# HELP! AlgaeFix killed my fish...how can I save the rest?



## Skelley

I have been having problems with blue/green and brown algae in my 15 gallon tank. I tried leaving the lights off for a few days...nothing (only a 20w light anyways). So I bought some AlgaeFix and dosed my tank (Tuesday) and now I have lost a rummy nose tetra and both my clown loaches. The product said nothing about it harming delicate fish. I don't know what went wrong. but the remaining fish are still swimming around fine, but they aren't eating. is there any medication i should give them to help save them from death? I am afraid I will loose the rest. i already did a massive water change as soon as i noticed a problem. I tested the old and new water and they both had normal readings. also what can i do about this algae? i am afraid to treat the tank again, but it has completely taken over my driftwood and has completely covered my java moss which is now not fairing well.


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## BryceM

Skelley,

Sorry to hear about your fish. The large WC was a good idea. I'd probably change another 50% after 24 hours. Beyond that, there isn't much else you can do other than wait it out.

You've unfortunately run into one of those products that does more harm than good. Of the hundreds of chemicals that are sold in an average fish store, only a few are truly helpful. Most are benign (except to your wallet), and a few actually cause harm. In general, if you don't know exactly what is in something, don't use it.

Fixing algae problems goes way beyond a quick fix. You can do some research in the "algae specific problems" forum here, but basically algae grow when the plants don't have something that they need. Most problems are caused by lack of nutrients, too little CO2, too many fish, or too much light (depending on the setup). Many 'additives' like pH buffers and other chemicals can cause massive algae blooms too.

In my experience, the only chemicals that should go into a fish tank are a water dechlorinator, plant nutrients (KNO3, H2PO4, trace elements, carbon dioxide, excel) and fish food. Even medications should only be used in a hospital tank.


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## trenac

Welcome to APC... Sorry to here about your fish loss.

Doing a massive water change was the right thing to do. Adding some carbon to the filter will help remove the rest of the algaecide. That is about all that you can do for your fish. Hopefully they will recover.


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## StitchFace85

Skelley said:


> i have been having problems with blue/green and brown algae in my 15 gallon tank. i tried leaving the lights off for a few days...nothing (only a 20w light anyways). so i bought some AlgaeFix and dosed my tank (tuesday) and now i have lost a rummy nose tetra and both my clown loaches. the product said nothing about it harming delicate fish. i don't know what went wrong. but the remaining fish are still swimming around fine, but they aren't eating. is there any medication i should give them to help save them from death? i am afraid i will loose the rest. i already did a massive water change as soon as i noticed a problem. i tested the old and new water and they both had normal readings. also what can i do about this algae? i am afraid to treat the tank again, but it has completely taken over my driftwood and has completely covered my java moss which is now not fairing well.


API AlgaeFix WILL 100000% KILL YOUR FISH even if used as directed and even though the bottle itself says will not harm fish or plants only crustaceans and shrimp and lobster which is bull**** because my shrimp is still alive so is my snails ONLY my fish died ALL OF THEM...Kinda funny cause Petco website says that API AlgaeFix will kill fish but API website doesn't say this for that product nor is it on the bottle itself..except sooo much more from a Company like API..what give


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