UV Sterilizer?? FISH DYING! PLEASE HELP!!

[CJonline]

I have had tanks a long time and I have never gotten Nitrates in any of my tanks that have live plants. That said is your water conditioner well within its shelf life? Chlorine or chloramine poisoning can kill seemingly healthy fish fast.

Another thing, you probably did not use any kind of soap or solvent for cleaning aquarium stuff however, your hands could have soap or makeup or something on them, especially if you were wearing a ring or watch while you had your hands in the tank. That's just a thought.

 

[Aquazan]

The water conditioner is brand new I dont think it ws chlorine or chloramine. Fish have stopped dying though! Although, the tank is SUPER Cloudy, you can barely see to the back. It is about 4-5 weeks old. I clean the filter every week sometimes twice a week. I use a Rena XP2 filter with Bio chem zorb and bio balls (duh lol)

 

[Aquazan]

The end product of a cycled tank should read 0 ammo,0 nitrites& usually high nitrates which are reduced to an accepptable level between 5-15ppm by a large wc..following week of continued tests confirming the levels above...my friend it doesn't seem that your tank is cycled.. it should have been a red flag to the employee at your lfs that you had 0 nitrates...however its not uncommon in a heavily planted tank that nitrates could bottom out,thus the needed addition for additional dosing..but don't believe that its the case here...

What do you think it is then? I am 100% sure it has 0 ammonia and nitrites, because the store wouldve detected that, but as for nitrates they are very low. I have seen many planted tanks with low or no nitrates. additional dosing?

 

[Aquazan]

Again what fish do you have in your tank? Also stay away from adding various chemicals,is this your first tank and are you knowledgable of the cycling process ...during this process all you will is a good declorinator( imo-seachem prime),the ability to do tests on a daily basis&tons of patience..also realise not all lfs employees will deliver the correct advice...this is a very rewarding hobby&the end result will be deeply satisfying...

haha I know it is, this is my second tank, but I have not experienced this before. I have been using Top Fin dechlorinator, but then I switched to Stress coat because TF did not treat heavy metals. I am going to switch to Prime soon though because I have heard a lot of good things about it and it is cheaper. I test pretty often. The tank is 4-5 weeks old so I dont know if it should still be cyclling... It is VERY VERY cloudy right now, you cant even see to the back of the tank. It is a very WHITE haze, like milky smokish. What is it?

P.S. Fish have stopped dying, but the tank is very cloudy. I am pretty sure I took all the dead ones out.

 

[Aquazan]

What filter are you using? Are you cleaning it by any chance? If not don't do it, I'm just asking to rule things out.

I am using a Rena XP2 with Bio chem zorb, this (Aquarium Carbon | Diamond Blend with Ammonia-Neutralizing Cyrstals)
Bio balls, and filter pads. I clean the filter every week sometimes twice a week, I leave the Bio Ball tray alone, give the carbon a rinse, and Wash the filter pads until all the dirt from it is GONE! I rinse it and scrub it until it runs clear. I use regular tap water to clean them but then I put a bit of dechlorinator in the filter b4 restarting it. I dont use any soap or anything except for tap water.

Why shouldnt I clean the filter?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I am using a Rena XP2 with Bio chem zorb, this (Aquarium Carbon | Diamond Blend with Ammonia-Neutralizing Cyrstals)
Bio balls, and filter pads. I clean the filter every week sometimes twice a week, I leave the Bio Ball tray alone, give the carbon a rinse, and Wash the filter pads until all the dirt from it is GONE! I rinse it and scrub it until it runs clear. I use regular tap water to clean them but then I put a bit of dechlorinator in the filter b4 restarting it. I dont use any soap or anything except for tap water.

Why shouldnt I clean the filter?

It's important to clean the filter. Cleaning the bio-media or chlorine from tap water affecting the bacteria was my concern. Seems like you're pretty careful and know what not to clean.

