What can I do? My goldfish died after putting it into a clean 10 gal tank w/ filter. Fish 2 died too.Pleco liv

Question

"Siggy" was over a year old! He (Sigmond the shrink! LOL) had jumped out of the large fish bowl he was in and had actually sutck to the cloth around his bowl! I put him back and forced him to swim and get going!!!!

When I put him in the 10 gallon tank with a filter, he got, what my daughter said was, ick.

I had put another fish in because I thought he was just lonely. Then I put in a pleco to clean the poo up. Well, now I have lost them both.

The pleco (Oscar the Grouch) just runs from me and no matter what I do, the water smells nasty. I took out the plastic trees and scrubbed & rinsed everything. Even the rocks!

HELP~!

Answer 1

let me start with plecos don't eat poo, or fish waste.  The rotten egg smell is what killed your fish.  That is an anerobic bacteria that produces a very harmful toxin that will kill fish rather quickly.

sounds like to me that the tank was extremely dirty, or somebody was severely over feeding the fish.  thus creating the large quanities of waste/ decaying matter

and please, don't think that any fish you buy will eat fish waste....thats just rediculous...they are algae eaters, and plecos are nocturnal....they like darker areas.....

Answer 2

Pleco's are algae and veggie eaters not poo eaters.  There are no fish that eat poo.  You can feed your pleco cukes and zucchini (slices) just toss them in the tank.  He will take care of the veggie.

Was your 10 gallon tank cycled?

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biolog...

Here is a good article to read then you will understand what is going on in the tank and why it smells.

Ich is a parasite that is in the water.  It attaches itself to stressed fish.  Usually an ich outbreak will kill off just about everything in the tank, but your pleco survived.

Pleco's also, are great tank mates for goldfish.  Pleco's aren't "friendly" fish and will swim away when you come close.  Goldfish don't get lonley so don't worry.  

By removing everything from the tank you have killed of all the beneficial bacteria that has been growing during the cycle process.  You should never clean out the entire tank.  Even when doing weekly water changes (of no more than 25%) never remove all the water.  Use a gravel syphone to clean the bottom and excess fish poo.

Your tank smells due to the bacterial bloom.  Your tank wants to cycle however you keep removing the bacteria.  Read the link listed.  It will explain the cycle and the smell.

Answer 3

your tank could be new water that has chlorine,  second pleco is not a good buddy mate for golfish.

dead fish will go fowl you need to change your water add carbon in your filter.

kOi keeper & goldfish keeper.