I have a 6 gallon tank. 2 months ago I had 4 fish: a cory catfish, a female betta, and 2 otos. They had all been in the tank for a year and were doing fine.
Three weeks ago, I found the Cory dead in the bottom. He had been acting lethargic. Now my betta just sits on the bottom and seems unhappy. Otos seem fine.
I always do a weekly 50% water change and treat the new water with a dechlorinator before pouring it in. Tank is kept between 79-81 degrees. PH is high, but that never bothered the fish before and people have told me to leave it alone. I feed them every other day with either blood worms, brine shrimp or flake food. Pet sitter fed them just flake food.
One thing I noticed when I tested the water yesterday is that the ammonia was kind of high, especially for an established tank. Nitrate and nitrate are zero. Last test showed zero ammonia and nitrite, very low nitrate. Not sure what happened. Did a 50% water change. Didn’t seem to help. Don’t see any signs of ich or parasites.
Also, I went on vacation for a week a couple months ago and the pet sitter overfed them. Came back and the tank was filthy. I did a 65% water change and siphoned as much food out as possible.
get a dog.
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buy a shark !
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You’re changing too much water and killing your good bacteria. Only 10 to 25% change is needed especially in a tank that small. You were a bit overloaded with that size tank as well. Make sure you’re rinsing your filter media in tank water so you don’t lose bacteria there either. Removing a lot of water or filter media increases your risk of high ammonia levels and you’re basically recycling your tank every week.
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Keep up with the water changes every other day, but only about 15-20% until the ammonia levels are back down. This could be what happened to your fish. Your water seems a little warm, but not much. I keep mine at 78F. Most prefere between 75 and 80. Also, otto’s and cory’s like to be kept in groups.
I suggest getting a larger tank. Minimum of 10 gallons. They are easier to maintain. I believe you can get an aquarium kit for around $20-30. They include just about everything you need except the fish and water.
Good Luck
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u change the water to much only change it for like 20 or 25% water change
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Suggest the following…remove fish and clean the tank completely… a 6 gallon tank is NOT a big chore..if there is gravel, clean it well…refill, dechlorinate, make sure the water temp is right, float the fish and open the bag or lid to let them adjust slowly to the new pH…Overfeeding can live on for a long time…AND, stop changing so much water…there is nothing in that tank but a very few fish, and none of them are terrible ammonia excreters. (goldfish excrete LOTS of ammonia). Use Amquell as the dechlor agent…gets rid of choloamines, ammonia, etc. Your cory may have died of old age, the beta may be doing the same thing…no fish has that long a life except gold fish and koi. Blood worms are a terrible source for parasites, these fish will all do just fine on flake food…stop with the live foods, they are dangerous…or …use frozen brine shrimp, safe..but live worms are NOT safe, they are grown in all but sewage! Phil
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overfeeding makes for ammonia. case solved. fish don’t last forever — cories do better in groups of cories — general thought is friends of your own kind make for less stress and better immunity.
without the cory you should be able to treat the tank with some aquarium salt — one heaping tablespoon disolved for 5 gallons. it helps build slime coat and reduces bacteria.
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