Very bad news

[yhbae]

I painted the whole basement and I have two tanks on the first floor - absoltely no casulties during this process. I don't think paint fumes could have done it...

Perhaps someone in your family accidentally dropped or put something in the tank that are toxic to them?

 

[FishDan]

I will just add my voice to the chorus. I seriously doubt it was paint fumes. I also doubt it was a power outage. An outage of a few hours (he did say it was overnight) would not cause every fish in the tank to die. In fact, it shouldn't affect any fish that quickly. The only way (IMO) that paint would have been the cause is if someone put paint in the tank. I feel this is probably due to either some chemical/substance getting into the tank accidentally. Or a malfunction in some piece of equipment. I'd say heater as my primary suspect. If they break, even a little crack, they can put current in the water to kill your fish, and possibly you if you are unlucky. The paint fumes theory doesn't hold water for me, and neither does a power outage. Good luck figuring it out.

\Dan

 

[ger87410]

About the beneficial bacteria in your tank, you got nothing to worry about. We talked to a bacteria specialist on here and he said that when the bacteria run outta food they go into a type of hybernation for a while. Also they don't only live in your filter. They live EVERYWHERE. Even on your plants. If the fish were fine the night before, acting perfectly normal and everything, and your tank is fully cycled, I wouldn't look at diseases or anything like that as a killing agent. I would look and see what is around the tank, what type of paint it is (oil based paints might have caused this), stuff like that. Something had to have gotten in the tank. Where is it situated?

 

[Tropjunky]

paint and powercuts don't add up if the heater had cracked then it would bave plown a fuse of something and my water temp would have gone down or up and the temp was fine.

i could have the water anylised but i don't have the money.

 

[yhbae]

About the beneficial bacteria in your tank, you got nothing to worry about. We talked to a bacteria specialist on here and he said that when the bacteria run outta food they go into a type of hybernation for a while. Also they don't only live in your filter. They live EVERYWHERE. Even on your plants. If the fish were fine the night before, acting perfectly normal and everything, and your tank is fully cycled, I wouldn't look at diseases or anything like that as a killing agent. I would look and see what is around the tank, what type of paint it is (oil based paints might have caused this), stuff like that. Something had to have gotten in the tank. Where is it situated?

That is an interesting theory - are you sure that the bacteria goes into hybernation mode if there's no food? This is the first time I'm hearing about this...

 

[Angry_Platy]

Sorry to hear this....

The only "good thing" to come out of this is that all your fishies are swimming togetehr in the big pond in the sky

Heads up!!

 

[ger87410]

The bacteria hybernating is not just a theory, it came straight from someone who studied bacteria. He was able to give the how and why. It's somewhere in the emergency section.

 

[Cossack1977]

Im Sorry for you.

But i do know how you feel. I lost over 30 fish in a day and a half unknown causes.