank and I take a few out to feed my darters every couple of days.

One last thing, when you cant see the back glass because you have so many fish in a tank it may be overcrowded.

Edited by brian1973, 28 December 2008 - 03:05 AM.

ok im gonna find a bigger tank and just keep less . thanks i didnt know what i was doing was that bad..

You just can't see all the things going on in their water, because it stays basically clear, but here's something to think about. Those fish excrete their waste directly into the water where they live. They are presently breathing their own urine, as well as dozens of other fish. With so many in such a small volume, the level of ammonia in the water builds up very quickly, and breathing ammonia will kill them the same as it would kill you in any significant quantity.

What you couldn't see at the store is that their tank of feeders in fact is hooked up to a 100+ gallon sump that serves to dilute that waste. Stores tend to have a common filtration system that shares water between many tanks, so behind that wall somewhere is a large sump and filter system improving their water quality in ways you didn't see and haven't duplicated.

Those test strips are better than nothing, but there seems to be a consensus across all aquarium boards I've visited that they just aren't accurate. I've never used them myself, but the liquid test kits work very well and aren't hard to use. When you set up a new tank you need to take steps to ensure that its filter is prepared to remove the ammonia the fish produce. The quickest way is to run the new filter on your existing tank for two weeks or so to make sure beneficial bacteria get established there. Other methods are available. A couple references you might find helpful:
http://faq.thekrib.c...in-cycling.html
http://freshaquarium...trogencycle.htm

ok im gonna find a bigger tank and just keep less . thanks i didnt know what i was doing was that bad..

Smokin,

Next go around, assuming filtration is adequate, feed your minnows a little. Helps keep their immune systems up and improves nutritional quality to for the consumer.

Also, the high density system you are attempting can work with some modification, but like indicated by others your filtration and water exchange rates need to be scaled up considerably. Another trick to employ is keeping your feeder tank lights on at all times. They will will not panic and crowd up as often therefore reducing stress.

Keeping temperature lower and adding a little salt could also be used. Another concern often overlooked is the quality of minnows you actually stock into the feeder tank.

one other thing on the test strips..most do not test for ammonia directly, most test for nitrites and if you have nitrates you have ammonia is the way of thinking with the strips, what they do not tell you is you can have ammonia building up for days with no sign of nitrites. I have used both strips and droppers the droppers are much more accurate. I still use strips for quick tests if I need to check something.

Also adding a product like prime by seachem may help you a little bit, the important thing is you want to feed your fish healthy feeders not feeders that are kept in unhealthy overstocked conditions.

ok im gonna find a bigger tank and just keep less . thanks i didnt know what i was doing was that bad..

hi smokin,

read these diy threads and it may help with your bait for a few buck you can make a filter @ home.

very cheap setup use gravel from a cycled tank

http://www.sydneycic...mple-filter.htm

this one is better but cost more. use old gravel from tank and add some scratch pads from the dollar store for for a cheap bio ball

http://www.pelomedusa.com/Filter.html


more advanced system

http://www.anythingf...ical_Filter.htm

Edited by CATfishTONY, 28 December 2008 - 11:28 AM.

ok very well put everyone i understand everything better.. i think im gonna try and make a filter that would work great what kind of pumps would work? i have a 10 gal might get a 20. im gonna invest in a test kit. i put in a little salt and stress zyme i think its called its for bacteria growth. thanks every1 for posting good info