tank of death

[mkdodd]

hi all......

I`ve got a serious issue with my tank and i cant seem to solve the problem....the basics prob is all my fish are dying i`ve lost over 50% of my tank and as i type i really do think its gonna be to late for the other inhabitants which seem to spend all day gasping at the surfac.e

I`ve checked my water and all the parameters are ok although my nitrate is very high (80ppm)..the guy at my lfs suggested this was the prob and then tried to sell me something to bring it back down....there`s plenty air getting into the water.

Other than checking my water i cant think what more to do!!,i have started to do massive water changes on a daily basis and hope this will stablise the situation!.

Can anybody out there maybe suggest something i could do that i have`nt yet tried?

thanx!

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

By ok I assume you mean ammonia 0 nitrIte 0?
Anyway yes the nitrAtes are very high and that in itself could be the problem. Anything over 40 is not good. Doing daily water changes is all you can do currently to bring it down. I wouldn't use chemicals unless it's totally unavoidable and even then as little as you can get away with.
What size is the tank? How old, fish types etc? I know many members find all that info very useful in helping find a solution. Are there any signs other then the gasping?
Hope you and they get through this ok tho.
Hugs,
P.

 

[IMCL85]

If thats the case I would do daily water change. And see if there is other sign of illness. But nitrate over all ain't toxic as ammonia and nitrite it wouldn't force all ur fish gasping on the surface it must be some other problem. If I were u I be check all the fish carefully before adding any kind of medicine.

 

[Sky042]

Nitrate wouldn't cause what you're seeing.
Some times during the year my tap water starts at 80ppm and it's not an issue. I think theres something else going wrong in your water.

Did you test the water yourself or did someone else?

 

[mkdodd]

Hi all....

Thanx for the prompt replies......my tank is 37gal, i did have in it;

5 Discus
2 Clown loach
2 Rams
6 Bleeding heart tetras
6 Peruvian tetras

only got 2 loaches, 2 discus and 2 rams and 4 bleeding hearts left.
i have also ran a course of esha 2000 to no avail which leads me to the conclusion its my water!
The lfs ran all the water tests and the only one he found off the clock was the nitrate....
What`s so frustrating is the fact that this has hit all of my fish irrispective of age or species and we all know how heartbreaking it is to lose just one fish nevermind what looks likley to be all of them!

Thanx!

 

[Snailguy101]

Hmmmm...Is there any signs of disease if not do many water changes Could thuis possiby be parasites?

 

[WILDER]

Well the clown loaches will eventually need, a bigger tank, if it's not water quality, do you run an airstone for extra aeration, sounds like a parasite, any flicking and rubbing on objects, red inflamed gills,any tiny white grain like salt spots, or a yellow to gold dust on them.

 

[IMCL85]

Well as if there is no sign of illness its really hard to tell rather if its parasite or bacteria infection. And by ur description there r alot of disease have the same signs when they occour. Maybe if u can host a few pictures of ur fish that might help us to know whats going on. But if no sign of illness can be found. Then its down to water.

 

[annka5]

37 gallons with 2 discus seems way too small, also with 2 clown loach....
Overcrowding, even if water quality is OK, still stressful for fish.
Also sounds like they are a bit oxygen-starved.
Discus need relatively high temp -e.g. 28 C - could that be the problem? Also, I think 80ppm for discus is far far too high, as they are a very sensitive species.

 

[mbhw]

First off, let's see what you have checked:

Ammonia, PH, Nitrite, & Nitrate, and nitrate seems to be off the chart. There are other water parameters like GH & KH that I would check, and I would also do the following:

Water changes with gravel vacuuming. You are probably feeding too much, either halve the amount of food or feed every other day.

How long has the tank been established?

Try using an RO unit to purify your tap water, this will help with such finicky fish like discus.

Let us know how you make out.