Could A Plant Be The Cause Of Fish Deaths?

[Glegorly]

I recently bought some plants from a LFS, they were in the aquatic plants section with rows of different aquarium plants. I put two of these similar looking plants into a 2.5 gallon. I added a betta to the tank (Cycled and heated) from a 5 Gal, acclimated him properly and put him in. He died 24 hours later after heavy breathing, clamped fins, possible SBD, listlessness and ripped fins and I had only had him for 48 hours and he was fine before I put him in. A few days later I added the last of my White Cloud Mountain Minnows and they both have lost their colour and have clamped fins. One of them also has been appearing as if they are swimming really fast (by moving their fins really fast) but arent actually moving.

I can't get a picture but I'll try my best to describe them. The stems are thin and tall which finish in a palm/fan shape with 3-4 leaves to each stem. It's quite a tall plant. They also had thorns down the stems until I removed them before putting them into the tank.

Are the plants the cause of the deaths? I checked the water and the stats were all normal.


There is NOTHING in the aquarium except gravel and these two plants (and the fish).

 

[WILDER]

Remove the plant and do a water change and add some fresh black carbon.
Triple dose the declorinator.
Did you match ph and temp.

 

[Truck]

the plants were probably non aquatic and are rotting causing ammonia, what are your water stats? and get a pic of the plants

 

[WILDER]

Did you add any plants to other tanks. If so are the fish fine.

 

[Glegorly]

Remove the plant and do a water change and add some fresh black carbon.

Just doing it, I've got plenty of black carbon.

Triple dose the declorinator.

Will do

Did you match ph and temp.

The Temp was exactly the same.

Did you add any plants to other tanks. If so are the fish fine.

All together I bought 6 plants, 2 of which are the same and I put them in the 2.5 Gallon. The other fish in the tank with the new plants are absolutely fine and the plants were all in the same tank in the shop.

 

[WILDER]

Dosn't sound like the plants then.
Did you steralise them.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
It sounds like ph shock to me, or temp.

 

[Truck]

are all plants the same species? can you get a picture of the plants? 2 rotting plants in a 2.5 gallon will cause an ammonia spike quicker than 4 plants in say a 60 litre, please get pictures up

 

[WILDER]

When did you check water stats.
Do the fish look like there shimmering.

 

[Glegorly]

Did you steralise them.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.

Put them in quite hot water beforehand for about 5 mins and then repeated it again. One of them is darting about a bit, the other is just clamped up. I've removed the plants and have added carbon, just doing a water change now.

 

[WILDER]

See if the water changes does anything first.

 

[Truck]

Did you steralise them.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.

Put them in quite hot water beforehand for about 5 mins and then repeated it again. One of them is darting about a bit, the other is just clamped up. I've removed the plants and have added carbon, just doing a water change now.

hot water? you probably killed them, now they are dying and rotting away and will be causing ammonia.

 

[WILDER]

Truck could be right.
You can't use hot water to stealise plants.
Best asking in the plant section on how to steralise plants before adding them to the tank.

 

[Glegorly]

Truck could be right.
You can't use hot water to stealise plants.
Best asking in the plant section on how to steralise plants before adding them to the tank.

It wasn't boiling, really hot or unbearable water, just "above warm"? I swished them about a bit and left them in it.

 

[Truck]

best way to sterilize plants is to make up a 95% water 5% bleach solution and dip for 1 minute and then dip them a few times in normal water and then put them in the tank

Truck could be right.
You can't use hot water to stealise plants.
Best asking in the plant section on how to steralise plants before adding them to the tank.

It wasn't boiling, really hot or unbearable water, just "above warm"? I swished them about a bit and left them in it.

anything above 40 will kill them even lower may tip them overboard