Only advice I have on that is to wait about 2 weeks between cleaning. You don't have to clean it quite so often but as long as no chlorine enters the filter you're fine. I rinse with tank water only just to be 100% safe but different people have their own valid methods. Another way to be sure is to dunk the cleaned filter pads in the tank before adding them back into the filter housing. I have a Rena XP canister filter and love it! Sadly, it doesn't get as much attention as you give yours. -_-

If it wasn't cycling when the fish died (my suspicion) then the fish could've been harmed or sick before you bought them. Still, putting fish into a 2 week old tank is risky. If it is now cycled and disease free things should go much better from here on out. Best of luck.

EDIT: Your cloudiness may be a bacteria bloom. Google it to see if that looks like what you're tank's going through.

 

[tiger terror]

? When starting up the tank did you test daily? Did you see ammo begin to rise then converting into nitrites&lastly converting into nitrates as your ammo dropped to 0 along with your nitrites also dropping 0? Also agree with CorallineAlgea by using tank water to clean the filter along with not cleaning as often,try to use tank water to fill the filter up prior to resarting-syphon out a 5g bucket of water for cleanig as well..as for your cycle I'm not inclined to believe that the tank is cycled,in the early goings of cycling my tanks I always would see some cloudyness in the beginning days of the cycle quickly subsiding..

 

[byork]

From what I have gathered....
75 gal - set up approximately 4 weeks
Weekly filter cleaning
I assume planted b/c of location of thread
pH 8
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
11 Neon Tetras dead- put in @ 2 week mark
Shrimp
Other fish lethargic
Cloudy water

Please correct me if I have compiled this information wrong.

Making water changes everyday can be very dangerous to fish, a lot of species do not prefer "clean water", unless your aquarium water has high ammonia or nitrites. Additionally, if the pH, kH, and GH of your tap water is significantly different than that of the aquarium that can cause stress and shock. Neon tetras prefer peaty water at 7 pH and hardness to 10 dGH. They can tolerate up to a pH of 8 but would require an extended acclamation period.

Have you tested the hardness? What else is in the tank (other fish, live plants, gravel/substrate)? Where did you get the substrate? Did you wash it and/ or boil/bake it?

If I were you I would stop, cleaning and changing water, and just let nature take its course. Cloudy water is very common in a new aquarium. It is very strange that there are no nitrates. If the plants are "starving" (no nitrates, the aquarium is to new to have achieved a perfect balance) and you have inadequate lighting the DO may be to low, particularly at night when the light is off and the plants are consuming oxygen.

 

[Aquazan]

From what I have gathered....
75 gal - set up approximately 4 weeks
Weekly filter cleaning
I assume planted b/c of location of thread
pH 8
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
11 Neon Tetras dead- put in @ 2 week mark
Shrimp
Other fish lethargic
Cloudy water

Please correct me if I have compiled this information wrong.

Making water changes everyday can be very dangerous to fish, a lot of species do not prefer "clean water", unless your aquarium water has high ammonia or nitrites. Additionally, if the pH, kH, and GH of your tap water is significantly different than that of the aquarium that can cause stress and shock. Neon tetras prefer peaty water at 7 pH and hardness to 10 dGH. They can tolerate up to a pH of 8 but would require an extended acclamation period.

Have you tested the hardness? What else is in the tank (other fish, live plants, gravel/substrate)? Where did you get the substrate? Did you wash it and/ or boil/bake it?

If I were you I would stop, cleaning and changing water, and just let nature take its course. Cloudy water is very common in a new aquarium. It is very strange that there are no nitrates. If the plants are "starving" (no nitrates, the aquarium is to new to have achieved a perfect balance) and you have inadequate lighting the DO may be to low, particularly at night when the light is off and the plants are consuming oxygen.

Everything you said is correct except for the 11 neon tetras dying at the 2 week mark, they died at the 4 week mark.

The tank has cycled, I think... I googled bacterial bloom and it looks exactly like my tank.

