I think the Water Department screwed up my aquarium.

[PackardG00SE]

I recently did a water change after my water had been shut off for a while, and now my larger fish aren’t active. I usually do water changes every 7-10 days. At first I thought I may have added too much Algae Killer, but after doing 2 water tests I no longer think that’s the reason.

Test Results:

Ammonia is nil.
Nitrites are nil.
Nitrates are mild.
Iron is nil.
Copper is nil.
Chlorine is nil.

But…

Total Hardness (GH) - 150-300
Total Alkalinity (TA) - 180-300
Carbonate (KH) - 180-300
pH - 8.4+

My city’s water is always somewhat hard, but I’m thinking while it was shut off the minerals built up in the pipes, and were then transferred to my aquarium.

Have any of you had or heard of a similar experience?

Aquarium - 83 gallons + 33 gallon sump.

Fish - 2 Blood Parrots, 2 Severums, 1 Angel Fish, 10 Tetras.

The Tetras and Angel Fish seem to be doing ok, but the Blood Parrots and Severums are just hanging out at the bottom of the tank next to the heater.

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[Fishfunn]

I recommend and use a RO/DI filter for my aquariums. I mix a 50/50 mix of RO water with tap water.

 

[GaryE]

If the algicide is building up, it can easily kill everything. It's a dangerous thing to play with.

 

[PackardG00SE]

Thanks for the feedback. I’m going to do another water change tomorrow. Hopefully, it corrects the situation. I’ll let you know.

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[Colin_T]

The calcium and other minerals don't build up in the water just from having the water turned off for a few days.

If the water company did work on the pipes, they would have added a massive dose of chlorine or chloramine (depending on what they use) and if you did a water change within a few days of that, you might have chlorinated the fish.

When the water companies add a massive dose of chlorine after working on pipes, the dechlorinater that you use will treat a normal amount (about 2ppm) of chlorine in the water but won't deal with extra chlorine if more is in there. In such cases you might have to add 3 or more times the recommended dose to neutralise all the chlorine.

The only real way to check the chlorine level is with a chlorine test kit and ideally you want to dechlorinate tap water in a separate container, test the chlorine level and make sure it's 0ppm, then use that water in your aquarium. However, that's not always practical for most people.

At this stage I would suggest no water changes for two weeks and don't add anything to the tank either except maybe another dose of dechlorinater.
You can add some activated carbon to the filter and it should help remove anything that might be poisoning the fish.
Increase aeration/ surface turbulence to maximise the oxygen in the water.

 

[PackardG00SE]

I didn’t see your post until now. I just did a 60%-75% water change. The fish seem to be doing a little better, but my water’s GH, KH, TA & pH is still off the charts.

I called the water department, but they were closed. I guess I’ll try them on Monday.

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