397 deaths

Hi all

I currently have a 3ft tank holding 10x L134 around 5-6cm and 60 odd L397 fry about 3cm they have been in the tank together for quiet awhile now. For the last month im finding at least 1 or 2 397 fry dead every couple of days. Ive tested my water and everything is fine and ive even treated the tank for parasites. Like i said i have never had a problem with this tank before until the last month but its getting very frustrating finding dead fry every couple of days and i dont know why. They are fed on hikari wafers and sera flora flake.

One thing i thought of and some experience people on here might be able to help. If its not my water or disease could it be the 134's killing the 397 fry?

Cheers Greg

Hello Some of my views,

1. They have differen diet requirements. Maybe the L397s are now getting to much protein and drying due to this
2. Maybe with close to 70 fish in a 3ft tank, tank scuffels might occurr. Do you have enough hidding spots ? I know some breeders who use PVC pipping but open at both ends for the grow out fry, so they can excape if scuffles occur.
hope you find the cause

cheers jk :thumbup:

Hi Greg,
I would suggest you separate these guys ASAP, the L134 are becoming territorial & without the correct aquascaping will eventually turn on each other, let alone panaque fry, if it was the other way around & the L397 was the larger fish I would not be as concerned.

There is 2 large driftwood plants in the tank for hiding. Could i put the 134's in with my adult 397's? As i dont have another tank to setup to seperate them.

as they are growing the tank is getting crowded. you need to do water changes every day with all those fish. its not just nitrite levels etc its basic oxygen....

Hi all,

as they are growing the tank is getting crowded. you need to do water changes every day with all those fish. its not just nitrite levels etc its basic oxygen....

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That would be my feeling as well, it is very likely lack of oxygen, which as Irene suggests has a number of causes.

cheers Darrel

Ok thanks everyone. I do wc 3 times a week so thats not enough i will do wc everyday and see what happens if i do that is it still ok to keep them in the same tank?

Put the L397 fry in a couple of frysavers and they will be handy to catch when you want to sell them.

Bio load, 3ft tank for 70 fish, u are sure to loose fish regardless of s.p my suggestion would be get another tank for the 397 and keep the 10 134 in a 3ftr by themselves, and also agree with others that 134 are very teritorial by nature

I dont have a spare tank or room to setup another tank might put the 397 fry back in with the adults. What are peoples thoughts about 134's in high pH? I have another 3ft tank that holds frontosa and duboisi fry but the pH would be around 8

High pH and Nitrites

cugerg said:

I dont have a spare tank or room to setup another tank might put the 397 fry back in with the adults. What are peoples thoughts about 134's in high pH? I have another 3ft tank that holds frontosa and duboisi fry but the pH would be around 8

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Hi,
I have been having a similar problem loosing my LF albino bristlenose as I had dosed them to get rid of parasites :wb:,which probably killed the bacteria,which upet the cycle in the tank so with less bacteria the nitrites /ammonia goes up and combined with the high pH it gets toxic to fish with a weak bacterial level you probably need some bio-culture by Aquasonic combined with bio super concentrate distributed by Biotec restoration pl
P.S: its just my 1 opinion,if its not the other carnivorous fish,but I do hope this helps. cheers pepper28

Hi all,

might put the 397 fry back in with the adults. What are peoples thoughts about 134's in high pH? I have another 3ft tank that holds frontosa and duboisi fry but the pH would be around 8

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I'd put them back with the adults, and probably up the water changes as well. I'd also add some more cover, bits of broken Coconut shell make good cover for small plecs and are inert.

I think the water in the tangs tank may be too hard long term, also the dubs might pick at them, and they could compromise water quality.

I think you are going to have problems with the bioload what ever happens as the fish grow if you don't have other tanks. Can you give away or sell some of the fry?

cheers Darrel

dw1305 said:

Hi all,
I'd put them back with the adults, and probably up the water changes as well. I'd also add some more cover, bits of broken Coconut shell make good cover for small plecs and are inert.

I think the water in the tangs tank may be too hard long term, also the dubs might pick at them, and they could compromise water quality.

I think you are going to have problems with the bioload what ever happens as the fish grow if you don't have other tanks. Can you give away or sell some of the fry?

cheers Darrel

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The dubs are only fry but didnt think the pH would be any good for them. Im planning on selling the 397 fry but not big enough yet.