sinistral
Fish Addict
I have no idea what Tetra EasyBalance is, otherwise I'd be more ready to either censure or endorse it. As far as I can tell, nobody else on the web has posted any independent research on what EasyBalance consists of; of course, Tetra is mum on the topic (otherwise the rest of us would start mixing it in our bathtubs at home).
Having said that, at this point I *would* be inclined towards that anaerobic bacteria hypothesis. "Low oxygen environment" would describe any situation where gravel hasn't been stirred or agitated for months; if you introduced facultative anaerobic bacteria to this setting in which they'd be using nitrates for respiration, you could only anticipate a proliferation. In a low O2 setting they'd be in anaerobic mode and producing things like hydrogen sulfide (smells like rotten eggs), and any number of other gases.
It does sound like your fish are O2 deprived. How are your fish doing? I'd recommend doing daily, or twice daily water changes until things are cleared up.
Having said that, at this point I *would* be inclined towards that anaerobic bacteria hypothesis. "Low oxygen environment" would describe any situation where gravel hasn't been stirred or agitated for months; if you introduced facultative anaerobic bacteria to this setting in which they'd be using nitrates for respiration, you could only anticipate a proliferation. In a low O2 setting they'd be in anaerobic mode and producing things like hydrogen sulfide (smells like rotten eggs), and any number of other gases.
It does sound like your fish are O2 deprived. How are your fish doing? I'd recommend doing daily, or twice daily water changes until things are cleared up.
