Please save my fish, fish dying plz help

[Obsessed with fish]

My tank is cycled, and I'm not over feeding them, my temperature is fine, I do a 50% water change every week, my tank is 22 gallons.
This was my stock a month ago:
10 neon tetras
5 cory catfish
1 dwarf gourami
5 cherry shrimp

Then the dwarf gourami, 6 neon tetras (I bought more neon tetras) then 3 more neon tetras died so I had 7. Then I bought 2 guppys and 1 died just a few mins ago from a fungal infection. Now my stock looks like this:
6 cory catfish
1 guppy
7 neon tetras
4 cherry shrimp

What should I do and what is happening. I don't think my tank us cycled properly, I only cycled it for 3 weeks, but 2 of my fish died from fungal infections and the rest were fine, then they just died. They didn't have ammonia poisoning, I don't know what's happening. I'm thinking of just quiting and selling my tanks and giving away my fish. My cory catfish are also VERY inactive and they just sit there. My ph is 7. Plz help! If I sold my tank i would be able to afford an 8 gallon tank to my very old betta. Please help because I would rather keep the fish.

 

[homer1475]

While many of us have FW tanks, your asking for help on a salt water forum for fresh water. You might get a few replies, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I have been on here a few times, and it seems pretty active. Might want to post over there.

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[jmichaelh7]

3 weeks of cycling and you have that bio load ? What filtration are you using just water changes ?

 

[Obsessed with fish]

3 weeks of cycling and you have that bio load ? What filtration are you using just water changes ?

I have a small trickle filter with 2 layers of filter media, the tank is about 2 and a half months old

 

[Obsessed with fish]

H

While many of us have FW tanks, your asking for help on a salt water forum for fresh water. You might get a few replies, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I have been on here a few times, and it seems pretty active. Might want to post over there.

Tropical Fish Forums

FishForums.net is the premier Tropical Fish and Aquarium Forum on the web. Founded in 2004, we are one of the oldest and largest forums dedicated to fish owners and enthusiast alike. Care guides, Reviews, Tank Help, Tips and more!

www.fishforums.net

I'll use a fw forum, thanks!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Too many fish in a small tank, added too fast, the most common rookie mistake.

 

[ss30]

If you have a LFS who sell RO water I would get some ASAP and do some water changes.

 

[flyingscampi]

If your tank has been running for a few months, you haven't modified the filtration system and you haven't just added a large amount of fish, then it isn't likely to be ammonia that is killing your fish.

Is your tank well aerated with the filter outlet churning the surface, or an air stone? Are your fish hanging out near the surface?

I lost a tankful of FW fish to velvet. I added some new fish and one of them died. Despite medication, the rest soon followed. Heartbreaking, but I learnt my lesson about a quarantine for new fish.

 

[N.Sreefer]

Does seem like alot of fish for a 20 gal. And the corys fav food is shrimp and snails so those shrimp are toast eventually. Neon tetras don't school and barely move if the aren't given enough length to swim. Not sure why but its a well established fact.

Edit I should add don't follow that stupid 1 gal per inch of fish rule it leads to overstocked unhealthy tanks.

 

[Karen00]

Stop adding fish until you figure out what is going on and let your tank settle down. You might have added too many fish too soon. Just because a tank is cycled does not mean you can add a ton of fish at once and a 22g is not that big of a tank. Have you tested your water to make sure your levels are fine? A new tank needs to be tested frequently, especially when fish are being added. What size filter does the tank have (that was asked already)? Buy test kits if you don't have any or get your LFS to test it. As mentioned you will get more help in the freshwater forum for each of your particular fish. I still keep freshwater but not the fish you have. I used to have neon tetras and they're notorious for having diseases. Guppies aren't a heck of a lot better. That's why I don't keep these fish anymore.

 

[WVNed]

A freshwater tank is a very different set of rules. I keep 400 fish in 55 gallons and I add them 300 at a time.
You do not have too many fish for 20 gallons
No I do not QT 400 fish at a time. I add that many every 2 months or so. They are food for my lions.
I just ordered another box of livebearers. 350-400 fish come in one big bag.

Do not do 50% water changes weekly. 10-20% would be sufficient. I do 20% monthly if even that. I use 1/2 and 1/2 RO and tap dechlorinated with Prime
Does your filter actually work? I use under gravel and sponge filters.
Use some dip test strips. You can find out a lot with one test.
I add broken sea shells to buffer pH.
Do not overfeed. None is better than too much.
I keep my tank at 78 F.

 

[Lyss]

I agree w/FW forum. Most have a pretty strict list of Qs they’ll want you to answer about your tank and husbandry before they can offer advice.

The tank does not seem overstocked to me for 2.5 months TBH, so I don’t think that’s the issue. But 50% water changes every week is too much.

Did you add all the fish at once after the cycle ended?

