Many Dead Fish This Morning - Bacterial Blom/infection

[Brette]

Is rubbing alcohol not too strong for the fish? The woman at the LFS who has been there for years recommended white vinegar/water because it kills bacteria (its acidic) but isn't too strong as far as some cleansers go. I've cleaned everything with vinegar and it spend the day out in the sun drying. I'd rub it down with rubbing alcohol too if you're sure that's safe.

Thanks for posting.

 

[drobbyb]

Is rubbing alcohol not too strong for the fish? The woman at the LFS who has been there for years recommended white vinegar/water because it kills bacteria (its acidic) but isn't too strong as far as some cleansers go. I've cleaned everything with vinegar and it spend the day out in the sun drying. I'd rub it down with rubbing alcohol too if you're sure that's safe.

Thanks for posting.

Bleach is better. Dechlorinator and a good rinse neutralize it completely. You still have to rinse with vinegar. Might as well just do it right and not take any chances. Did you add remember to add dechlorinator to the new water? Did you change your filter insert at the same time? Did you treat with antibacterial medication?

Any of these things can desimate your nitrifying bacteria population and cause milky cloudy water and an odor. The bacterial bloom is your remaining population trying to multiply fast enough to keep up with the rising ammonia (which isn't getting processed properly and building up!) I would say your fish died from ammonia poisioning .

 

[Brette]

I ended up cleaning it with rubbing alcohol, whie vinegar and water. Rinsed it all very well. Hopefully the bacteria is now gone

Did you add remember to add dechlorinator to the new water?

yes

Did you change your filter insert at the same time?

yes

Did you treat with antibacterial medication?

yes

Any of these things can desimate your nitrifying bacteria population and cause milky cloudy water and an odor.

With the exception of treating with a broad spectrum antibiotic, doing a 50% water change and adding some salt (which might be why my cardinals died in retrospect) I did these things AFTER having lost 10 fish in order to rid the tank of columnaris and get rid of the water which was foul with decomposing bodies and in my opinion unsalvageable.

I realize by taking the tank apart and cleaning it, the cycling process will start over. But at least I'm bacteria free now. The remaining fish are looking healthy although the bacterial infection seems to have caused permenent damage to the eye of one of the diamond tetras.

thanks

 

[drobbyb]

To avoid this in the future, try and not change the water and change the filter insert at the same time, especially while using meds. Remember that drastic change = bad = recepie for disaster.

The disease was proabably making a mess in your tank to start, but this killed the rest.

 

[Brette]

I would agree.