Four fish deaths

[Maltimomma]

This morning when I get up my bn pleco is dead. 4 days ago 2 bloodfins died and a few days before a dwarf gourami died. My ph is 7.8, ammonia is 0 ppm, nitrite is 0 ppm, nitrate 80 ppm. These are what the tank has always been since I added fish almost a year ago. None of the fish "look" sick. No changes in their behavior, eating or appearance.

I have noticed tiny white spots on the one piece of driftwood in the tank. All I have added to the tank are some assassin snails. I feed the snails about 3 or 4 mts every other day. The assassins were added about 3 weeks ago. Could they have brought something into the tank?

 

[Scott F]

The snails may have brought something but what I'm seeing is Nitrate at 80 ppm and that needs to come down as of yesterday.

 

[boadams87]

What are you testing with? 80ppm wont kill fish. Yea its high but not going to kill them.

 

[Gboy66]

What are you testing with? 80ppm wont kill fish. Yea its high but not going to kill them.

I'd beg to differ on this. 80 is more than enough to to the job

 

[GNarnian]

I'd beg to differ on this. 80 is more than enough to to the job

Not really. It depends on the fish in my experience. Besides, the local water could already be at say, 20. And then even a day or two could raise nitrates to that amount.

 

[Gboy66]

Not really. It depends on the fish in my experience. Besides, the local water could already be at say, 20. And then even a day or two could raise nitrates to that amount.

Well tetras are generally really hardy. It takes a bit to kill them

 

[GNarnian]

This morning when I get up my bn pleco is dead. 4 days ago 2 bloodfins died and a few days before a dwarf gourami died. My ph is 7.8, ammonia is 0 ppm, nitrite is 0 ppm, nitrate 80 ppm. These are what the tank has always been since I added fish almost a year ago. None of the fish "look" sick. No changes in their behavior, eating or appearance.

I have noticed tiny white spots on the one piece of driftwood in the tank. All I have added to the tank are some assassin snails. I feed the snails about 3 or 4 mts every other day. The assassins were added about 3 weeks ago. Could they have brought something into the tank?

Maltimomma, take a sample of the water you usually use for the tank, let it sit out over night, then test it to see what the readings of your water is naturally.

Also,what size is your tank? You didn't post that.

 

[GNarnian]

Well tetras are generally really hardy. It takes a bit to kill them

+1 to that. They might be unhappy in the water, but tetras are strong buggers.

 

[Maltimomma]

What are you testing with? 80ppm wont kill fish. Yea its high but not going to kill them.

I use API Master Test Kit. The nitrates in all 3 of my tanks has always been around 80ppm. I find it difficult to tell the differences in some of the colors so I always use the higher number if I'm not sure.

 

[Maltimomma]

Maltimomma, take a sample of the water you usually use for the tank, let it sit out over night, then test it to see what the readings of your water is naturally.

Also,what size is your tank? You didn't post that.

The tank is 29 gallons. I will do as you suggest and see what the nitrates are on my tap water.

 

[Maltimomma]

So I did a pwc, about half. While cleaning the tank I took out the driftwood and felt shocks. The heater was broken. I have no idea when it broke because it was behind a large plant. I'm thinking that would certainly hurt or kill the fish. Now lets see what happens.

 

[GNarnian]

O___O you're lucky it didn't hurt or kill you!!!

Lucky break. Yeah, that would kill fish.

 

[Maltimomma]

No dead fish this am. I will do another pwc today after I test. This afternoon I'll buy a new heater.

 

[GNarnian]

Hopefully that was the problem and you'll have healthy fish from now on!