Super_Blueberry
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Alright. I know its long, but I hope its detailed enough. I've had this tank set up for over a year now, with no major problems until this past 6 weeks. Around the beginning of December I had one Black Molly die out of the blue. Didn't think too much of it as it was a year old. About this time I went to the store and bought a few fish to restock what I have lost over the past 6 months. Then I had another Molly die a couple days later. That struck me as odd but oh well, it happens. Then it just kept happening, a Neon, a Guppy, a Platy.... basically a fish or two every few days. I knew something was wrong after the 3rd or 4th death, but I would wake up to find them dead. No signs of illness, no odd behavior, no nothing. I added some aquarium salt since I heard that a lot of diseases can't handle even a trace of salt in the tank. Then I noticed a guppy with what looked like cotton mouth. I figured it was just a fungal infection that came with some new stock I picked up when the first fish passed. Started dosing Melafix which has worked good in the past for me the last time I had cotton mouth.
That was the weekend before Christmas. Daily doses of Melafix, and one maybe two more fish that week died... better than what it had been. Went out of town for a long weekend for New Years, came home 4 days later and no evidence of any lost fish. Perfect, solved.
Then the problem started up again. Got another bottle of Melafix, and also got Primafix in case I was treating the wrong disease. Today, I had 4 dead fish this morning. Checked the parameters...again: 0 Amm, 0 ites, 5 ates. pH 6.4 which is normal for my tank with co2. Did a normal 60-70% pwc, and noticed a lot of fish gasping for air when it was done. Odd, but thought maybe they were thinking the micro bubbles at the surface from the Melafix was food. ( During the water change, I added my prime, melafix, primafix, and dry ferts. ) When I noticed the gasping, I added a couple tablespoons of aquarium salt to help the breathing and turned off the lights for the afternoon. Checked in on them an hour later and they seemed to be swimming and breathing just fine.
Just came back home, turned on the lights and I noticed that every fish, snail, and rcs was at the surface gasping. Everyone. ( No, I didn't actually see the shrimp gasping, but I have never seen more than 1 or 2 at the surface at a time before.)
Time to panic.
I did three 50% pwc's back to back. Would have done more but I ran out of hot water. Probably do another one tonight though. Turned off the co2 and turned on my air stone. After the changes, most of the fish are swimming normally, but there are still a couple at the surface. I did pull out most of the shrimp and got them into my 10g, but I have pulled out 3 more dead neons, a dead bloodfin, and a half dozen dead shrimp.
Details:
*55g heavily planted freshwater community tank.
*Constant temp of 74
*Set up over a year ago.
*Had been running an HOB filter rated for up to 60, swapped it out for a Fluval 406 Friday night. Put the floss in the 406 to seed it, and levels were perfect this morning.
*Had been dosing Trace, started PPS scheduled dry ferts the week after Thanksgiving. ;
Recipe I'm using is Macro: 1 liter distilled water with 59 grams K2SO4, 65 grams KNO3, 6 grams KH2PO4, 41 grams MgSO4, 5ml Excel. Micro: 1 liter distilled water with 80 grams CSM+B, 5ml Excel. 5ml each daily. Dose opposite sides of tank.
*Have had pressurized CO2 since this summer, but the tank is just about empty
*Added a power head to help circulation around Thanksgiving, took out with the 406 addition Friday.
First few deaths I was thinking the power head. It went from a pretty calm tank to having a good current, so I thought maybe the added exercise was too much and I gave them a heart attack or something. Then as more died, I figured I brought something with the new fish, but no idea what., so I added a mild dose of aquarium salt. Then the cotton mouth / fungal signs, so I started dosing melafix. Then New Years weekend. Nothing was added, no medicine, no ferts, etc. Then when I come home and start the ferts again and the problem comes back. So I'm thinking the ferts at the problem....somehow. Maybe my scale isn't even close to accurate. Maybe a bad batch of dry ferts from GLA. So instead of daily doses, I do every other day. No change, and 4 dead fish this morning. Could the near empty co2 tank be the problem? Perhaps something in there that shouldn't be? I'm thinking no. That leaves the medicine. Could the Melafix and Primafix be the problem?
