Hi there, sorry for this to be my intro to the fresh water community! After moving my fish I lost two glass cats and almost a parrot, pleco, convict cychlid and a featherfin Synodontis. I was hoping you fellow fish lovers could point out where I went wrong so this doesn't happen again.
I moved our freshwater fish from a 2 year established 72 gallon in the office to a 46 which has been empty for the last 6 months. I cleaned the inside of 46 with water till she was spic and span, then the _outside_ with Windex (the day before putting water in).
The new substrate is a mix of Flurite (sp?), Flurite Red, and a coarse plant substrate that the fish store guy referred to as laterite even though the package said it was not laterite. The goal was to create an all natural substrate with a lot of variety that plants would prosper in. The sides of the tank are built up with a variety of rock including red rock, slate and others, most of which had been in a tank before i bought them. I soaked all the rocks for 8 hours in water and washed the substrates as best as I could.
Now the water/filter. I moved the existing Fluval 404 downstairs without even cracking it open. We siphoned the water from upstairs directly into the tank. I started the filter and let it run overnight. The water was rather cloudy so i left the fish in the 72 with a heater and a bubbler for circulation (a little under 1/2 full). In the morning the fish were doing great and the 46 had cleared up. the water temperature was a spot on match. Being that the water had been moved from their original tank I did not float them. I put the little fellows in a bucket, carried them down and placed them in their new home.
Went out for a motorcycle ride and about 30 minutes out i realized I forgot my nicotine patch got home and all hell had broken loose in the new tank. One dead glass cat, a pale parrot, and the featherfin was a ghostly white with veins showing. All the fish were at the top of the tank gasping for air. strangely enough the guorami that I have never cared much for was moving along like nothing was wrong. The Pleco was also acting strangely. I put the featherfin, parrot, and cychlid into a bag filled with remaining water from the upstairs tank, and put the pleco in another bag. I drained 90% of the tank (just enough that the remaining two glass cats and guorami had water, and filled it up as much as possible with remaining water from the original tank. Within an hour the featherfin (still in the bag) had regained almost all of his color. I topped the tank off with fresh water and floated the bags for 4 hours, then slowly acclimated the water before setting them free.
Now all is well. Good thing I forgot my patch (turns out quiting smoking saves fish too!), I don't think they would have made it.
So what did I do wrong? i have moved tanks before, and this has never happened! thanks for the help.
I moved our freshwater fish from a 2 year established 72 gallon in the office to a 46 which has been empty for the last 6 months. I cleaned the inside of 46 with water till she was spic and span, then the _outside_ with Windex (the day before putting water in).
The new substrate is a mix of Flurite (sp?), Flurite Red, and a coarse plant substrate that the fish store guy referred to as laterite even though the package said it was not laterite. The goal was to create an all natural substrate with a lot of variety that plants would prosper in. The sides of the tank are built up with a variety of rock including red rock, slate and others, most of which had been in a tank before i bought them. I soaked all the rocks for 8 hours in water and washed the substrates as best as I could.
Now the water/filter. I moved the existing Fluval 404 downstairs without even cracking it open. We siphoned the water from upstairs directly into the tank. I started the filter and let it run overnight. The water was rather cloudy so i left the fish in the 72 with a heater and a bubbler for circulation (a little under 1/2 full). In the morning the fish were doing great and the 46 had cleared up. the water temperature was a spot on match. Being that the water had been moved from their original tank I did not float them. I put the little fellows in a bucket, carried them down and placed them in their new home.
Went out for a motorcycle ride and about 30 minutes out i realized I forgot my nicotine patch got home and all hell had broken loose in the new tank. One dead glass cat, a pale parrot, and the featherfin was a ghostly white with veins showing. All the fish were at the top of the tank gasping for air. strangely enough the guorami that I have never cared much for was moving along like nothing was wrong. The Pleco was also acting strangely. I put the featherfin, parrot, and cychlid into a bag filled with remaining water from the upstairs tank, and put the pleco in another bag. I drained 90% of the tank (just enough that the remaining two glass cats and guorami had water, and filled it up as much as possible with remaining water from the original tank. Within an hour the featherfin (still in the bag) had regained almost all of his color. I topped the tank off with fresh water and floated the bags for 4 hours, then slowly acclimated the water before setting them free.
Now all is well. Good thing I forgot my patch (turns out quiting smoking saves fish too!), I don't think they would have made it.
So what did I do wrong? i have moved tanks before, and this has never happened! thanks for the help.
