General Care Discussion :: Feeder Fish Dying

[Holmes1234]

I have one Red Eared Slider that i got about 10 years ago when i received the tank from someone i knew. He was tiny when i first got him and this was my first time ever having a turtle. I have him in a 55 gallon tank with 2 whisper filters running constantly. I also have plenty of basking area and a 75W Halogen Lamp for him which is clamped to the tank. I was recently away for about 2 months and had a friend of mine feeding him, turning on the light, etc. He said he changed the filter pads a few times but there was never any water changes. There was however fresh water added periodically to keep the level above the filter cyphon. I got back 2 days ago and the water was still crystal clear but I immediately did a 50% water change and vacuum. I let it filter for a day and today i went and got some gold fish. After about 2 hours of the goldfish being in there some the ones that were not eaten were breathing rapidly and swimming eradicaly. Then a few hours later the ones that were left were dead on the bottom of the tank. I was thinking that the build up of waste for 2 months had to of raised the nitrate and ammonia levels? Even though i did the 50% change and vacuum...and the water is crystal clear? It also seems that my RES is swimming and closing is eyes sometimes for a second like as if the water is hurting them...could this also be why...even though the water was still constantly filtered? I guess i should do another water change? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[joeybsmooth]

Get you water tested . Before you do the change. Test your tank water and your water that you will be using to fill it up . There are At home test you can get and Petsmart does it too for free .

Also check to make sure you did not do any smally mistakes. Like not treating the water that you put into the tank or something like that .

[seanwb]

You need to find out what ammonia and nitrite levels are. Also if you have chlorine in your water, make sure you use a water conditioner on each water change.

Topping up water between water changes will not reduce polltant levels.

[mike hill]

A couple of things: first the fish may not have been in good shape when you purchased them and secondly the water chemistry is more critical with fish because they get their oxygen from the water through their gills. Turtles are air breathers and can swim in fairly dirty water for a time. Just because the water is clear does not mean it will support fish. m.

[TheComputerGremlin]

A lot of excellent suggestions. That's awesome that you had a friend taking care of your turtle for you, a lot of us would be so lucky.

Do you have a UVB bulb? A 75W halogen, unless it's an mercury vapor bulb, won't produce sufficient UVB for your turtle to metabolize calcium and his food. If you haven't had a chance, check out the main site for more info: http://redearslider.com/light_sources.html

They make these test strips that you can buy at Walmart or other pet stores that have a few different things each test for, like ammonia, nitrates, pH, etc. I would get some of those, they are relatively inexpensive, and bring us back what the numbers are. That may shed some light on things. Based on your description, though, I think chlorine or chloramine is the culprit. If your turtle's eyes are slightly irritated and you just performed a 50% water change, if you didn't have just the right amount of dechlorinator in there, it's likely what killed the fish. Fish really can't have any chlorine in the water for them, which is why it is best to use a dechlorinator and let the water sit for at least 24 hours before bringing them in.

[jameshermanto]

amonia and PH is most important, just remember if the bacteria level goes down, then the amonia level drops down it self. also, canister filter is recommended for big tank. changed the water 30-50 % once a week. thats make healty water.

[steve]

Most of my feeder fish die within 12 hours of buying them. Considering the conditions they are maintained, I no longer use any.

[theartbook35]

I would have done a complete water change, after the water being partially changed for two months. Two months is a long time.

So yeah, try a complete water change then clean the tank with a "two parts water one part bleach" mixture. Make sure the tank does not smell at all like it has had bleach it in after you rinse it thoroughly. Yes, this will kill anything living in there that microscopic, good and bad, and you'll have to rebuild your nitrate levels and such. Sometimes it's better to start over.

[scottpkura]

You can't put fish into a freshly cleaned tank. 20% water changes max if you are actively keeping fish in your tank. You can clean too much. 50% water change works with a turtle but not with fish.

so if you need to do water changes like that to keep your turtle tank clean, it's best to not have fish.

[feistyjenn]

i had someone "taking care" of myfish while i went away for 2 weeks.. when i came back the fish were near death. when i probed into the problem, he has told me that the edges near the top were filmy...so he used windex on a paper towel to clean it off "very carefully" so no windex got in the water.

possible your friend may have "helped" you? maybe hes scared to mention something?

[theartbook35]

i had someone "taking care" of myfish while i went away for 2 weeks.. when i came back the fish were near death. when i probed into the problem, he has told me that the edges near the top were filmy...so he used windex on a paper towel to clean it off "very carefully" so no windex got in the water.

possible your friend may have "helped" you? maybe hes scared to mention something?

You have a VERY good point there.

Scott- I know turtles. I don't know fish.