I bought the tank of craigslist and the substrate was in use like 6 hours before I bought it from the guy. I agree with you, I will stop changing the water and let it "mature", I think nature should do its own thing too. I have 216 watts of T-5s (2 daylight and 2 actinic). So I dont think the plants are starving.

All of the fish are now swimming around and happy, none have died in 3-4 days which is a BOG improvement from what was happening. Although like I said, the tank is cloudy but it will go away soon. Right now I just want to know what happened.

I dont have a Gh/Kh test kit anmore, I ran out of strips. NO worries though, I use liquid for Amm,Nitri,Nitra. It is odd I dont have Nitrates but it is not uncommon in planted tanks.

I have a leopard danio, 1 botia, 2 guppies, 2 siamese algae eaters, and Shrimp (not easy to count) in the tank also.

 

[Aquazan]

It's important to clean the filter. Cleaning the bio-media or chlorine from tap water affecting the bacteria was my concern. Seems like you're pretty careful and know what not to clean.

Only advice I have on that is to wait about 2 weeks between cleaning. You don't have to clean it quite so often but as long as no chlorine enters the filter you're fine. I rinse with tank water only just to be 100% safe but different people have their own valid methods. Another way to be sure is to dunk the cleaned filter pads in the tank before adding them back into the filter housing. I have a Rena XP canister filter and love it! Sadly, it doesn't get as much attention as you give yours. -_-

If it wasn't cycling when the fish died (my suspicion) then the fish could've been harmed or sick before you bought them. Still, putting fish into a 2 week old tank is risky. If it is now cycled and disease free things should go much better from here on out. Best of luck.

EDIT: Your cloudiness may be a bacteria bloom. Google it to see if that looks like what you're tank's going through.

I think I will be fine now, the tank is cloudy like the bactterial bloom pics I googled. The fish stopped dying. Im going to be a lot slower about adding fish now definetley. Yea Cleaning the filter every week isnt so necessary I guess. Ill just let it be, same with the weekly water changes. Ill wait for the nitrates to go up b4 doing them.

Although, may I ask why its good to put the 2 weeks in between? Is it just to minimize the risk of getting chlorine into it?

 

[Aquazan]

? When starting up the tank did you test daily? Did you see ammo begin to rise then converting into nitrites&lastly converting into nitrates as your ammo dropped to 0 along with your nitrites also dropping 0? Also agree with CorallineAlgea by using tank water to clean the filter along with not cleaning as often,try to use tank water to fill the filter up prior to resarting-syphon out a 5g bucket of water for cleanig as well..as for your cycle I'm not inclined to believe that the tank is cycled,in the early goings of cycling my tanks I always would see some cloudyness in the beginning days of the cycle quickly subsiding..

Why dont you think my tank is cycled? there isnt any nitrite/ammonia. It is 4 weeks old, idk? I diidnt test daily. The tank is cloudy now, so yea I guess it is amost done cycling if it wasnt b4.

 

[Aquazan]

From what I have gathered....
75 gal - set up approximately 4 weeks
Weekly filter cleaning
I assume planted b/c of location of thread
Nitrite 0 ppm
pH 8
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
11 Neon Tetras dead- put in @ 2 week mark
Shrimp
Other fish lethargic
Cloudy water

Please correct me if I have compiled this information wrong.

Making water changes everyday can be very dangerous to fish, a lot of species do not prefer "clean water", unless your aquarium water has high ammonia or nitrites. Additionally, if the pH, kH, and GH of your tap water is significantly different than that of the aquarium that can cause stress and shock. Neon tetras prefer peaty water at 7 pH and hardness to 10 dGH. They can tolerate up to a pH of 8 but would require an extended acclamation period.

Have you tested the hardness? What else is in the tank (other fish, live plants, gravel/substrate)? Where did you get the substrate? Did you wash it and/ or boil/bake it?

If I were you I would stop, cleaning and changing water, and just let nature take its course. Cloudy water is very common in a new aquarium. It is very strange that there are no nitrates. If the plants are "starving" (no nitrates, the aquarium is to new to have achieved a perfect balance) and you have inadequate lighting the DO may be to low, particularly at night when the light is off and the plants are consuming oxygen.

what is DO?

