# my cariba died....T.T



## brandtixmn (Jun 4, 2005)

hi everyone...
one of my cariba swam like crazy after i did 20% water change...
he seemed like he got a shock... he kept turning around and around...
but in the tank, there are 3 more caribas.. they r ok.... wanna know why only one was acting crazy...

i always use water softner everytime i change.. if he got a shock, why rest of them are ok? i found a little scratch around his stomch..but i can tell it is not even minor injury..

here is the water parameter.

nitrate: 20 ppm
nitrite: 0 ppm
GH: 60ppm
KH: 200 ppm
ph: 8.0

also one thing i wanna know is why i cannot reduce nitrate level below 20 ppm?
i do water change at least once a week, sometimes twice a week..

before water change and after nitrate level is same...

rip~ my cuttie..


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

brandtixmn said:


> hi everyone...
> one of my cariba swam like crazy after i did 20% water change...
> he seemed like he got a shock... he kept turning around and around...
> but in the tank, there are 3 more caribas.. they r ok.... wanna know why only one was acting crazy...
> ...


20 is fine after a water change. Most tap water already has a small amount of Nitrates in it, usuall at or below 5 ppm.

Do you replace the tank water with water of the same temperature and pH? What size tank? What was your ammonia level?


----------



## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

sorry for your loss


----------



## brandtixmn (Jun 4, 2005)

doctorvtec said:


> brandtixmn said:
> 
> 
> > hi everyone...
> ...


yeah..i think i did same tem...but i do not know about ammonia level..cuz i only use 5 tests in one strip from jungle...


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

Did you cycle this tank? You are saying that before and after water changes that your Nitrates are the same.

What size tank, and how big are the fish? How long have you had them?

When you say "water softener", you mean a decholinator correct?


----------



## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

If you were not right there watching they may have attacked and killed that fish.

Sometimes, fish will go into shock like that just one fish, and the rest will atttack it.

I would bet you had some sort of fluctuation in temp with the new water compared to the old.

I know a few guys that lost big 10" plus fish during water changes, it happens, or he may have already been sick before, either way he didnt dig that water change.

20 ppm is fine with nitrates, those look good those readings.Iv never used the strips though.

Maybe you could try a different test kit, like one of the ones with 3 bottles for nitrate, probually a more accurate reading then a 5 in 1 strip


----------



## brandtixmn (Jun 4, 2005)

doctorvtec said:


> Did you cycle this tank? You are saying that before and after water changes that your Nitrates are the same.
> 
> What size tank, and how big are the fish? How long have you had them?
> 
> ...


they r in a 55gallon now.. they r around 1.5-2inch, i think i got them about 2weeks ago..
yeap.. i mean a decholindator..
i am sure cycle is done cuz nitrite level is zero ppm...
i still do not understand before and after water change nitrate are same....15-20ppm..lol


----------



## brandtixmn (Jun 4, 2005)

mashunter18 said:


> If you were not right there watching they may have attacked and killed that fish.
> 
> Sometimes, fish will go into shock like that just one fish, and the rest will atttack it.
> 
> ...


that's exactly same when i saw. two of them were attacking sick one...


----------



## red&black (Feb 25, 2005)

very sorry to hear about your loss. its a pain in the ass to spend 50 bucks on a fish that dies (especally when your trying to give it a nice environment and trying to keep the water quality up to par).


----------



## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

brandtixmn said:


> i am sure cycle is done cuz nitrite level is zero ppm...
> i still do not understand before and after water change nitrate are same....15-20ppm..lol
> [snapback]1131027[/snapback]​


This could be a long shot...but if your nitrates are the same before and after a water change...and you have zero nitrItes.....you tank might not be cycled. If you have a large amount of nitrates in your tap water, it would explain why there is no change after a water change. So having no nitrItes would mean nothing in relation to the cycle. And, with a ph of 8, an amonia spike would be much harsher on your fish.

Just a thought.


----------



## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

Grosse Gurke said:


> brandtixmn said:
> 
> 
> > i am sure cycle is done cuz nitrite level is zero ppm...
> ...


Thats what I was getting at earlier, but no one listened to me.

If nitrites are 0, and ammonia is 0, and his nitrates are staying the same after a change, he could not be cycled, like you said. USUALLY city water supplies must be under 5ppm of nitrate, but I have seen it higher before....


----------

