Bit Of A Dilemer

[rabbut]

Ok, woke up this morning, looked at the tank to find all the fish gasping at the surface. I pulled three bodies; one discus and two head and tail light tetras, all with red inflamed gills and what looked like ammonia burns... I drew of a sample of water and got strait on with a 50% waterchange. While the tank was draining, I tested the water and got the following results;

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate >12.5
GH 9dkH
Oxygen 5
Temperature 30c or 83f

All tested with a liquid drop test.

All stats looked fine from the water test, but from the corpses and the way the other fish were acting, I concluded, rightly or wrongly, that I am dealing with poisoning of some sort.

After the waterchange, the gasping has stopped, but everyone is still lathargic and breathing heavily I am thinking about doing another 50% change this evening, but I am also trying to establish the caurse. There have been no airosols, air freshener blocks or anything like that used near the tank, in the house even. The only thing I have added recently is new water from a waterchange the evening before. I am 100% certain that I added water conditioner e.t.c, so I am now calling the tap water into question.... If the tap water is the source of the issues, can I realy run the risk of another change, in case I add more of the poison source to the water?

Current stocking;
3 Discus
4 head and tail light tetra
6 rummy nose tetra
3 cardinal tetra
2 L66 plecos
6 corries, 5 adolfi, 1 metae

Anyone have any opinions as to what to do next? The rummynose's are also off colour, which is unusual. They always maintain colour during waterchanges...

Advice greatefully recived
Rabbut

 

[rust81]

Can you get hold of any RO water quickly? Think that is the best bet to give you peace of mind

 

[rabbut]

I could, but I can't get the water carriers. I would be looking to do a 50% waterchange; thats as near as makes no difference 170l worth of water..... about 6, 5gal water carriers worth... And I don't have a car ATM, that would all have to come home on the bus Thanks for in idea though

I have done another 50% waterchange this evening, and though the fish are still a little narky after it, they are already looking to have improved

All the best
Rabbut

 

[rabbut]

I think I'e accidentally nailed the issue I was moving bog wood arround shortly before this evenings change, checking for any more bodies, and the large bit of bag wood started to fall apart in my hand; it was rotting. That may explain quite a few things

Thanks to Rust for his/her help

Rabbut

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Rabbut,

Sorry to hear you suffered losses.

Interesting you mention rotting bogwood though. I have just answered another thread in which adding a piece of bogwood appeared to cause an ammonia spike.

I advised that bogwood would not have been the cause and have probed into various other avenues, but this thread makes me wonder??

Cheers

BTT

 

[rabbut]

In theory bog wood poses little threat, as it has sat in a bog for years on end, and has, to a point, pertrifyed, thus should not rot...It also leads to those tannins being absorbed. You do get, from time-to-time, a piece of wood that was pulled from the top of the bog that diden't "cure" properly and as a result, rots caursing issues. I think storing the wood dry for prolonged periods of time can also lead to issues, though I don't realy have evidence to support that one...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[sussexgirl]

In theory bog wood poses little threat, as it has sat in a bog for years on end, and has, to a point, pertrifyed, thus should not rot...It also leads to those tannins being absorbed. You do get, from time-to-time, a piece of wood that was pulled from the top of the bog that diden't "cure" properly and as a result, rots caursing issues. I think storing the wood dry for prolonged periods of time can also lead to issues, though I don't realy have evidence to support that one...

All the best
Rabbut

This is all interesting. I'm the person BacktoTropical had replied to a thread concerning an ammonia spike. I'm thinking now it really could be my bogwood. There are loads of broken off peices nestled in my gravel around the base of the wood everytime I gravel vac. I will be lifting mine out tomorrow and taking a really good look at it. I'll pop it into my waterbutt for a few weeks and see if its absence makes any difference and whether I can get this ammonia reading down. Food for thought anyway.