Very Upset All My Tigers Died Overnight

[plumwd]

Last night I moved my 29 gallon aquarium into my office to prep for my new large tank I bought on Friday. I drained the tank very low, moved the whole thing and then refilled. 7 hours later all my tiger barbs are dead. My gouramis look like they're doing okay, but I'm super worried.

I'm in the process of doing a 50% water change. Should I do another in a few hours? My guess is something must have gotten into the tank, but I have no idea what it could have been. I did use a new bucket that I just purchased, but I thought I had rinsed it well enough.

I use the API Tap Water filter because my city water has chloramine and haven't had any issues with it yet.

Forgot to add that my levels are all normal. No Ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. PH is normal and so is the water temp.

I'm super sad and scrambling now.

 

[cfosgate]

From past experience I suspect the PH in your tank could have been radically different between draining and refilling. That or your temperatures were very different. When was your last water change prior to moving the tank?

 

[plumwd]

I changed the water just this last weekend on Sunday. I hadn't planned on getting rid of any of the water for the move, which was literally just around the corner from where the tank originally was.

 

[cfosgate]

Hmm, out of ideas then.

 

[Tom Fields]

Did you refill it with aged and treated water. was the temp the same??

 

[plumwd]

Yes the water was treated, it was not aged. I have chloramines in the water so no amount of aging will get rid of that. It's why I use the API Tap Water Filter, it removes all that stuff. I then treat it with Prime.

The temp varies a touch, a degree or 2. I keep the tank at 78 and when I changed the water it was maybe 76.

 

[Huro]

Sorry to hear about your loss plumwd

I know this is grasping at straws but are your test kits up to date?

 

[plumwd]

My kits were purchased about a month ago.

I'm just praying the gouramis don't die. They look okay but I'm so nervous with every move they make now. I just finished the 50% wc and added my buffers so now I'll keep an eye on them.

More than anything I just feel absolutely terrible those other fish died. They've all been doing so well. The tank was finally where it should be (for a couple of weeks now) and I just added the gouramis on Friday. Everyone's been super healthy and active.

 

[Huro]

It is very strange my first thought was a possible ammonia spike but new tests kits rule that out. I have read of cases where tiger barbs were bullied to death by gouramis but have never seen it for myself as I have both in my tank.

 

[plumwd]

The gouramis have left the barbs alone and vice versa. Unless of course they went on a killing spree last night

So if it was a huge shift in PH, how do you treat that?

 

[Tom Fields]

What buffers do you add

 

[plumwd]

I used the ones that came with the API Tap Water Filter Freshwater Aquarium Water Conditioners: API Electro-Right & pH Adjuster

My female flame dwarf is about to die now. She's laying on the floor of the tank on her side.

 

[cfosgate]

The gouramis have left the barbs alone and vice versa. Unless of course they went on a killing spree last night

So if it was a huge shift in PH, how do you treat that?

If you were doing regilar water changes there should not have been a significant ph shift. If you hadn't done a water change in a month and then did a big one (50-75%) that could cause a huge swing. Unless there was something recently added to your tank that is causing hugh ph shifts such as limestone or coral rock.

 

[plumwd]

I've been on top of the water changes. So maybe the more likely scenario is that some kind of contaminant got in the water last night? Maybe from the new bucket?

 

[Tom Fields]

is your heater ok. Didnt break when you moved the tank. Thinking about electricity

 

[Huro]

My female flame dwarf is about to die now. She's laying on the floor of the tank on her side.

Is she showing any other visible signs that you can see?

 

[plumwd]

Is she showing any other visible signs that you can see?

She was laying on the floor and breathing only intermittently. She did one last burst of motion where she swam upside in circles and then died

The heater isn't broken, it's still working just fine.

 

[venymae]

Is there a tank you can take out your last gourami and put in until you give this tank the overhall? I'm thinking even a 5 gallon would do for a temp right now....something weird is going on and yeah, chemicals may be the cause, but I doubt from a fresh plactic rinsecd bucket???? Very odd.

 

[Keke89]

Do you think something was disturbed in the tank when moved? That could have released toxins?

Like sand substrate will trap gas pockets that are really toxic when released. ?

Sorry to hear about the loss ?

 

[Caliban07]

Ph directly from the tap compared with the ph after 24 hours can change quite a lot in some water sources.

It sounds like you did a 90% water change that could have either caused an ammonia spike or a dramatic shift in ph and or tds chemistry.

Even if ph changes by 1 either way, that would be an instant 10 x acid or base shift.

Could have been a shock to the osmoregulatory system.

I don't know how prime affects tds but is an experiment that we will be undertaking soon. Prime coupled with your other product in a 90% water change could have been enough to 'shock the barbs'