HELP I NEVER USED FORUMS AND MY FISH ARE DYING

[helpmyfishemergency]

i thought it was like chat and people replied istatntly sorry!

 

[helpmyfishemergency]

the tank is located next to a roaring woodstove but it never seemed to bother all wnter till now

 

[ryan]

Ok, right so now everything is over lets get started-I would advise you to test the water this will help us figure out the source of the problem so that we can deal withit more effectivly. Are the 'blue bottom dwellers' definitely fish and not crayfish? Did you also say that this was your first water change in a year? If so at very least I tank should have a water change of 25% a month and this is when it is lightly stocked, so if you haven't changed the water the fishes waste products like ammonia will have built up to dangerous levels killing the fish.

 

[ade]

Not sure if this is relevant (most of my postings aren't ) but what is the water temp? And is it fairly constant throughout the tank? Or is the side nearer the stove much warmer than the other side?

 

[jams.alaskan]

Ok, here's the information so far

I HAVE A 46 GALLON ROUNDED FRONT TROPICAL TANK WITH A PLACO BEFORE YESTERDAY SOME BLEEDING HEART TETRAS BLUEBERRY TETRAS SHARKS AND 2 NEW BLUE BOTTOM FEEDERS THAT I GOT AT THE PET STORE THEN EVERYONE STARTED DYING THE PH IS A LITTLE HIGH AND I TRIED TO ADJUST IT I NEVER USED FORUMS BEFORE AND AM COMPUTER ILLITERATE IF NO ONE WANTS TO HELP THEN ILL DEAL WITH IT MYSELF I THOUGHT THERE WERE FISH LOVERS IN HERE THAT LIKE ME HATE TO SEE FISH DYE WITHOUT DOING EVERYTHING I CAN IT HURTS ME TO WATCH THEM DYE
i just added two blue {in color} bottom feeders to the tank from the local pet store could they have had ich when i got them? the tank was running great for years with no trouble but i did change the water for the first time in almost a year a few weeks ago but the fish that die after water changes usually die before weeks after the change form my 10 year experience with a tropical tank how do i get the tank back to healthy if it has ich i dont want to loose my placo especially and he is lookin kinda sick too thank you very much for your help and patience

no test kit barely any fish left the ones that are are floundering all these years with a tank and now i feel so helplessthey act like there starving for air i think it was the new fish how do i combat ichor should i just bring a h20 sample to the local pet store where i got the fish from that i think killed all my fish

This is my first time trying to quote so hoped it worked

ALASKA

 

[ryan]

There is a Live Chat function at the top of the webpage, if you want I can log on there and talk to you we will be able to figure out the problem and answer alot quicker if it is possible.

 

[helpmyfishemergency]

I KNOW ABOUT THE WAHER CHANGE RULE BUT IM ASHAMED TO SAY THAT MY WIFE BOUGHT THE TANK {ON A WHIM} 10 YEARS AGO AND SHE STOPPED TAKING CARE OF IT A FEW MONTHS LATER WHIVH LEFT IT UP TO ME SO I WRONGLY STRETCHED THE WATER CHANGES TO A MAXIMUM IF THE TANK WAS DOING OK AND ALSO IN THE PAST WHEN I CHANGED THE WATER FISH DIED, WHEN I DIDNT THEY DIDNT

 

[ryan]

Ich is a parasite that can been seen covering the fish in lots of white spots if you can't see any I doubt you have Ich, as for the woodstove problem if the tank has been there for years with healthy fish than this is neither the problem.

 

[helpmyfishemergency]

TAHNX FOR STAYING WITH ME ADE AND WATER TEMP IS 80 DEGREES

 

[ryan]

I KNOW ABOUT THE WAHER CHANGE RULE BUT IM ASHAMED TO SAY THAT MY WIFE BOUGHT THE TANK {ON A WHIM} 10 YEARS AGO AND SHE STOPPED TAKING CARE OF IT A FEW MONTHS LATER WHIVH LEFT IT UP TO ME SO I WRONGLY STRETCHED THE WATER CHANGES TO A MAXIMUM IF THE TANK WAS DOING OK AND ALSO IN THE PAST WHEN I CHANGED THE WATER FISH DIED, WHEN I DIDNT THEY DIDNT

Ok, well I suspect the ammonia levels have reached a poisonous level killing the fish. If they have lived in their for a while the ammonia level change will be slow enough for them to adjust to until it reaches great proportions, so by doing a water change you probably stress the fish who are dealing with this high level and ammonia, so they're already weak immune system cannot take the shock and some die. I would advise you to do regular 10-20% water changes for a week until the water parmeters are fine then do 10-15% water changes fortnightly.

