Came Home To A Disaster

[Mowbz]

Came home at 6 this evening, two Panda Cory with glazed eyes on the bottom, both dead. I noticed this morning that one of them had a split tail with a small amount missing and planned to check him when i got in and go to buy meds after.

He was gone, along with one other. Quick check showed all fins intact.

Naturally tested the water, 0.25ppm NH4

Immediate water change ensued, and i pumped about 250lt out, leaving about 80lt.

The external was taking 5ppm inside 24 hours on the 2ft to keep the mature media cycled, and ive tested the water up until today and its been double zeros every day. I did a water change yesterday, but it was around half, and with temp matched and de-chlorinated water.

The rest look healthy and have eaten this evening.

I added anubias during the water yesterday evening. 6 of varying size on the bogwood.

EDIT: Who knows how to edit a thread title for spelling?

 

[the_lock_man]

Sorry to hear that, Mowbz. I can't see any obvious reason for the ammonia.

 

[snake007]

Came home at 6 this evening, two Panda Cory with glazed eyes on the bottom, both dead. I noticed this morning that one of them had a split tail with a small amount missing and planned to check him when i got in and go to buy meds after.

He was gone, along with one other. Quick check showed all fins intact.

Naturally tested the water, 0.25ppm NH4

Immediate water change ensued, and i pumped about 250lt out, leaving about 80lt.

The external was taking 5ppm inside 24 hours on the 2ft to keep the mature media cycled, and ive tested the water up until today and its been double zeros every day. I did a water change yesterday, but it was around half, and with temp matched and de-chlorinated water.

The rest look healthy and have eaten this evening.

To change the title all you have to do is click edit and then go to where it says topic tile and then change it.

I added anubias during the water yesterday evening. 6 of varying size on the bogwood.

EDIT: Who knows how to edit a thread title for spelling?


To change the title all you have to do is click edit and then go to where it says topic tile and then change it.

 

[Mowbz]

Sorry to hear that, Mowbz. I can't see any obvious reason for the ammonia.

Me neither dude. Im proper gutted

Im going to watch the water on it over the next fortnight and if goes ok, ill make the drive to WoW in Shinefield to replace then, if they've got them. Im down to 7

 

[Mowbz]

No further losses today, water showed double Zero's again this morning. Very strange! Lets see how we get on this evening.....

 

[the_lock_man]

That's good to hear.

Have you got any snails in the tank?

 

[Mowbz]

None that im aware of buddy, but you know whats its like, they're sneaky!

The sand on the bottom is less than an inch deep, so im sure the Corys snuffling through it would turn them over and i would see one or two occasionally. I have a fair amount of moss in there, and added some anubias bought from a member on here a few days back. I didnt bother checking the moss, and ive had it in cycling tanks for about 3 months and ive not seen on on that. The anubias were thoroughly checked for hitchhikers as i didnt Quar them (do people Q their plants?), they went straight into the main tank. (I even tested the guys water for the purely for giggles, it was perfect!)

Its a 75 Gal and its only inhabitants are the remaing 7 of 10 1 inch Pandas, and 5 Cherry Shrimp. I was planning to stock slowly... lol

 

[the_lock_man]

None that im aware of buddy, but you know whats its like, they're sneaky!

The sand on the bottom is less than an inch deep, so im sure the Corys snuffling through it would turn them over and i would see one or two occasionally. I have a fair amount of moss in there, and added some anubias bought from a member on here a few days back. I didnt bother checking the moss, and ive had it in cycling tanks for about 3 months and ive not seen on on that. The anubias were thoroughly checked for hitchhikers as i didnt Quar them (do people Q their plants?), they went straight into the main tank. (I even tested the guys water for the purely for giggles, it was perfect!)

Its a 75 Gal and its only inhabitants are the remaing 7 of 10 1 inch Pandas, and 5 Cherry Shrimp. I was planning to stock slowly... lol

Little pond snails or ramshorns probably wouldn't do anything, but something bigger like an assassin or a zebra, if it died, would probably have given you an ammonia spike like that. But you haven't anything that kind of size, so that's not the cause.

 

[Mowbz]

The thing that worried me a little is that the one that kicked it on the way home had a bit of a raggedy tail going on. One of the ones that went the other night also did. Any ideas on the reason for this? I do have one "slightly" bigger than the rest, i would say he perhaps a few months older than the rest as he is a little bigger (always has been) and has more colouring, im wonder if he is beating up the smaller guys?

Shot in the dark.... lol

 

[the_lock_man]

Possibly. It could be the dead bodies causing the ammonia, not the other way around.

 

[Mowbz]

Hmm, this was my thinking, but i left the house quite late and ive been chcking on them everytime i walk past the tank since they went in last Saturday, and they were all bombing aroudn the bottom fo the tank when i left home for the office at about 2pm, and i got back around 6. Could two small Panda bodies really create 0.25 NH4 through roughly 340ltrs of water in 4 hours? Bearing in mind the filter was proven cycled, and should have dealt with that inside a few hours?

 

[the_lock_man]

Hmm, this was my thinking, but i left the house quite late and ive been chcking on them everytime i walk past the tank since they went in last Saturday, and they were all bombing aroudn the bottom fo the tank when i left home for the office at about 2pm, and i got back around 6. Could two small Panda bodies really create 0.25 NH4 through roughly 340ltrs of water in 4 hours? Bearing in mind the filter was proven cycled, and should have dealt with that inside a few hours?

Doesn't sound likely, no.

 

[Mowbz]

So, got home today, same again

0.25ppm NH4. No losses however...

100% Water change, back down to zero. Will check again in the morning

ive done a full on clean of all the sand, moved all the wood and huge 25kg stone out, nothing rotting behind there.

If anything, the tank is sparkling.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Is something rotting in the filter?, if its external take everything out give a good rinse, clean the sponges/noddles in tank water. Its good practice to clean it when you have a mystery even if there nothing visable

 

[Mowbz]

I checked in there as i was worried a "floater" may have dropped in the filter inlet that sucks stuff from the surface. pulled al the baskets out, and nothing

Its been good days only over the last few, no more fish losses and i've finally managed to spot a few of the baby cherry shrimp in the moss.

Thanks for the guidance guys! We'll see how the survivors get on and ill replace the lost after a week or so if all goes well.