100% Water Change

[andyg81]

So I've lost 3 fish in 3 week despite my stats being fine. My water is clear and I do a weekly 30% change on my tank (juwel rio 180) there is a slight smell coming from my tank / filter (Fluval 305) so I'm thinking of doing a 100% water change tomorrow including my 8 weekly filter clean.
Is 100% change wise ? Because I was going to stir up the substrate and move things round at the same time.

Should I take my fish out while I do it ? Where / how should they be kept ? I do have a 30 litre hospital tank I could use while I clean the main one.

Any advice would be welcome
Thanks

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

If it was me, I'd transfer some of the existing water into the hospital tank and then simply net the fish one by one over to the 30l tank and then start your intensive maintenance. If you have more than one dedicated fish bucket, you could always put some fish in that as well, using some of the existing water. Covering the tank/bucket with a towel should help reduce stress and odds of any "jumpers."

Only clean the filter media with dechlorinated water (may as well use the water you remove) and remember to acclimitise the fish to the new tank water when all done, as if you had just brought them home from the fish store.

Any ideas on the causes of the three deaths? "Mysterious deaths" are horrible, if you can determine what happened then you can learn from their sad loss, I lost a two year old Redline Torpedo Barb a month ago unexpectedly and so the tank has been quarantined since (thankfully no more losses).

 

[waterdrop]

When you say your stats are fine does that mean you've got up-to-date liquid test kits and feel good about those results? So zero ppm ammonia and zero ppm nitrite(NO2)? Do you keep an eye on nitrate(NO3) off and on over time and so know if you've been slowly rising on that? Probably those things are obvious but just sometimes it helps for someone to mention them again... probably you are worried about some totally weird thing having happened and in that case I guess most of us would be doing the same sort of more major cleanout being discussed... anyway, good luck with it!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[brian1]

So do we have to go through this every time a fish dies? or is it because of the smell, could a fish have died and not been found causing the smell?

 

[Dazzler666]

Id say that a possibilty. Especially if the smell has only appeared recently since losing the fish. You may have a dead fish trapped in the fitler hence Id say a good check/clean & a substantial water change should do the trick ........ Fingers crossed!!!

 

[drobbyb]

When you say smell, what type of smell? Even a healthy tank will have an earthy odor, but an offensive odor isn't normal and clue you in to a problem brewing.

 

[andyg81]

stats are ammonia 0. nitrite 0, nitrate 20-30. its been like that for months, test kit is a liquid api master, in date.
the smell is kind of an eggy like smell its not bad but when you walk in the room you can smell it, one of the flaps on my tank has a hole in it where it used to have a protein skimmer (previous owner kept marine fish for a time) so it could be from the tank or from the filter I can't be sure.

the smell was there before losing the first fish, the deaths have been a bit strange

death 1 - platty, went very very thin, stopped eating, stayed at the top of the tank, took him out and moved to hospital tank, was dead the following morning before I could get any treatments

death 2 - guppy, was floating in the plants in the evening, looked like it had been attacked as its fins were a bit torn, I was waiting for a new 25W heater for the hospital tank so left him in the main tank another 24 hours, by the time I got back from work it was on the bottom dead

death 3 - ok for a few days, all seemed fine in the evening, next day home from work neon on the bottom jaw stuck open, moved to hospital tank, was about to look online for a treatment and by the time I had turned laptop on it was dead !

1 per week for the last 3 week

 

[Aqua Tom]

An "Eggy" smell is usualy a sign of sulphur. I dont know if that helps.

Tom

 

[Gilli]

A rotten egg smell is caused by Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is produced either by stagnant water or dirty gravel - the smell is caused by bacteria build up.

I would do a 90% water change and at the same time give your gravel a really deep clean vac - remove all the contents of the tank and clean until the water runs clear. Then cut back on feeding so you dont get an overload of uneaten food and fish poo and it should sort itself out.

Also make sure you have a good oxygen flow in your tank as this will help

 

[andyg81]

i hoover all the gravel when doing my weekly change, I have 2 airstones in the tank blowing a good amount of bubbles into the water as well as the movement from the fluval filter there is one "dead stop" soto speak which is right under the filter and dirt seems to build up against some bogwood - ill try and get some photos of the tank tonight as someone may be able to offer a better layout / advise from that.

 

[micko]

The death of your guppies could well be down to your betta. They really shouldn't be housed together as the betta will attack them due to their long fins (or anything else with long fins)

A lot of your stock would need to be increased as most species of tetra and barb really need to be in larger groups. Neons will especially be nervous and shy in small groups. Barbs will also bully other fish in the tank unless they're in larger numbers so this may also be the case of a death or two.

I wouldn't do a 100% water change and filter clean in the one day. In fact I do a water change and filter maintainence on different days.

As said above, I would be cleaning your substrate and reducing feeding if something seems wrong. If your stats are good though this wouldn't indicate an issue with regard to food making the smell.

 

[andyg81]

yeah i know the numbers arent good on some of my fish, theres threads going back months about this and how / why it got to this point

anyway I have never seen my Betta attack any of the fish at all, hes very placid and if anything its the guppys that attack him sometimes.

all the fish have been together over 5 months now and have had no issues really with agression. I will be increasing the school sizes in the coming weeks once ive got to the bottom of the smell etc