10 Fish Died 2 Weeks Ago

[tom_os]

2 weeks ago today 10 fish died over night. i posted a topic on here to see if any one knew what the problem was and there was no clear answer.

tonight, i have similar symptons to 2 weeks ago, my cories and plecos are going up to the surface more then normal for air and the blue ram is floating above the bottom under the plants

i installed a new filter 2 days ago but transfered all my old media to it. it is more powerful then the old one and the spray bar is aimed at the surface causing alot of aggitation

the only new thing is the ram which went in today but was fine up until an hour or 2 ago

the water is slightly coludy, not sure if it is a bacterical bloom

i have nutrifin co2 which i think pumped some yeast into the water whilst i was getting the ram so i did a 40% wc before i added the ram.

does this sound like anything? what can i do

 

[WILDER]

You need to test your water in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
Even though you transferred old sponges, tank still can go into a mini cycle.

 

[tom_os]

checked and everything was as it has always been

 

[Curiosity101]

my cories and plecos are going up to the surface more then normal for air

Is it normal for them to go to the top for air at all?
Mine don't...ever

 

[kribensis12]

^ Not, it isnt normal. That means there isnt enough agitation.

Tom_os: Okay, the water being as it always has doesnt help at all. We need the exact measurements of the water. Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte ect. Not a vauge awnser. Second, It sounds like there may not be enough air in the tank, being you have CO2 running. I would put a few airstones in there. OR, it could be your NitrItes are above zero, and its suffocating your fish( more likely).

 

[tom_os]

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nirtatre about 40 before waterchanges
ph 7

had an airstone running 24/7 and the spraybar aimed at the surface

i moved all of the fish to a smaller tank and they are all still fine. i have bleached the tank and everything in it and will be moving the fish back in the next few days

 

[bitteraspects]

ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nirtatre about 40 before waterchanges
ph 7

had an airstone running 24/7 and the spraybar aimed at the surface

i moved all of the fish to a smaller tank and they are all still fine. i have bleached the tank and everything in it and will be moving the fish back in the next few days

you mean few weeks, right?
if you completely cleaned out the tank, you will basically have to re-cycle the tank. youre looking at 3 weeks minimum

 

[Truck]

tom if your operating an airstone there is no point using the CO2, it will just gas off. and it is possible to have high O2 and high CO2.

 

[Curiosity101]

Bleached!?!?
This seems a little over the top...just be aware of how many toxins are in bleach and that they may well leach into the silicone and such.

Also it's extremely high in chlorine so when you do re-fill (after a very very thorough rinsing of course) make sure to test for that

 

[tom_os]

i am using mature media when i move the fish back in. the air stone was just on when the fish were sick which was last week.

i was recommended to bleach the tank by people on here because this is the second time it has happened and there could be something nasty living inside the tank. i have doubled the dechlorinator

 

[Curiosity101]

Have you done a full range of tests by the way?
Inc GH, KH, Phosphates etc.

I was just wondering cause I hadn't seen the stats posted for those. Might help someone explain the problem if any of those are a bit off.

 

[Athena]

Tom - your nitrates were on the high side - in small levels nitrates are harmless to fish, but in higher doses they become toxic to the fish.

All that was needed was a 50% water change and you probably would have got the nitrates down to an acceptable level of under 20.

Wasn't really necessary to empty/bleach your tank as moving fish from one tank to another causes them stress in itself and could cause more problems than you originally had.

What did you do with the filter from the tank that you bleached? Did you keep it running in the other tank? Or did you bleach that out too?

Regards - Athena

 

[tom_os]

i dont have tests for those, never had it tested

Tom - your nitrates were on the high side - in small levels nitrates are harmless to fish, but in higher doses they become toxic to the fish.

All that was needed was a 50% water change and you probably would have got the nitrates down to an acceptable level of under 20.

Wasn't really necessary to empty/bleach your tank as moving fish from one tank to another causes them stress in itself and could cause more problems than you originally had.

What did you do with the filter from the tank that you bleached? Did you keep it running in the other tank? Or did you bleach that out too?

Regards - Athena

i understand where your coming from but i know thats not the problem, if you knew all of the background information you probably would understand more

i threw away all of the old media

 

[Athena]

Tom

I've just gone back through all your old posts on this subject so that I am up-to-date with the situation now.

I see that now you will be setting up this tank from fresh, using some old filter media from another tank filter to kick-start the cycle. Bear in mind that if you are adding some mature filter media to kick-start it off, the bacteria need to feed on something to keep them alive - so either you need to be adding ammonia for a fishles cycle or you need to put the fish back in straight away to do a fish-in cycle. Leaving it a few days or weeks with just the tank running and no ammonia to feed the bacteria colony will not encourage bacteria growth in order to cycle the filter. If anything the colony will die off. Hope that makes sense.

Just for future reference, though. When nitrates in a tank start to increase it is a sign that other problems could be present in the tank. Elevating nitrates can cause a decrease in PH, a reduction in oxygen and acidic water. Ideally you shouldn't let tank nitrates go above 10ppm and certainly nowhere near as high as 40ppm.

If your tank is overstocked, even slightly (which it was), you need to do more regular water changes. Ways to keep nitrates low are water changes, being careful not to overfeed, gravel vac at each water change (or at least once per week) and removing any dead plants or uneaten food.

Good luck this time round and let's hope you don't lose any more fish cos I know how disheartening and sad it can be.

Regards - Athena

ps - just to add that GBRs are very sensitive fish, as you probably know. They go downhill very quickly if their tank conditions are not to their liking. If you notice their body colouration going dark, clamped fins etc, then it's a sure sign they are protesting and getting stressed.

 

[tom_os]

ok thanks. i will be adding the fish straight away

i do 50% water changes and gravel vac once a week and i have been doing since i started the tank

thanks for the information it helps