 

[tiger terror]

Why dont you think my tank is cycled? there isnt any nitrite/ammonia. It is 4 weeks old, idk? I diidnt test daily. The tank is cloudy now, so yea I guess it is amost done cycling if it wasnt b4.

Here's the thing,setting a tank up letting it run for a month doesn't mean it is cycled...daily tests from the beginning let us know how things are progressing&with a fish in cycle it is imperative that daily checks are performed to make sure ammo levels are kept within safe levels...to much ammo = injured fish by the way the gills being burnt from toxic levels of ammo as well nitrites reaching toxic levels..this why we do pwc's to make sure these levels are acceptable during the process&our fish are not being injured..I now believe that your cycle has possibly stalled as you should see nitrates in the new tank if the cycle has progressed to this point..we're not slamming you only trying to help

 

[tiger terror]

Also do you have any surface aggitation? Is the surface still? Asking because surface aggitation allows for gas exchange..

 

[Aquazan]

Also do you have any surface aggitation? Is the surface still? Asking because surface aggitation allows for gas exchange..

I have a power head aimed directly at the surface on one side of the aquarium.
One half of the aquarium always has a rippling surface, I even get the shimmer effect when the lights are off! It looks really cool.

Is gas exchange bad or good? For the Plants?

 

[Aquazan]

Here's the thing,setting a tank up letting it run for a month doesn't mean it is cycles...daily tests from the beginning let us know how things are progressing&with a fish in cycle it is imperative that daily checks are performed to make sure ammo levels are kept within safe levels...to much ammo = injured fish by the way the gills being burnt from toxic levels of ammo as well nitrites reaching toxic levels..this why we do pwc's to make sure these levels are acceptable during the process&our fish are not being injured..I now believe that your cycle has possibly stalled as you should see nitrates in the new tank if the cycle has progressed to this point..we're not slamming you only trying to help

Yea I think so too, atleast everything will smooth out now. How long will it take for the cloudiness to disappear?

 

[byork]

what is DO?

Dissolved oxygen

I am sure you know this but just in case. Fish require DO to live. Your plants will produce it during photosynthesis but the plants and fish will consume it at night (when photosynthesis is not occurring). This can cause lethargy, gasping, among other things and ultimately death.

Some people aerate their planted tanks at night to increase DO even though it reduces the dissolved co2. This is the same reason that it is recommended that you turn off your co2 injection at night.

 

[Aquazan]

Dissolved oxygen

I am sure you know this but just in case. Fish require DO to live. Your plants will produce it during photosynthesis but the plants and fish will consume it at night (when photosynthesis is not occurring). This can cause lethargy, gasping, among other things and ultimately death.

Some people aerate their planted tanks at night to increase DO even though it reduces the dissolved co2. This is the same reason that it is recommended that you turn off your co2 injection at night.

Is it good enough to have a power head aimed at the surface? or do I need like a bubble wall, I have a 550 GPH powerhead aimed directly at the surface, it creates a "bump" in the waters surface and causes that half of the tanks surface to ripple constantly. I dont have on on the other side though.

 

[tiger terror]

Is it good enough to have a power head aimed at the surface? or do I need like a bubble wall, I have a 550 GPH powerhead aimed directly at the surface, it creates a "bump" in the waters surface and causes that half of the tanks surface to ripple constantly. I dont have on on the other side though.

Pretty sure that is more than adequate...

 

[byork]

Is it good enough to have a power head aimed at the surface? or do I need like a bubble wall, I have a 550 GPH powerhead aimed directly at the surface, it creates a "bump" in the waters surface and causes that half of the tanks surface to ripple constantly. I dont have on on the other side though.

That should be adequate aeration. Especially, if you are using it with the aeration tube that is typically provided with them but even if you aren't it should be fine rippling the surface.