My Fish are Dying

[MyanRan]

Thanks Guys

I will be purchasing a test kit tomorrow, as well as some Prime. Hopefully these will rule out if my water quality was terrible without me knowing.

 

[ktomminello]

Welcome to aquariumadvice!!

 

[Convict2161]

I skimmed through this thread an I apologize for that. But please use a water conditioner, don't leave water over night in a bucket with a air stone. You need to remove more then just chlorine. Prime for example will neutralize certain metals making them less toxic, not removing them just reducing there toxic value. (That's coming from Seachem direct not me)

All you need in my strong opinion is Prime, it's a great solid product. Don't buy into the stress coat, stress zyme etc etc etc. waste of money IMO.

Do weekly water changes and treat your water accordingly. Also get that test kit and test regularly.

Keep a good maintenance schedule and your tank will thrive, fish will be happy and you won't lose your hair!



Just The Con's 2 cents.

 

[The CodFather]

I skimmed through this thread an I apologize for that. But please use a water conditioner, don't leave water over night in a bucket with a air stone. You need to remove more then haut chlorine. Prime for example will neutralize certain metals making them less toxic, not removing them just reducing there toxic value. (That's coming from Seachem direct not me)

All you need in my strong opinion is Prime is a great solid product. Don't buy into the stress coat, stress zyme etc etc etc. waste of money IMO.

Do weekly water changes and treat your water accordingly. Also let that test kit and test regularly.

Keep a good maintenance schedule and your tank will thrive, fish will be happy and you won't lose your hair!



Just The Con's 2 cents.

+1 !!!! Couldn't have said it better Convict!!

 

[MyanRan]

Update

Hey All,
Here are your tests:
pH: 7.75
NH3: 0-0.6
NO2: 0.1
NO3: 110Mg

So by doing these tests the Nitrate is the problem correct? What should I do to combat this issue and how the heck did it get this high? I bought prime at the store. I have already done two water changes in the past two days without prime. Should I do another using prime? Should I put prime right in the tank?

 

[Wiggles24]

Wow you need to do some large water changes! Even if you have to do a couple back to back you need to get those levels down

 

[Wiggles24]

It was likely caused by inadequate water changes over a period of time, also when you clean your filter you nerd to make sure you only rinse the media in old tap water

 

[molliwopp]

+1 !!!! Couldn't have said it better Convict!!

Can i ask why you dont agree with buying into the stress coat? Ive heard it can actually help with the moving of fish and water changes alike.

 

[MyanRan]

It was likely caused by inadequate water changes over a period of time, also when you clean your filter you nerd to make sure you only rinse the media in old tap water

Yes, I usually rinse out the stuff with my tap water. I will do another 25% water change using prime today and see how the water turns out.

 

[MyanRan]

I did a test of my tap water that I have been using without Prime for years: pH: 8.0, NH3: 0, NO2:0, NO3: <5Mg. That is good quality water is it not?

 

[thomasina]

I skimmed through this thread an I apologize for that. But please use a water conditioner, don't leave water over night in a bucket with a air stone. You need to remove more then just chlorine. Prime for example will neutralize certain metals making them less toxic, not removing them just reducing there toxic value. (That's coming from Seachem direct not me)

All you need in my strong opinion is Prime, it's a great solid product. Don't buy into the stress coat, stress zyme etc etc etc. waste of money IMO.

Do weekly water changes and treat your water accordingly. Also get that test kit and test regularly.

Keep a good maintenance schedule and your tank will thrive, fish will be happy and you won't lose your hair!



I can not agree more! I fill up buckets of tap water, then use PRIME. I bought all that other stuff first... and now just PRIME. Use API test - liquid tester, and you will know right where you stand! Once your numbers are down, just do weekly changes. You and your fishy friends will be happier!!

 

[molliwopp]

What other stuff did you try? thanks

 

[Oceangirl]

You should do atleast a 50% and then another 50% after 2 hours. Please use Prime, Most City water/tap has a lot of undesirables. If you live on Clean pristine water right out of the tap. Then by all means use the Water in the bucket with a n air stone for a week. Not 24 hours. Make sure to change 50% each week. I would test again after doing those water changes nothing should read 110. Make sure to test after your water changes to make sure your levels go down. If you need any help feel free to post again.

 

[librarygirl]

Hey All,
Here are your tests:
pH: 7.75
NH3: 0-0.6
NO2: 0.1
NO3: 110Mg

So by doing these tests the Nitrate is the problem correct? What should I do to combat this issue and how the heck did it get this high? I bought prime at the store. I have already done two water changes in the past two days without prime. Should I do another using prime? Should I put prime right in the tank?

Yep, the nitrate seems like the big issue. What test kit did you get, liquid or strips? Strips are cheaper in the short-term but not very accurate. You have small amounts of nitrite and ammonia as well; in a healthy established tank, both of those should be 0. Are you changing out the filter media totally every month? If you are then you're losing all of the bacteria that the tank needs to stay stable. Only swish the media out in old tank water once a month during water changes and only change media totally if it's falling apart (and even then only switch out portions at a time). I can't remember if you mentioned it earlier but what filter do you have on this tank?

The tank being fairly heavily stocked and the lack of proper water changes caused the nitrates to rise so high. They are at deadly levels right now. The only way to remove nitrate is through water changes. I'd do a few 30-40% water changes over the course of a few days to get those numbers down (ideally you want nitrates under 40; under 20 is optimum).

When you floated the bag with the new fish, that only acclimates them to your tank's temp: not other things like PH, nitrate, etc. It's likely the high nitrates killed them.

Seachem Prime is the only thing you need. Either add it to the bucket (enough for the volume of the bucket) or add a total dose for the full volume of the tank, then you can refill (no need to wait; Prime works instantly). With a tank this size you should invest in an Aqueon water changer which eliminates the need for buckets. This link might help some too: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[MyanRan]

Water Changes

So, for the past three days, I have done a 20% water change. I followed up by doing water tests a few hours later and have found the same test results as the previous days. Should I continue to change the water? How long will this take? I understand that it may be a while, but would just like some guidelines.

 

[jlk]

How is everybody handling the water changes? If all seems well, try increasing them to 40% for the next couple of days then to 50% until your levels are back to normal levels and your tank is stable. Once it's stable, you should be able to reduce wcs to 50% once or twice a week, depending on quickly your nitrates are rising.

 

[MyanRan]

I would say it has been less than acceptable... After losing like 8 fish I have only lost 2 in the past three days. One other question I have when replacing water is if I have to put the prime in the bucket of water based on how much water I am replacing, or if I put it in the tank based on how much water is in my tank?

 

[jlk]

Dosing is up to you. You either can treat each individual bucket based on its size or just dose to the tank size and refill. Which ever works better for you.

 

[Oceangirl]

I dose the tank on the total amount of the gallons. I throw the prime in and then start pumping the water in.