 

[ade]

Guessing again...I'm good at that lol...

What temp (approx) was the water that you replaced with? Ie was the a sudden temp drop when you've done water changes in the past? And do you condition the water before adding it? Or is it straight from the tap?

I'm just wondering if the problem is being hidden by the addition of new fish?

Ok, ok, not wondering - guessing!

 

[helpmyfishemergency]

dont fish usuallsy show signs of sickness due to water change before weeks after the chamge the problem seemed to start after the addition of the blue colored fish with little wiskers that scrounge food from the bottom that i got at the pet store within the last week or so

 

[ade]

due to water change before weeks after the chamge

Sorry, my bad, I thought it was all at the same time.

Definitely still get the water tested, but now we're definitely at about the end of my knowledge!

Once you get the water test results, post them on here, I'm sure someone will be able to help some more...

 

[EddieW]

When you changed the water recently did you add water conditioner? This is needed to remove the chlorine/chloramine that the water company add to prevent bacteria in the water. In our fish tanks we NEED to keep certain types of bacteria alive to help break down the fish waste.

Basically fish excreta break down rapidly to produce ammonia which is broken down by a type of bacteria to produce nitrite. This nitrite is then broken down by another bacteria to produce nitrate which is then (somewhat) used up by live plants and further reduced by regular water changes.

These bacteria build up over a period of time to sufficient quantities to handle the waste produced by your fish. If add new fish it will take a while for them to 'catch up' with the new level of waste - which is why you only add a few fish at a time.

Adding untreated water can (and I stress can, doesn't always happen) cause a die off in the bacteria which can result in rapid build up of ammonia and/or nitrite which are both very toxic to fish. The chlorine in untreated water is also toxic, and if you use a water conditioner which can only handle chlorine and not chloramine you can actually end up adding ammonia to your tank.

I think the best things to do are as follows:

1) Do a 10-25% water change using properly treated water. If you don't have conditioner you MUST go and get some. Make sure that it handles both chlorine and chloramine (it will be on the label) especially if you are in a built up area in the UK as most of these use chloramine now. Some typical water treaments are (in no particular order) API Ammo-Lock 2 (helps with ammonia too), Hagen Aqua Plus, Tetra Aquasafe, etc.

2) Get some test kits (or go to a trusted LFS local fish shop) - you need to check at least Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. If possible also test pH and hardness as well as they may have an impact on certain species. For ease of use you can get 'dip & read' test strips or for more accuracy get the ones with a test tube and reagents.

Some of the damage may be permanent - chlorine will damage the fishes gill membranes and they will eventually die, but this is not necessarilly the problem.

Things it could be:

Osmotic shock - due to fluctuating amounts of trace elements. Symptoms include gasping at the surface and discoloured gills due to a lack of oxygen. The best remedy is an immediate water change with fresh dechlorinated water of the correct pH. Water changes should come from the same source each time.

Gill flukes - small worms that are found on the gill leaves of an infested fish.
Signs of infection include:
Damage to the gills
Inflammation of the gill structure
Bleeding of the gills
Gasping at the surface
The gill flukes destroy the gills, damaging blood vessels, resulting in death by asphyxiation.

Toxic shock - can be caused by either fluctuating pH or poisons disolved into the water. Symptoms include blood streaks, gasping at the surface, and listless, jumping fish. The best remedy is an immediate water change with fresh dechlorinated water of the correct pH. Care should be taken when using aerosols or smoking near an aquarium. Activated carbon used in the filtration system can help remove the toxins.

But this is realistically only a very short list.

The more information that you can give us, the more likely it is that we can try and help.

Please bear in mind that the vast majority of us here are just fellow fishkeepers and very few have formal qualifications or training. We will try and help, but we can't always know the answers.

Eddie

 

[helpmyfishemergency]

i forgot i just introduced two 6" air stones within the past week or so also im home alone with no car at the moment and no way to get to the pet store and frustrated !!!