Urgent Care :: almost all my fish just died at once

[steve]

Yeah, I wondering if there was a spike in ammonia. Still, sorry about the fish

[happycamper]

Thanks Steve

[penelope]

Did you ever figure out the mystery? It's was so weird, especially with the change in the city water supply and all.
I hope things are going better, but am always curious about anomalies.

[happycamper]

@Penelope- No I never figured it out, I'm still baffled.

So now I'm in the unfortunate situation of still having my nitrate levels through the roof, and a huge fear of water changes.

[devilduck]

Maybe it's time to invest in a whole house water filter. If there's something in the water that instantly kills fish who knows what it is doing to you when you drink it!

Here's a new story recently where the EPA had to step in to resolve water contamination issues: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/health/S ... 00206.html

[happycamper]

Yeah, unfortunately I don't have any extra cash to be spending on stuff like that. I am going to have to assume it was a fluke and won't happen again... I have had aquariums here in Idaho for 15 years, nothing like this has ever happened before.

I am honestly about to just give up on lowering my nitrates. If I am at 160 ppm, which I think I am but the reds are so close it's hard for me to tell, I can't imagine ever making a dent without doing some massive water changes. I normally do around 25-30% water changes weekly... and it's apparently not even close to being sufficient. Lame.

[penelope]

For what it is worth - how long have the nitrates been crazy?
I went through nearly a month of ammonia/nitrate issues.
Against my better wishes I was told to just ride out the storm, that turtles can come up for air (unlike fish) and if I kept doing water changes I would just prolong the issue.
Like i just mentioned, it nearly killed me to not do water changes, but in the end it all worked out and Penelope was no worse for the wear.
Of course, based on the trauma of your fish, I can't say the situations are the same. Here's a link to my ammonia / nitrate crisis.
I hope it all works out and you decide on how to proceed - you will have to dig through some of the banter, but it will give you a general idea: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=32014
Keep us posted

[happycamper]

My tank is fully cycled, been running the FX5 since Christmas. The problem isn't ammonia or nitrites, it's nitrAtes. Only way to get nitrates under control is with water changes.

[PridgNYC]

Actually, there are a few other ways to keep nitrates under control. Live plants will consume nitrates, and anaerobic bacteria will break down nitrates. You can also get resin based nitrate filters and or media, but those need to have the media replaced periodically.

Live plants are difficult to keep in a turtle tank as the turtle will likely snack on them, but setting up a separate planted tank to circulate your water through can reduce the nitrates. Algae will also consume nitrates, but most people don't want that growing in their tank.

A deep sand bed in the tank (3"+) can provide the proper anaerobic environment for the bacteria that break down nitrates, but you should use pool filter sand for this as it doesn't pack as tightly as play sand and provides adequate circulation to prevent the build up of hydrogen sulfide gas pockets. You can also use an external deep sand bed filter set to low flow for the same purpose. You can also construct a nitrate filter out of a length of 4" pvc with a coiled tube inside of it and circulate water through that very slowly which will also provide the proper environment for the anaerobic bacteria that break down the nitrates. (do a google search for denitrator coils for instructions on how to build one)

[happycamper]

Live plants are pretty much out of the question. I have tried in the past, everything goes great for a few days... then Sheldon goes all destructo mode on them. I have actually looked into having the separate tank with plants, but I read somewhere that it would have to be pretty large to have any effect on a 100 gallon tank. Maybe when my husband finally gives in and I get to turn the man cave into an aquarium room...

I am going to look into the resin based filters/media and those denitrator coils, thanks for the info! Very helpful

[Nighthawk11]

I just changed the water in my tank two days ago and don't do an API test. Nighthawk passed away... nothing happened to the 3 fish or to my turtle, Destiny, but I'm still worred. I'm afraid the temperature wasn't correct or the chemical levels weren't correct. Where can I find more information on this? I wan't to give the other turtle the best care possible.

[penelope]

You can try a separate post on this General Care Forum, or if you are interested in managing filters, heating, lighting, water changes, etc. then try the Indoor Habitat forum.

[katie_turtle]

Terribly sorry about your fish!!! :'(

What about letting your change water stand overnight before introducing it? If it's got high chlorine levels, then that may help reduce them. It will let the water normalize a bit before you introduce it. You could also try putting a little bit of activated charcoal in the change water... These aren't the most educated guesses, but just some thoughts for you. Again, terribly sorry to hear about your fish - I remember when my stupid little goldfish died, and I wasn't even young. I just didn't know how to care for them properly, and the water quality was terrible and such, but I felt bad that I failed them.