Very Upset All My Tigers Died Overnight

[Caliban07]

Sorry for your loss.

Also if you added the gourami without quarantining it could have brought a disease in with it?

 

[plumwd]

I have a 5 gallon betta tank that I could put them in. Not sure if the betta will be happy to have them there. I'm in the middle of doing another partial water change just in case there was some type of contaminant.

Would you guys recommend putting them in with the betta for now?

 

[plumwd]

Sorry for your loss.

Also if you added the gourami without quarantining it could have brought a disease in with it?

They weren't diseased, everyone was very happy and healthy until I moved the tank.

 

[Huro]

She was laying on the floor and breathing only intermittently. She did one last burst of motion where she swam upside in circles and then died .

So sorry she didn't make it


Sent from my C811 4G using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[plumwd]

I'm pretty upset by it

I still have 3 more that are alive. They're not looking as sick as they were, but still not 100%. I went out and got API Stress Coat, hoping that will help them.

For the time being I'm keeping the lights low and have asked my kids to be quiet (tough for them!) to not startle the fish.

Looks like I'll be setting up a hospital/quarantine tank for the future. Although this one could eventually be that tank. I am in the process of setting up an 80 gallon tank I got last Friday. If it were ready I'd move them there, but it's not

 

[plumwd]

Quick update:

I lost the male powder blue gourami last night

The 2 surviving gouramis (one female powder blue and one male flame dwarf gourami) look like they're going to make it. I did a 30% water change this morning and they're eating and swimming normally.

Hopefully they continue to thrive and this will be a huge lesson learned to be more careful when moving the tank.

 

[Huro]

What a terrible loss , good to hear two of them pulled through though.

 

[cfosgate]

Last question. Was there any cleaning product used on or around the tank during or just after the move? Glass cleaner, Febreeze, etc...

 

[plumwd]

Last question. Was there any cleaning product used on or around the tank during or just after the move? Glass cleaner, Febreeze, etc...

No nothing of the sort. I did mop the floors that day but can't imagine that would have gotten into the tank.

 

[cfosgate]

Sorry, was grasping at straws here. I Can't think of anything else other than perhaps you thought that you had added dechlorinator when you did not. I made that mistake once...just once.

 

[cfosgate]

Hand lotion? Did you wash your hands after mopping the floors? Did lightning strike while your back was turned? Okay, that last one was a bit out there.

 

[plumwd]

I've been racking my brain too. Was it the jalapenos I cut up for dinner? Soap on my hands? A dirty bucket? It's crazy, I couldn't sleep last night sure I was going to wake up to the whole tank dead.

I thought about the dechlorinator too but I know I used it. In addition I use the API Tap Water Filter which I believe also removes all that stuff.

 

[Huro]

I have never owned one so this may be a crazy question but Is it possible the filter failed somehow?

 

[Caliban07]

How long have you been using the API water filter?

 

[plumwd]

I just got the filter 2 or 3 weeks ago. I don't think it failed, but that's always a possiblity. I've been using it to fill up my new tank and the water there is testing fine. My tap water has chloramines which is why I got the filter.

 

[Caliban07]

I just got the filter 2 or 3 weeks ago. I don't think it failed, but that's always a possiblity. I've been using it to fill up my new tank and the water there is testing fine. My tap water has chloramines which is why I got the filter.

How many times have you used it to do a water change before the 90% water change?

 

[Caliban07]

There is a reason behind this I assure you.

 

[Mebbid]

Do you think something was disturbed in the tank when moved? That could have released toxins?

Like sand substrate will trap gas pockets that are really toxic when released. ?

Sorry to hear about the loss ?

The toxic gas bubbles killing fish are a myth. There isn't nearly enough contact time with the water to change the parameters of your tank. If there were then my betta, cardinal tetras, and panda corys would all be dead because my planted tank has bubbles popping out of the substrate daily.

I am going to point the finger at the ph of the aquarium. Test the water ph at least 2 different times. 1 - as soon as the lights come on. 2 - as soon as the lights go off. I like to do an extra check at the halfway mark between lights on and off qt both day and night just to make sure. This will give you a good reading on what your ph is throughout the day. Also, how did you acclimate the fish to the new tank? Once that is resolved then other options can be explored.

 

[Caliban07]

Chloramines are a combination of ammonia and chlorine. Prime will break this bond and neutralise the chlorine (I'm not sure what happens to the chlorine which is annoying) the left over ammonia will be minuscule and broken down rapidly in a healthy aquarium (I.e an established nitrogen cycle)

I've just google your filter and apparently it a deioniser which basically means that it will remove salts, heavy metals and minerals etc. this means that you are left with pretty much pure water.

Water that is stripped of calcium and magnesium will result in soft water. Also all heavy metals and salts will be removed and so will alkalinity.

Basically the chemistry of the water has been instantly changed if you have added 90% of your water that has been filtered through that device. The ph will have changed and the TDS (total dissolved solids) will have shifted greatly.

Unless you have used a product such as equilibrium and buffered the water with baking soda the water has no mineral content.

I suspect that the fish have suffered what is known as osmotic shock.

You see your fish are using osmoregulation to keep the balance of salts between the water and their cells equal. Small changes in water chemistry such as TDS can be tolerated and the fish will adjust to their new chemistry but this uses energy.

A huge change in TDS will have a massive impact on the osmoregulatory system and can be detrimental to your fish as it will shock their system.

 

[plumwd]

I used the buffering chemicals that came with the filter. I probably used it at least 4 or 5 times prior to this big change, although I never did such a large one. At most it I did a 40-50% change prior to the move.