Water Trouble

[dark_tyger]

Ok.. so I have a 55g. and a 5g. Less than a week ago my tank went from perfectly fine to so cloudy you couldn't even see the fish. I took my water into my LFS and had it tested to make sure everything was ok. She said everything was perfect, and I told her my situation. She said to wait a couple days and it should clear up, because it was just a bacterial bloom from the huge weather changes we have been having. So I waited 2 days and did a 25% water change on Wed. and another on Thurs. Last night I came home to find not only make take even cloudier than it was before, but my 5g. which was crystal clear that morning was just as cloudy, and all of my fish in it were dead! I don't know what to do. I can't contact to store because they are closed on weekends. Ugh.. I am so upset and discouraged by this, it has never happend before, and I have had my fish tanks for 3 yrs now. If anyone can please help I will love you forever, lol.

 

[cutechic]

Bacterial blooms are often caused by high nitrates. Before your water got cloudy, how often did you do water changes? Were the tanks still cycling? It is possible that in addition to high nitrates, you also had high nitrites and/or ammonia, which is quite harmful to your fish. In excessive amounts, ammonia or nitrite could kill fish. This is the only reason I can come up with regarding the deaths of your fish.

 

[dark_tyger]

I check my water every week, and do water changes once a month in my large tank. My smaller tank I do water changes every two weeks, and check that water once a week as well, as I have goldfish in that one and am worried about high ammonia. Like I said, I had the water checked in the big one two days after it went cloudy, and she said everything was perfect, and my smaller one.. I didn't even have time to check that as everything happend in there in one day. I don't know what to do.. I guess I will do a 75% water change and just hope for the best.

Oh yes, and I forgot to add to the first post that I had changed the filters in the 55g. 5 days prior to this happening, but I had not changed to 5g. yet.

 

[gixer]

what do you mean you changed the filter? do you mean a brand new filter?

and never trust a lfs who tells you an answer like "you water is fine" IME

 

[Sky042]

what was the process for changing filters that you used?
Also since you've got that much $$ tied up in tanks I'd highly reccomend taking 20 bux and picking yourself up a master test kit so you can know for yourself whats going on in your water at all times.

if you changed your filter and did not keep the old one in there that could be the cause of whats going on in your 55G. Get yourself a test kit so you know whats going on then just continue the water changes and post up your results on here.....also make sure you're using a dechlorinator with your water changes....I'm sure you already are but I wanted to re-state that.

As for your 5 gallon very sad to hear all your fishes died but the tank is probably still salvageable if you wanted to re-stock it with another sort of fish. And if you haven't drained it you could probably test the water and re-stock without having to re-cycle.


As for your 5G its badly overstocked. 3 goldfish is entirely too many fish for that tank and if you want to keep it that overtstocked water changes would need to be done nearly every other day.

 

[dark_tyger]

Oh, by changing the filter I meant the carbon pack thingys, not the entire filtration system. I did a 75% water change today, it looks a bit better.. so I guess I will just keep doing water changes, as there seems to be nothing else to do.

As for my LFS, they are certified and were named some of the best in the country, so I completly trust them. I have been going there for three years and they haven't steered me wrong yet.

And as for the overstock, I do not believe in the whole "1 inch of fish per gallon" deal. As long as you do frequent water changes and everything is good in your fish community, I think you are Ok. I have had those goldfish in there for two years now, and this is the only problem I have ever had with them.

*sigh* Sorry if I sound like I am contridicting[sp?] everything you guys are trying to say, I am just in a bad state right now. I appreciate all of your opinions, and I know everyone has their own way of doing things.. so thanks for the help, I really do mean that. I am just sort of hoping for someone to pop in with there "miracle cure" I guess.

 

[dark_tyger]

Yay! Seems I found my miracle cure after all. Thanks to Nutrafin Clear Particulate, I put it in about 2 hrs ago and you can already see a definate change! I am so happy, as I was getting extremely frustrated. And I also think I found the cause of why my water went all funky. I was trying to connect something between the two tanks. They both happend at different times, and I did nothing even closely the same to the two tanks except one thing. My water had started looking a bit cloudly in my 55g. so I went out and bought some stuff that was supposed to clear the water, like the stuff above. So I put that in my 55g. as well as in my 5g. after I was told it could be because of the heat. That is the only way I can connect them. Think I should write a complaint letter to the company? Because that product obviously did not do the job, even if for some reason it wasn't the cause...