help me some one please

[jay..]

hello all i'm jason
i have a record 96 tropical fish tank which has been set up and running fine for around 7-8 months , i have a co2 kit running and loads of plants in the tank (not to many )

i do 25% water changes every 2-3 weeks and have never lost a fish or had any problems what so ever.

till today!!!

i done my 25% water change last night by the book (water treatment , room temp etc etc ) as usual .

but today i came home from work , feeding time is 5pm i noticed all the fish were at the top of the tank , ( and my loach dead ?? )
i thought to my self nothing new as they always come to the top at feeding time , but they were'nt interested in the food ?? urr and whats happened to the loach ?
but there all staying at the top of the tank , looking like there gasping for air or something .

please help jase...

 

[wetwetwet]

Firstly HiYa and welcome jase

Have you checked equipment is all running and fine?

Can you test for ammonia and nitrite/nitrate?

What temp are you at?

Turn off the CO2

Sure you did nothing different last night?

If you can answer a few of these and we'll go from there

 

[jay..]

hi there thanks for reply

for got to say i only have around 25 fish in total , neon's , black widows , one fighter fish, 2 x black mollys , and some flying fox's.

the heater is working fine and the water temp at mo is 75f / 22c
the pump / filter is pumping fine too!

i can't think of a single thing that has changed , to my normal routine ? urr

sorry but unavaible to test water as i don't own any test stuff , i pop to my local shop and pay a quid once a fortnight , they tested it last week and just told me everything was fine ..

any use mate

 

[Alien Anna]

Hi,
this is why all fishkeepers should at the very least have an ammonia test and a nitrite test available - in case of unexpected "crashes" of your beneficial bacteria. Follow the link in my sig - that article specifically talks about situations where a cycled tank may start to cycle again.

It could be pH shock, as you have CO2 going. You really need to know your pH. You also need to know your KH, not only to work out the CO2 concentration, but also to make sure your water is sufficiently buffered to prevent a pH crash.

I suggest you get down the LFS tomorrow morning. In the meantime, do a 20% water change and don't feed your fish.

 

[wetwetwet]

All the fish gasping at the surface would indicate a lack of oxygen or other water quality problem.

We really to to test the water to rule out the most likly causes - eg ammonia

In the meantime can you increase surface aggitation - pwerhead / airstone?

And have you turned off the co2?

 

[wetwetwet]

In addition - how big is the tank in l/g?

May be a stupid q but you did use conditioner in the wc last night - as chlorine or chloramin can cause these symptoms?....

Any other medications or additives that may have been added?

Have a good check arround that there is no dead/decaying fish/food/plants in the tank as these can quickly pollute your water.....

As anna says if the fish are obviously in distress then another 20% water change won't hurt.....


hth

 

[jay..]

hi there i've turned of the c02
why would this matter ( its been running the whole 8 months ive had the tank ?)
ive also rigged up a air stone while i'm reading these replys

but won't the air stone hurt my plants ?
thanks jase

 

[jay..]

some answers to your replys

yes ive always used the same brand of water conditioner called tap safe !
and i always use the same amount in a marked container .

the tank holds 96 litres of water .

i'm sorting out another 20% water change as i'm replying to these questions

jase..

 

[Alien Anna]

Jay - your plants will survive, but your fish are dying. They are obviously having trouble getting enough oxygen for whatever reason, so an air-stone and turning off the CO2 is obviously going to help.

 

[wetwetwet]

CO2 effectively softens the water (idk ask a chemist...) and can contribute to a pH crash - not good for your fish....

More surface agitation allows more gas exchange - ie co2 to be dispersed and oxygen into the water.....

Yes your plants benifit from additional co2 but if there is too much (and not enough O2) then your fish are going to suffer - which could be the problem you have now - whats more important your fish or the plants?

Basically I've suggested turning off the co2 as it may help untill you can get the water tested to find out for sure whats wrong....

The air stone wont 'hurt' your plants but just add more surface aggitaton....(less co2)....

 

[jay..]

thanks every one out there helping !

i'm trying all the above suggestion , one at a time ,

the co2 is off , the air stone is now running , and the misses is sorting the water change out now ..

???

 

[wetwetwet]

I'd say thats all you can do for now

Get the tests tomorrow and try and work out what happened and let us know how you get on m8

Good luck

 

[jay..]

hey !!!!!!!!

thanks all , the fish have gone back down near the bottom now , and are swimming around nearly as normal ..

i think the air stone has done it !!! B) B)

thanks very very much all ! and i will be at the lfs before it opens tomorrow ready , and i'm gonna get the water tested , and get me self some test kit ,
i dont mean to be a pain in the a** but is there any surgestions on kit ? is it basic to use ( i need it to be )

thanks once again youve saved my fishes lives ,

 

[Alien Anna]

i think the air stone has done it !!! B) B)

thanks very very much all ! and i will be at the lfs before it opens tomorrow ready , and i'm gonna get the water tested , and get me self some test kit ,
i dont mean to be a pain in the a** but is there any surgestions on kit ? is it basic to use ( i need it to be )

I'm so relieved about your fish - and please ask any questions you like. If it saves fish it's our pleasure to help

As for tests, personally I find the Tetra tests very reliable, easy to read and the best value for money, although I also use Hagen tests. Tetra and Hagen do sets with various kits all together, which work out a lot cheaper than buying them individually.

I also use eSHa multisticks, which although very expensive per test (especially if you have several tanks) are very convenient and quick.

 

[revengeishere]

I don't thin the levels of CO2 had something to do with this. Unline on land, o2 and co2 doesnt displace each other in water. I looks like it is fixed, but i just wanted to cleaar this up.