6 Fishes Dead, 3 In Emergency Tank

[Leeza]

Request Help.

Tank size: 100Litre
pH:7.1
ammonia:0
nitrite:0.2
nitrate:2.5
kH:30 (tested alkaline with pool kit)
gH:
tank temp:28'C

Fish Symptoms: The fishes use to be energetic but in afternoon they become sluggish, hovering below the surface. Their heads are up tail down, they die without any apparent disease. Lost 3 guppies (1 had a popped-eye on one side as disease set in)1 betta, 1 plattie; 1 plecostomus. In some of the fishes a little bit of fin rot is visible at first and then they go to surface and becomes more and more inactive until they die. Next morning all their fins are gone. 3 Cardinals at present are showing same signs of ilness.

Volume and Frequency of water changes:a 20L tank broke Thursday night at 2 in morning replaced it immediately with washed out but used 50L tank; 50L tank broke the following night at 10. Placed the fishes in a plastic container until the morning. Filled the new 100L tank up with old water and new reverse osmosis water.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: New tank syndrome can of course be relevant therefore I bought an ionization machine (ECO ME 25), I was stressed out added Aqua Chlor; tonic (Fluid filter medium Easy-Life);Flourish potassium for plants (SEACHEM) Aquarium Salt and heal all (Bio-Elite).

Tank inhabitants: Still living =8 guppies; 4mollies; 4 platties; 4 tiger barbs; 4 angels, 1 plecostomus, 3 snails; 4 (new) black widows and 7 cardinals

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 4plants; plastic cave and real wood.

Exposure to chemicals:Cleaned 100 L tank with spirits but rinsed it quite well with tap water.

Filter thermostat and lights: Cascade 300 filter with activated carbon and ceramic rings, 2 lights in tank. thermometer working.

My daughter started this fish hobby, Hobbyist of cold water fishes for 2 years. Recently switched to tropical fishes. When tanks broke mom (ME) tried to help, read up on diseases, new tank syndrome, ammonia but am still not sure what to do from here. SOS please help

 

[WILDER]

Increase aeration you have a nitrite reading it should be 0.If some fish have had pop eye and finrot you have a bacterial infection in your tank.http/www.flippersandfins.net/pop-eye.htm

 

[Leeza]

Increase aeration you have a nitrite reading it should be 0.If some fish have had pop eye and finrot you have a bacterial infection in your tank.http/www.flippersandfins.net/pop-eye.htm

 

[Leeza]

Thank you so much, it's like everything went wrong, very suddenly with 2 tanks cracking suddenly and the fishes definitely stressed and so did we.
I thought of everything it could be aeration, bacteria, shock because of sudden changes, new tank syndrome because we cleaned the filters ext. I read up like frantic and wow at last I know exactly what to do. THANKS A BILLION! I hope I'd zapped the bacteria as well. Great now I can get a good nights sleep tomorrow night.

 

[WILDER]

Good luck.

 

[Leeza]

My fishes are starting to heal even the really sick one's. I've increased the air like you said and I've removed a log from my tank, it seems my problems are over! The log was covered with white slime and that might have caused the bacteria in the tank. The medicine that I've used worked brilliantly. I don't know if it's available overseas it's made in South Africa. It's called "heal all." BIO Elite is the manufacturer, even my plants seem to like it. I'm the happy chappie of the day!!

 

[WILDER]

Glad things are back on course.
Well done.

 

[Leeza]

Tweety you are cool!!

 

[vinylman]

You say you cleaned the tank out with spirits; always use a dilution of 19/1 of water/bleach. However well you rinse after using spirits (which kind?) you can't be sure you've got rid of everything.