Lost an entire tank in an afternoon 😞

[Linkandnavi]

Not really after advice. Just venting.

Went out to feed the tanks this morning and one of my Boesemani Rainbows had died. Not nice but I wasn't too worried. There were no outward signs of anything being wrong, the other fish looked happy and parameters were ok (I tested the water after removing the dead fish and ammonia on zero, nitrate about 20 and nitrite had climbed to 0.25. Obviously should be zero but the rainbow is a big fish and if it had died overnight it would have been leeching ammonia all night, which would be turning to nitrite and nitrate). Did a 75%ish water change, tested and ammonia on 0, nitrite on zero, nitrate about 10.

All seemed fine. I was in my fish room at 2.30pm and all fine. Went back in at 4.30pm and both angelfish (my breeding pair) and the five remaining rainbows were all either gasping at the surface or slamming into the tank walls and substrate. Grabbed a bucket to fill it with dechlorinated water to move them into while I tested the water and in the five minutes it took me to get the bucket ready one of the angelfish and another two of the rainbows had died. The others all followed shortly after.

Tested the tank water and ammonia was on zero, nitrite had shot up to about 1ppm and nitrate to about 40ppm.

I have no idea why. There was nothing dead in the tank to be leeching anything, the tank is fully cycled and has been for a year, the fish have all been around and together for over a year and there have been no new additions. Water is oxygenated and the tank is heavily planted. No outward signs of illness.

Clearly something happened in that tank but I don't know what all my other tanks are absolutely fine.

Venti

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Gutted sorry to hear that! Could something get into the tank? Like hand cream or air freshner/polish?

 

[Linkandnavi]

Gutted sorry to hear that! Could something get into the tank? Like hand cream or air freshner/polish?

Thanks. Not to my knowledge. I hadn't used air freshener out there (they're in my garden office) and haven't polished in there for a while (don't tell my wife!). Certainly not conscious of having had soap or anything on my hands. I have four tanks running at the moment so am almost always doing something with one, so always make a point of making sure hands are washed post-soap and dried etc

 

[itiwhetu]

Did you test the fresh water before putting it in the tank, 75% is a large water change? Sounds to me that it will be linked to the quality of the fresh water added to the tank.

 

[Lynnzer]

Ilost over 100 yellow shrimp a couple of weeks ago in much the same manner. I had them in a 120 ltr Aqua One tank.
I had bought a good number of new plants a couple of days previously and was advised to use Easylife Easycarbo to get them going. I had planted in 3 tanks and used the Easycarbo in them all. Being cautious I only used half strength. My 1st tank is a nano with Celestial Pearls and baby Panda Cory's, heavily planed. 2nd Tank is 60 ltr with Asian Rummynose, Neon Tetra, Ember Tetra, 2 Apistogramma Agassizii and a lone Britlenose. Again I had put in a good number of new plants. The 120 ltr tank which was affected had a load of yellow shrimp, that I had planned to scoop out to sell most of them, 5 Black Skirt Tetra, 5 Columbian Tetra, 3 Gourami. All of the tanks were dosed with the Easycarbo on an afternoon and all seemed fine when I went to bed. The next morning I was aghast. The fish in the large tank were all desparately sucking air at the surface and the tank bottom was littered with dead shrimp. I managed to save a good number that hadn't yet died. None of the other tanks were affected at all.
I was bloody furious as I had no reason to think that anything other than the Easycarbo could have done this, and it says it's safe for shrimp as well.
Just to enlighten further, all the tanks had a 50-65% water change the day of planting and none showed any toxicity at that time.
I wonder if you had also added some chemical for one reason or another?

 

[AbbeysDad]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Naughts]

Not really after advice. Just venting.

Went out to feed the tanks this morning and one of my Boesemani Rainbows had died. Not nice but I wasn't too worried. There were no outward signs of anything being wrong, the other fish looked happy and parameters were ok (I tested the water after removing the dead fish and ammonia on zero, nitrate about 20 and nitrite had climbed to 0.25. Obviously should be zero but the rainbow is a big fish and if it had died overnight it would have been leeching ammonia all night, which would be turning to nitrite and nitrate). Did a 75%ish water change, tested and ammonia on 0, nitrite on zero, nitrate about 10.

