Never, Ever, Remove Your Airstone...

[Nick16]

yep, aslo knows as a 'spike'

i would do a water test, and then a water change and then test again. record your results though

sometimes these spikes go more or less undectected. I havent tested my water in about a year or used an airpump, i doublt oxygen is a problem.

 

[hensonc4098]

But if they are small enough to go undetected, surely they couldn't be the cause for the death of 3 fish and the near death of several more...

Or am I wrong yet again?

 

[Truck]

But if they are small enough to go undetected, surely they couldn't be the cause for the death of 3 fish and the near death of several more...

Or am I wrong yet again?

read my post...i dont think its anything to do with ammonia IMO id pin it on disturbed hydrogen sulphide

 

[Nick16]

undetected to the test kit

sometimes they dont often show the smallest of spikes but often its enough to kill sensitive fish

 

[hensonc4098]

The fish aren't sensitive, and all the fish were affected by it

 

[Nick16]

il explain further:

some fish are more sensitive than others with regards to water parameters.
fish like livebears used to be classed as hardy fish but now through interbreeding i find them awful to keep. its only the massive breeding that keeps them going. However somefish, much like small micro rasboras (to name just one out of hundreds and hundreds) are very sensitive and the slightest change in water params can cause havoc.
its the same for shrimp cherry shrimp are hardly along with amano shrimp (japonica shrimp, algae shrimp, whatever you want to call them) whereas CRS's are very very sensitive.

Yes all of fish would have been effected, but some more than others.

imagine someone punching a small, weak person and then punching a stronger bigger person. One is going to be more effected than the other

 

[hensonc4098]

All the fish were the same, from the big silver dollars to the tetras For all people say about ottos being sensitive, they were probably least affected by it

 

[Nick16]

larger fish take in more 'air' and pass more water through their gills and bodies.
a large fish doesnt mean it is not sensitive, that is a big big mistake.

i will put your problem down to a spike as truck has said.

many many people do not use airstones and have not had a problem so it is not a direct result of that, more a combination of other factors, over stocking, poor tank surface area and the stirring of the substrate.

 

[Lawrence]

The fish aren't sensitive, and all the fish were affected by it

my nitrite spiked to 1.0 and my 5 neon tetras are doing fine...it depends on the fish if they can handle something or not...possibly, i believe ure air pump must have been the cause for the death of 3 fish, unless you did something else...maybe your water quality was not good, or ure ph was too high (the tap water)

 

[Truck]

where did i say spike?

i said oxygen depletion caused by a chemical reaction hydrogen sulphide goes through when in contact with oxygen

 

[Nick16]

ahh my fault, soory, but i dont not belive the fish would have used up the oxygen that quickly on their own.
there must be other causes....

 

[Truck]

ahh my fault, soory, but i dont not belive the fish would have used up the oxygen that quickly on their own.
there must be other causes....

no not the fish using the oxygen...the hydrogen sulphide taking on the oxygen and dropping the hydrogen which will then bond with more oxygen causing oxygen depletion

 

[NaughtyT]

I had the same sort of thing happen to me with my malawi tank,when i put the lights on all of my cichlids were up at the top gasping for air and some looked ready to die,i tested my water,stats were all good,did a big water change just incase,still no change,then i noticed the airpump wasn't working.

Set up a new one and within 15 mins all the fish were swimming about as normal,it happened again a few weeks ago,i forgot to plug the pump back in,and again all fish were at the top,and ok once it was switched back on.

 

[stranger69]

Same deal here, with an old hexagon tank. removed airstone to put in a new tank and overnight had 4 deaths.

 

[hensonc4098]

Must be the shape of them as well, with them not having a lot of surface area for their volume