My current theory into TONIGHTS genocide is that when I added the Meds, the prime, ferts, and salt during this mornings water change, some kind of lethal combination was created. But what about the past 6 weeks? Same thing but not as drastic since it wasn't all at once?
Another thought I don't even want to think is that I brought home columnaris, but I do know it can look like a fungal infection....
Thoughts? What did I do wrong? What am I over looking?
That was the weekend before Christmas. Daily doses of Melafix, and one maybe two more fish that week died... better than what it had been. Went out of town for a long weekend for New Years, came home 4 days later and no evidence of any lost fish. Perfect, solved.
Then the problem started up again. Got another bottle of Melafix, and also got Primafix in case I was treating the wrong disease. Today, I had 4 dead fish this morning. Checked the parameters...again: 0 Amm, 0 ites, 5 ates. pH 6.4 which is normal for my tank with co2. Did a normal 60-70% pwc, and noticed a lot of fish gasping for air when it was done. Odd, but thought maybe they were thinking the micro bubbles at the surface from the Melafix was food. ( During the water change, I added my prime, melafix, primafix, and dry ferts. ) When I noticed the gasping, I added a couple tablespoons of aquarium salt to help the breathing and turned off the lights for the afternoon. Checked in on them an hour later and they seemed to be swimming and breathing just fine.
Just came back home, turned on the lights and I noticed that every fish, snail, and rcs was at the surface gasping. Everyone. ( No, I didn't actually see the shrimp gasping, but I have never seen more than 1 or 2 at the surface at a time before.)
Time to panic.
I did three 50% pwc's back to back. Would have done more but I ran out of hot water. Probably do another one tonight though. Turned off the co2 and turned on my air stone. After the changes, most of the fish are swimming normally, but there are still a couple at the surface. I did pull out most of the shrimp and got them into my 10g, but I have pulled out 3 more dead neons, a dead bloodfin, and a half dozen dead shrimp.
Details:
*55g heavily planted freshwater community tank.
*Constant temp of 74
*Set up over a year ago.
*Had been running an HOB filter rated for up to 60, swapped it out for a Fluval 406 Friday night. Put the floss in the 406 to seed it, and levels were perfect this morning.
*Had been dosing Trace, started PPS scheduled dry ferts the week after Thanksgiving. ;
Recipe I'm using is Macro: 1 liter distilled water with 59 grams K2SO4, 65 grams KNO3, 6 grams KH2PO4, 41 grams MgSO4, 5ml Excel. Micro: 1 liter distilled water with 80 grams CSM+B, 5ml Excel. 5ml each daily. Dose opposite sides of tank.
*Have had pressurized CO2 since this summer, but the tank is just about empty
*Added a power head to help circulation around Thanksgiving, took out with the 406 addition Friday.
First few deaths I was thinking the power head. It went from a pretty calm tank to having a good current, so I thought maybe the added exercise was too much and I gave them a heart attack or something. Then as more died, I figured I brought something with the new fish, but no idea what., so I added a mild dose of aquarium salt. Then the cotton mouth / fungal signs, so I started dosing melafix. Then New Years weekend. Nothing was added, no medicine, no ferts, etc. Then when I come home and start the ferts again and the problem comes back. So I'm thinking the ferts at the problem....somehow. Maybe my scale isn't even close to accurate. Maybe a bad batch of dry ferts from GLA. So instead of daily doses, I do every other day. No change, and 4 dead fish this morning. Could the near empty co2 tank be the problem? Perhaps something in there that shouldn't be? I'm thinking no. That leaves the medicine. Could the Melafix and Primafix be the problem?
My current theory into TONIGHTS genocide is that when I added the Meds, the prime, ferts, and salt during this mornings water change, some kind of lethal combination was created. But what about the past 6 weeks? Same thing but not as drastic since it wasn't all at once?
Another thought I don't even want to think is that I brought home columnaris, but I do know it can look like a fungal infection....
Thoughts? What did I do wrong? What am I over looking?