Blood red water

[Akago]

I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but this is easy to explain so I believe one won't be needed.

A few of the fish (Blue regal tangs) had recently gotten ich in our tank. Our butterfly had droppsie and pop eye. So we took out the live rock, put it in our quarintene and treated all the fish for all three illnesses. We thought it would be best to treat the main tank because it was possible for it to spend if they weren't all treated. A few days after the treatment, the water took a light orange type look. A few days after that, it turned bright blood red. We've treated for red aluge and slime, but it hasn't helped and no one seems to know what is going on. So, does anyone know what could do this?

The red color of this face is about the color it is.

 

[Sadielynn]

It sounds like a reaction to the chemicals . WHat are you useing for your illness in your tank.It sounds like you are just dumping in chemicals ...
Couple guestions .
What size tank .
Test perameters . Ammonia , NitrIte, NitrAte , Phosphate.
What are you dosing ,if dosing , are you testing for what you are dosing ?
I would say get set up to do a largish water change 25%-50%
and run some carbon and purigen , or chemi pure with that if you can . Change your carbon every day till your water clears then weekly .
I think that it is the chemicals that you are using that is turning it funky ....
Also posting pictures will help ... for us to see what you are referring to .

 

[Akago]

Tank size: 50 gallons
Treatment: http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=184 (My mother was told at the store it would work for both fresh and salt tanks. I'm getting all my info from her, being that she's the one who deals with the chemicals and such. Being that the dropsy and pop eye did clear up, I guess thats prove that they were right.)
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=188
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=190

Test parameters, everything is normal (Mom didn't give me exact numbers)

We've changed the water 2 times at about a 25% change

We're changing the carbon everyday.

I've taken some pictures, but I can't get them off the camera until mom or dad pull them off. Also, the fish aren't acting stressed in any way toward the odd color change. If it was chemical, wouldn't they? Or does that depend on what type of chemicals? My mom is starting to think someone put cool-aid or food coloring in the tank.

 

[Sadielynn]

Tank size: 50 gallons
Treatment: http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=184 (My mother was told at the store it would work for both fresh and salt tanks. I'm getting all my info from her, being that she's the one who deals with the chemicals and such. Being that the dropsy and pop eye did clear up, I guess thats prove that they were right.)
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=188
http://www.virbacpets.com/mardel/product.php?pid=190

Test parameters, everything is normal (Mom didn't give me exact numbers)

We've changed the water 2 times at about a 25% change

We're changing the carbon everyday.

I've taken some pictures, but I can't get them off the camera until mom or dad pull them off. Also, the fish aren't acting stressed in any way toward the odd color change. If it was chemical, wouldn't they? Or does that depend on what type of chemicals? My mom is starting to think someone put cool-aid or food coloring in the tank.

WOW she is dosing alot . The antibotics will kill off the good and bad bacteria . Are they in QT tank ? Having added the copper and such you will have issues with inverts . Never dose anything in the display tank . With everything she is dosing I would say this is more likely than not a chemical reaction ...
CAC would remove food coloring or coolaide does some one have acess to do that ? I would continue with the water changes daily 15% -20% daily ... It very well could be chemical in nature .But again it would depend on the chemical and the ammount . I would say as above it depends on the ammount (toxic levels ) as to the fish acting weird .

 

[Akago]

She's not doing treatment or anything besides this. The only other chemicals that ever go into this tank normally are ones to control the pH and such. And yes, my brother would have excess to the tank. (Or possibly his friends, depending on how close of an eye I or my mother has on them. Sadly, my brother is 21 and I'm 16, yet I'm the one who would be labeled as the sitter.) I plan to go look in the kitchen for things missing that would color water red, just in case.

Edit: Unfortunately, we didn't have a hospital tank set up at the time. We do now, and we don't plan to treat the main tank again.

Edit (Again): Okay, we officially know the problem. Either my brother or one of his friends has a bad sense of humor. We had packs of koolaide in the kitchen, cherry to be specific, that have vanished, and a small bottle of red food coloring has vanished. I'd put my money on that they vanished right into the tank too. Yes, they are jerky enough to do that.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Well, that's not nice! Least you got the problem figured out...

 

[JDogg]

Edit (Again): Okay, we officially know the problem. Either my brother or one of his friends has a bad sense of humor. We had packs of koolaide in the kitchen, cherry to be specific, that have vanished, and a small bottle of red food coloring has vanished. I'd put my money on that they vanished right into the tank too. Yes, they are jerky enough to do that.

well if any fish do not make it, they should end up in his bed

 

[Sadielynn]

Naw I say this calles for super glue in his bodywash /shampoo bottles Just think of where it would glue the puff I think it also constitues broken fingers

 

[melosu58]

8O

 

[Ziggy953]

Wow....I think I would beat someone into a small mass of goo if they did that to my tank. In fact I KNOW I would. That's just shows you how stupid some people can be. I hope you don't loose all of your critters....I trust you have been doing some major PWCs, right?

Man that kind of crap makes me mad!

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Regardless of the food coloring/koolaid - from what I read it appears she dosed the main tank with copper, in addition to a bunch of freshwater antibiotics. I know Mardel makes saltwater and freshwater versions of their medications, so could there be some lingering harm from use of the freshwater version in saltwater? Anyone have any expertise there? I'm guessing they make different versions for a reason.

In addition, even though the live rock was removed from the main tank the fact remains that the main was treated with copper. Just keep in mind that the residual copper has now made this strictly a fish ONLY tank - no inverts or corals.

Hope everything works out! If not, hope the "kid" responsible gets to financially pay for all the damage they did.

 

[Ziggy953]

That's a very good point Kurt and I totally missed it. I kept seeing red. I agree I would see to it that the brat that dumped the whatever in the tank pays for it!!!