HELP - Please - 8 fish dead last night :(

[wetwetwet]

does anyone know of any product that I can put in to remove anything that shouldnt be there? Does anyone have any idea's?

Do you run activated carbon?

If you're going to the lfs you could try this product

POLYFILTER

I've heard some varying reports as to how effective it is



hth

 

[huby123uk]

We change the water weekly and only take about one bucket full.
We always add easy balance and stress coat along with a dechlorinator.

We changed the filter wool yesterday as this was clogged up - we havent changed anything else

any more ideas??

 

[wetwetwet]

Did you see last post aswell? activated carbon and polyfilter?

Not familiar with 'easy balance' - what does this do?

1 bucket a week? 10 litre bucket - then less than 10% (more like 7%) - not really enough imo... - what is actuall reading for nitrate...?

 

[Fishsmurf]

We changed the filter wool yesterday as this was clogged up - we havent changed anything else

any more ideas?? 

Huby,

Did you rinse it or relace it all ?

And another thought what substrate are you using?

And how do you clean it?

 

[huby123uk]

easy balance gets rid of nasty nitrites - balances out any chemical inbalance and nutralises PH
Its good stuff...

I have just been to the pet shop. The guy there said it was most likely a problem with the water company using a chemical - there is one they use to clean pipes out that is ok for humans but toxic for fish.
He has given me some filter medium that is supposed to take out all chemicals. I also have got some more bacteria tablets for the filter as he has advised me to clean this fully - but clean it with water from the fish tank (i.e. take a bucket out of the tank, clean the filter stuff with it and then top the tank up with a bucket of clean water.
This has all cost me £25 !! fish are blumin expensive arent they!

 

[Fishsmurf]

He has given me some filter medium that is supposed to take out all chemicals. I also have got some more bacteria tablets for the filter as he has advised me to clean this fully - but clean it with water from the fish tank (i.e. take a bucket out of the tank, clean the filter stuff with it and then top the tank up with a bucket of clean water.

Huby,

Sounds like he's has given you activated carbon, which is what WWW was pushing you towards earlier. This should remove all the chemicals......

The reason I asked you about your filter floss is that the majority of the nitrification bacteria is held in your filter media (floss), so by replacing it all you basically threw away about 80% of the bacteria you required. I'm not sure how much you do know so if I am teaching you to suck eggs please forgive me. But here goes.....

You may want up the % of water you change weekly to about 20 - 25%. Anything you clean for or from the tank should be rinsed in water you have removed from the tank during the water change.

Once a week remove the filter floss and rinse all the crud out in the old tank water again (then use the cruddy water on household plants, they love it), replace the rinsed media back in the filter. If you do need to replace it do in in say 30% chunks over a period of three or four weeks.

Keep the carbon in for a couple of weeks then replace it with either new carbon if you feel it is still required or replace it with normal filter media.

Finally make sure you have a gravel vac to ensure the substrate is cleaned weekly......

HTH a bit & I am glad you seem to be getting sorted......

Ps Do me a favour and keep an eye on the ammonia & Nitrtite levels for a few weeks.....

 

[huby123uk]

Thanks for this

Hopefully the fishes will be ok, I will up the water changes to 25% and will keep an eye on nitrites and ammonia.

I will give you all an update tomorrow

I am glad I found this site, its very useful!!

 

[YngUrbanCMH]

Do you know if you have any heavy metals in your tap water? I don't know how dangerous they are, but I know some of the more expensive water conditioners remove these as well.

 

[impur]

I also have got some more bacteria tablets for the filter

Bacteria tablets? I think this is a waste of your money. Bacteria is a living organism. It cannot be contained in a tablet to dissolve in the water. At best you would be putting dead bacteria into the water, increasing the waste and decaying matter in the tank. I would advise against these tablets.

 

[bigfish]

Check the filter and all the pads to see if they are clogged up with plant debris and excess food, (i find my cloggs easily with blood worm)

If pads are dirty then rinse them out in old tank water and NOT TAP WATER as you kill the good bacteria off.

The tank is cloudy because you might have disturbed the gravel. Have you done a gravel clean lately?

Could be signs of Gill rot? are the gills being eaten away? or just sore looking?


What water conditioner do you use? i highly recommend STRESS COAT

 

[totalbolshevik]

Hmmm.... I'm just a newb but if there is 0 ammonia, I really doubt that it could be anything decaying in the tank. Have you EVER used ANY type of chemical not designed for aquariums in, on, or in the same room as the tank? Fish can be really fussy about this also what type of ornaments do you have in the tank maybe it's the rising temp causing the ornaments to become toxic? I have heard of this a few times before. The water co. adding chemicals to the water sounds like the most likely solution. You might use distilled bottled water for the tank it can be expensive but is well worth it if it's going to save your fish. Like I said, I'm just a newbie so please if any of my ideas sound absurd correct me also don't follow my advice without asking someone first.

 

[Feline]

If there's something to do with the water, can u get RO water from lfs?

 

[lordmoose]

Just a thought but have you put any rocks from your garden in the tank? If so they could be porous. Certain porous rocks can be known to cloud the water.

 

[cool_jool]

Hi I'm sorry to read of your losses . I have just lost two barbs in a few weeks and just replied to someone else who has. I am new to this and may be talking rubbish, but my temperature is high - I am trying to cool with ice in a bag. Does anyone know if barbs are particularly susseptable to heat - it has been unusually hot in the UK? cool_jool

 

[lordmoose]

cool_jool, sorry to hear about your losses but I find it unlikely that it's the high temperatures we're having here that's killed them off...altho as a general rule Tigers like it slightly cooler than some other species; around 68-74f. Have you tested the tank recently (nitrite, nitrate, ammonia etc)?