All seemed fine. I was in my fish room at 2.30pm and all fine. Went back in at 4.30pm and both angelfish (my breeding pair) and the five remaining rainbows were all either gasping at the surface or slamming into the tank walls and substrate. Grabbed a bucket to fill it with dechlorinated water to move them into while I tested the water and in the five minutes it took me to get the bucket ready one of the angelfish and another two of the rainbows had died. The others all followed shortly after.

Tested the tank water and ammonia was on zero, nitrite had shot up to about 1ppm and nitrate to about 40ppm.

I have no idea why. There was nothing dead in the tank to be leeching anything, the tank is fully cycled and has been for a year, the fish have all been around and together for over a year and there have been no new additions. Water is oxygenated and the tank is heavily planted. No outward signs of illness.

Clearly something happened in that tank but I don't know what all my other tanks are absolutely fine.

Venti

Sorry, that is very unfortunate.
Could there have been chlorine in the new water?

 

[Naughts]

Ilost over 100 yellow shrimp a couple of weeks ago in much the same manner. I had them in a 120 ltr Aqua One tank.
I had bought a good number of new plants a couple of days previously and was advised to use Easylife Easycarbo to get them going. I had planted in 3 tanks and used the Easycarbo in them all. Being cautious I only used half strength. My 1st tank is a nano with Celestial Pearls and baby Panda Cory's, heavily planed. 2nd Tank is 60 ltr with Asian Rummynose, Neon Tetra, Ember Tetra, 2 Apistogramma Agassizii and a lone Britlenose. Again I had put in a good number of new plants. The 120 ltr tank which was affected had a load of yellow shrimp, that I had planned to scoop out to sell most of them, 5 Black Skirt Tetra, 5 Columbian Tetra, 3 Gourami. All of the tanks were dosed with the Easycarbo on an afternoon and all seemed fine when I went to bed. The next morning I was aghast. The fish in the large tank were all desparately sucking air at the surface and the tank bottom was littered with dead shrimp. I managed to save a good number that hadn't yet died. None of the other tanks were affected at all.
I was bloody furious as I had no reason to think that anything other than the Easycarbo could have done this, and it says it's safe for shrimp as well.
Just to enlighten further, all the tanks had a 50-65% water change the day of planting and none showed any toxicity at that time.
I wonder if you had also added some chemical for one reason or another?

Whilst easycarbo could well have been the problem, I wonder if it was the plants. Plants from outside of the EU have to be treated with a pesticide, these are often deadly to shrimp. The dead shrimp could then have spiked the ammonia, thus effecting the fish.

EDIT: refer to post #10

 

[outofwater]

Damn, that's frustrating. Hope your other tanka are OK, and if you are able to trace down what COULD have caused it you post it here, for future reference for the rest of us. Those "sudden" events really suck.

 

[Essjay]

Plants from the EU have to be treated with a pesticide

@Naughts Can I ask for clarification, please.
When we were in the EU, the law said that any plant imported from a country where apple snails were endemic had to be treated with snail killer. That basically meant plants grown anywhere except the EU.
Now that we have left the EU, has the law been changed so that plants imported from the EU have to be treated? And what about plants imported from outside the EU? I know the law has been changed to allow the import of apple snails to the UK but I've not read anything about plants.

I've bought a few Tropica plants (a Danish company) recently and my nerites are still thriving.......

 

[Rocky998]

So sorry for your losses ... I dont know what could have caused it except for a possible toxin that got into the tank somehow... Or maybe a silent disease? Sorry again...

 

[Slaphppy7]

Absolutely dreadful, sorry to hear about this

 

[Naughts]

@Naughts Can I ask for clarification, please.
When we were in the EU, the law said that any plant imported from a country where apple snails were endemic had to be treated with snail killer. That basically meant plants grown anywhere except the EU.
Now that we have left the EU, has the law been changed so that plants imported from the EU have to be treated? And what about plants imported from outside the EU? I know the law has been changed to allow the import of apple snails to the UK but I've not read anything about plants.

I've bought a few Tropica plants (a Danish company) recently and my nerites are still thriving.......

Sorry, I meant to say outside the EU. I'll amend my post. Thank you.
I agree, Tropica plants like 1..2..Grow are 100% safe as they are grown in labs and bought in sealed containers.

 

[Essjay]

Easily done, you should see some of the wrong words I use, luckily I spot most of them before posting

 

[j j m]

god sorry to hear this bud