API Prevent Algae has killed my fish!

[ReindeerBond]

Hi
Has anyone else had a problem with this product as others that have reviewed seem to have experienced the same devastation as me?

Added slightly less than the recommended dose in the evening after checking water parameters were all okay.
15/30 fish all DEAD in the morning and others are all struggling.
Setup a fresh tank but after a couple of days I am left with 5 fish!!!!!
Manufacturer says their product is not to blame ... BEWARE AND CHECK OTHER REVIEWS BEFORE USING

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your loss

Please don't take this the wrong way, but did you actually measure the tank's volume or just go by the tank size?
A lot of people buy a 20 gallon tank (or whatever size) but the tank does not actually hold that much water.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

--------------------------
Any chemicals you add to an aquarium can harm fish. Most fish medications are poisonous and will kill fish if you overdose them, and plant fertilisers and algae killers are also poisonous. Generally I don't recommend algicides because most algae can be dealt with by changing lighting times, reducing nutrients and doing water changes.

--------------------------
Regarding the remaining fish. Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels.
Do big daily water changes to help leach out any chemicals in their system. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Add Highly Activate or Activated Carbon to the filter to help adsorb any residual chemical from the water.
Add some Stress Coat (or something similar) to increase the fish's slime coat.

Hopefully the remaining 5 will be ok.

 

[ReindeerBond]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Sorry to hear about your loss

Please don't take this the wrong way, but did you actually measure the tank's volume or just go by the tank size?
A lot of people buy a 20 gallon tank (or whatever size) but the tank does not actually hold that much water.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

--------------------------
Any chemicals you add to an aquarium can harm fish. Most fish medications are poisonous and will kill fish if you overdose them, and plant fertilisers and algae killers are also poisonous. Generally I don't recommend algicides because most algae can be dealt with by changing lighting times, reducing nutrients and doing water changes.

--------------------------
Regarding the remaining fish. Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise oxygen levels.
Do big daily water changes to help leach out any chemicals in their system. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
Add Highly Activate or Activated Carbon to the filter to help adsorb any residual chemical from the water.
Add some Stress Coat (or something similar) to increase the fish's slime coat.

Hopefully the remaining 5 will be ok.

Hi
Thanks for the feedback. The tank is 115L so I dosed slightly under the recommended amount suggested by the manufacturer.
I’ll certainly stick to natural remedies in the future...
My two Corydorus’ and Dwarfe Gouramis are now fine after transferring to a fresh tank ( with lots of aeration).

Now I’m the process of setting up the main tank from scratch and cycling.

 

[Colin_T]

On a positive note, by setting up the tank from scratch, you can get rid of the algae

 

[Byron]

I concur with Colin (post #2). Particularly on the warning to never add dangerous chemicals to a tank with fish. And any additive that will (or claims to) kill anything, be it algae, snails, or plants, is obviously going to be seriously risky if not outright detrimental to the fish. Always; even when used according to directions such products are not at all safe for fish. Even if fish live through these, they are still going to be negatively impacted and that leads to other future issues/problems.