General Care Discussion :: HELP!

[cheech&chong]

Hi, I cleaned my turtles' tank today, as I've done a couple of times since I got them...

When I finished, I put the guppies and the turtles back in the tank... there were about 7 guppies left. A couple got eaten and the rest just DIED within a couple of hours... what could've killed them??

I'm afraid they might be the "canaries in the mine" and something could happen to Cheech & Chong... they seem fine though...

Any suggestions?

[babystar]

It could have been the chlorine in the water. Fish are more fragile than turtles. I'm trying to nurse my rosies back (same thing happened to me). Well, I'm no expert, but my dad says that's why my fish are sick.

[DavidY]

If you have chlorinated tap water you need to condition it first before it goes into your aquarium. You can do this by letting the water sit in a tub or bucket for 24 hours before adding it to your tank. Using an air bubbler will help to make sure all the chlorine is evaporated out. The other method is to use a water conditioning additive available at any pet store in the aquarium section. They should say that they remove chorine and chloramines right on the label. A popular brand is called "Novaqua". Combining the two methods (leave water in tub or bucket over 24 hours and then add conditioner) is even better as it allows the water temperature to come up to room temperature before adding it to the tank. The conditioner also has a lot of other benefits besides just removing chlorine.

[cheech&chong]

Ok, I did forget to add the Zip Drops. I added them after the fish were dead.

So my babies should be ok right?

[DavidY]

Yea as long as you added the conditioner to the water the will probably be fine. Fish are much more susceptible to chlorine since they respire through their gills. Their bloodstream is practicaly in almost direct contact with the water, so the chlorine kills them pretty quickly. Since the turtles have lungs and breath air, they can tolerate it a little bit better. But they still can absorb it through their skin. If you continued to subject them to chlorinated tap water it would surely kill them in the long run.

[cheech&chong]

these lil' bastards are growing up fast too!! they're getting big!