HELP- New tank setup- killed all fish in 3 hours

[Exigenn]

Hm, i may have to try that out next, thanks for opening that door.

 

[Aliray]

Hi again, My guess would be the change in PH was too much for them. Most fish store don't keep their tanks at a PH of 6.8 . That would explain the the death in three hours from PH shock. Try testing the water from the fish store to see what their PH is compared to yours. Can you use your tap water? You might want to test your tap water to see what yours is. Alison

 

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Thanks for the replies, I spent the morning cleaning it really good with just hot water, I used a new scrub brush and removed all the algae residue in the back sump area that was missed originally. I wiped it down over and over with paper towels, until no color was found . I rinsed with hot water spray forever, and am certain its well rinsed.
I replaced the gravel , the carbon sock, and rinsed the helicopter decoration.
Filled with 78 degree tap water ( with stress coat and quick start) , then float the one single new fish for an hour, did a slow drip accumulation for 30 minutes to slowly change any tank water parameters and just released into the tank.

I am so used to using RO-DI water i never considered the change to the fish. I am trying to make this simple fw tank too complicated It makes sense now, the salt I add has the minerals in it, so fw from the tap will have the minerals I need.

I will add some prime to it as well, just as i finish typing this reply.

Thanks again, I will see how it goes with the one fish in there tonight,
Joey

 

[Exigenn]

Let us know how it goes, best of luck.

 

[PB_Smith]

Hi again, My guess would be the change in PH was too much for them. Most fish store don't keep their tanks at a PH of 6.8 . That would explain the the death in three hours from PH shock. Try testing the water from the fish store to see what their PH is compared to yours. Can you use your tap water? You might want to test your tap water to see what yours is. Alison

the RO-DI water is the more likely culprit than the bleach, one big clue, the ph.
If there were enough bleach in the water to kill, then it also stands to reason that the ph would be higher because bleach is basic, not acidic, and 6.8 is pretty low, low enough to kill some fish.
The reason why it's safe/used for salt water is because we add back in the minerals and stuff that was removed when we mix our own salt water.

Bleach is fine to use for cleaning and in the absence of Prime or similar simply fill the vessel/tank that was cleaned along with any other items cleaned.
Put it outside in the sun, fill with water and drop in an airstone. Between the aeration and sunlight, the bleach will break down and dissipate. Anyone who owns a swimming pool knows this all too well.
24 hours should do the trick. Then rinse and should be safe for use.

 

[Caliban07]

I'm going for Osmotic shock or bleach.


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[KevinB]

Keep in mind the bleach is much more aggressive at lower pH, and also in the RO water which is corrosive to begin with.

Best of luck with the next try, just change the water frequently during the cycle process and test often.

 

[gilpi]

I'm not one that frets over a slight ph variation unless it crashes, which it has happened to me...below the scale at around 6.0 or worse.

That being said, if 7.0 is neutral, why would 6.8 be so detrimental to the point that it would kill the fish in a couple of hours?

I use tap water so I can't speak for RO DI water, what's in it or what's not in it.

At this point, cleaning the tank and drying it well looks like sound advice to me, then slowly introducing fish into the tank and since you're cycling, I would stay with just a couple of fish and follow the fish-in cycling process.




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[PB_Smith]

I'm not one that frets over a slight ph variation unless it crashes, which it has happened to me...below the scale at around 6.0 or worse.

That being said, if 7.0 is neutral, why would 6.8 be so detrimental to the point that it would kill the fish in a couple of hours?

if the fish were previously in water with a much higher ph, ~ 7.5+, that sudden change is certainly enough to cause issues.

 

[coralbandit]

+1 with PB_Smith...
Water parameters are far more complicated then pH/kH/gH....
It is possible for two samples of water with a pH of 7.0 to have TOTALLY different Total Dissolved Solids(TDS).
They are the SUM of ALL 'the crap/solids' in our water...
RO ,RO/DI properly made should be ZERO TDS ,or very low...
My tap is 350+ TDS with a meager 7.6 pH.

If you can not test for TDS then IMO gH is more important then pH for fish acclimation.

The fact the water was 6.8 is not 'detrimental' IMO.
But it may be the other values are /were the issue...

I bleach stuff for my GBR breeding almost everyday...
Bleach is chlorine.....
Air,sun,and prime/safe.....GONE!
If you don't smell it, it AIN'T there!
I have a chlorine test kit not from pool supplier , BUT pool kits work well for a 'quick check'...

 

[PB_Smith]

It should be obvious, but I will mention it anyway,


NEVER use any bleach that has a fragrance added to it.




there, I've stated the obvious, I'll go now..........

 

[brennae]

And don't use "splash less" bleach because it's really soap.

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[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Fish lived through the night, so all is good. Wont really know what killed the fish , but I will not use RO-DI water for fw in the future . My Ro-DI TDS was 0.0, and my house tap is 40ish i think. Atlanta has some pretty good tap water.
I'll watch my ammonia and do a water change if necessary, and once my nitrites are down and cycled , I'll add 2 fish per 2 weeks until I reach my desired load.
Thanks for the knowledge and discussion , I learned something new about fw this week.
Joey

 

[joeyfromlawrenceville]

Happy to report .....Everything is good!!!!
New fish is doing great in regular ole city tap water! Not known if it was bleach residue or RO-DI water, but its looking good for now. My bet is the RO-DI with different ph and water parameters.
I will add 2 new little fish every other week until its stocked, once the cycle is complete.
Thanks for all of the help, but the little dude has been swimming for a few days now, water is clear, had to treat a bit of Ich that the LFS sold me with him, but its cleared up and the tank is clear. Life is good

Thanks !!!

Joey

 

[Exigenn]

Glad to hear everything is working out, it really could have been either but at this point at least everything is running relatively smooth. Always with the ich, thank the fish gods i have never had it *knock on wood*. Hope everything keeps working out for you. Best of luck.

Any idea what the end stocking would look like?