 

[ying yang]

I used to have quite a few deaths in my first year owning freshwater fish also.
Mine was from lack of research and just doing stuff wrong.
I used to rinse my filter media out under the tap ( which you should never do ) should just squeeze/ rinse it out in your dirty tank water after a wc.
I stocked my tank with to many fish far to quickly ,( need to stock slowly and give your filter and tank time for bacteria to rise to your bio load)
I realised my ph from my tap water was higher than the recommended for fish I was keeping as they preferred a lower pH so I added drift wood to my tank and now my tank runs at lower pH.
Once I had hang on the back filters and it said to change the filter cartridges each month ,buy because I was changing them all I was basically
Throwing away the good bacteria,( meant to only change 50% a time ) decided to ditch the hang on back and got 2 internal sponge filters at each end of tank and got a nozzle facing upwards to break the surfaces water to promote " gas exchange "

But for you going forward I just checked and 22 gallons is 83 litres so I would personally get rid of at least 3 them Cory cats or maybe even all of them or give all 6 back to lfs and say want 3 back in a few weeks time as I think you way over stocked for a new tank and with that filter so slowly stock and can have more fish. And do 10- 20% water change each week using a Gravel vac and vac the gravel ,add a little drift wood,add a few hardy fast growing plants and keep all dead leaves trimmed,having plants is good imo
As they eat the waste of the fish ( prefer amnonia but can intake nitrates) maybe go to local library and get a few fish books or a charity shop and buy some books or brand new books your choice .
You say trickle filter so if water only trickling put slowly then water is only going through it slowly, so imo I would get an internal sponge filter with a nozzle so can face it up for gas exchange ( break water surface) don't want to big a filter and to powerful as small fish will just hide in a low flow area.
Neon tetras are imo a very small fish so if they die,I would change to cardinal tetras as same colours but more of the colour and bigger tetras ,
Buy some test kits buy not strips,you say you don't think your tank cycled ,well if you don't test the water then that's it you can only think / guess.
Don't feed to much ,but also don't feed to little,ask your local lfs to show you what a pinch of food looks like as I know I used to feed to much to often.
Most important thing that changed my fish dying was doing research on them and as my tank progressed It matured and got to stage no fish die or sometimes I may buy 6 cardinal tetras and 1 dies after day or 2.
Now on my freshwater tank which is a 40 gallon roughly I have 3 clown loaches and 14 cardinal tetras and that's it and do a 20% water change every 3 months ,but this is mainly because lots plants and I test the water ,water change for me is just to reduce nitrates as it slowly rises.
Anyway good luck

 

[jcolliii]

Have you checked the ammonia? How much do you feed? IME, FW crustaceans (other than crayfish) are more sensitive than FW fish to environmental variables (NH4, NO3, etc) - so, how have your shrimp been doing?

 

[Obsessed with fish]

Thanks everyone for your help! I'll do all the things people are saying and that should fix the problem. Thanjs everyone so much!

 

[Obsessed with fish]

Have you checked the ammonia? How much do you feed? IME, FW crustaceans (other than crayfish) are more sensitive than FW fish to environmental variables (NH4, NO3, etc) - so, how have your shrimp been doing?

My shrimp are going great! There happy and healthy.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

I agree w/FW forum. Most have a pretty strict list of Qs they’ll want you to answer about your tank and husbandry before they can offer advice.

The tank does not seem overstocked to me for 2.5 months TBH, so I don’t think that’s the issue. But 50% water changes every week is too much.

Did you add all the fish at once after the cycle ended?

I added the corys in week 4, the neons in week 5 and the dwarf gourami in week 6.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

Stop adding fish until you figure out what is going on and let your tank settle down. You might have added too many fish too soon. Just because a tank is cycled does not mean you can add a ton of fish at once and a 22g is not that big of a tank. Have you tested your water to make sure your levels are fine? A new tank needs to be tested frequently, especially when fish are being added. What size filter does the tank have (that was asked already)? Buy test kits if you don't have any or get your LFS to test it. As mentioned you will get more help in the freshwater forum for each of your particular fish. I still keep freshwater but not the fish you have. I used to have neon tetras and they're notorious for having diseases. Guppies aren't a heck of a lot better. That's why I don't keep these fish anymore.

My ammonia is at 0.25ppm, now but a week ago It randomly spiked to 1ppm

 

[Obsessed with fish]

If your tank has been running for a few months, you haven't modified the filtration system and you haven't just added a large amount of fish, then it isn't likely to be ammonia that is killing your fish.

Is your tank well aerated with the filter outlet churning the surface, or an air stone? Are your fish hanging out near the surface?

I lost a tankful of FW fish to velvet. I added some new fish and one of them died. Despite medication, the rest soon followed. Heartbreaking, but I learnt my lesson about a quarantine for new fish.

I have 2 airstones.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

If you have a LFS who sell RO water I would get some ASAP and do some water changes.

I sadly don't, are there any alternatives?