# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Tank Disaster



## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

My favorite fish are dead. 

There are 6 down, including all three of my hillstream loaches and my beautiful triple red apistogramma cacatoides.

What I know. 
Nitrates were 15
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0

tank clear as glass

everyone was alive last night and may have been alive this morning. 

Yesterday Morning I did do some replanting in back and pruning and kicked up some gunk, I also plumbed in a new co2 reactor, but HAVE NOT turned on the co2 yet. Just got the tubes and everything placed.

AT the same time I tried a new piece of wood and took it out in 5 minutes.. the wood had been seasoned already in a friends tank and I have no reason to believe it wasn't perfect. 

EVeryone was fine all day into the night. 

This morning, I think everyone was fine.. I didn't notice anything amiss. and the first thing I did notice after I took my shower was a dead blue neon right in the middle of the tank on bare substrate. 

The only other thing was my kid's babysitte rhad washed the floor in the room with a little bit of clorox cleanser in the water. 

The tank is covered but has a feeding hole... 

could I have lost all of these fish from fumes. 

As I was looking, one of my feather fins back tail had gone from red markings to white.. and he was flaring madly. I did an immediate 35% water change and he calmed down. Everyone else's coloring is good. His tail is still pale. 

I miss my apisto and my loaches. They were truly incrediblely beautiful fish. 

all plecos and other tetras adn rainbows are fine. 2 female apistos are fine. 

I am broken hearted. 

I am not fine.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Whoa, that stinks. Sorry for your fish friends passings.

I'm as baffled as you are about the cause.

Maybe the rescaping of the tank disturbed the water too greatly for the fish to cope with the sudden change.

It could be the wood: Despite being seasoned, it still might have enough of previous bacteria, leaking, etc. to upset your tank's balance to cause this extinction.

Maybe the babysitter...the fumes shouldn't be too much of a problem..but maybe she cleaned the aquarium glass, and top too and accident sprayed cleaner on it in some way?

-John N.


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## Maxmillion (Mar 12, 2004)

I'm very sorry for your loss, some people just can't comprehend the attachment to certain pets even if they are fish. Was the co2 reactor a diy or store bought, what did you store the wood in before putting it in your tank?


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

the baby sitter really is careful to avoid teh tank.. if it wasn't fumes from the floor, it wasn't her.

the co2 reactor was store bought... the plantguild pgp one.

the wood was stored with the rest of her aquarium stuff... near a bunch of wood and slate... and the die off didnt' happen until 24 hours after I put it in and took it out.

if something were that toxic, you'd think I'd lose them all... and sooner.










all good guesses. Nobody has died since they all died. I'll do another water change in the morning. I am tempted to do another tonight but I am also afraid that I'll shock the fish still there.

funny thing is the rummys and phantoms are already slated to go out.. so MOST of the fish I love are gone and most of the fish that remain are going to another home if the tank proves stable for a couple of weeks... I dont' wnat to offer anyone a trojan fish.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Oh Sherry, 

I'm so sorry to hear about your fish losses. I know that feels awful when you can't even pinpoint a cause. 

I wouldn't think the fumes from the floor cleaning would be enough to do it - you'd have noticed the apartment still smelled like a swimming pool when you came if that were that strong. And it doesn't sound like anything would have fallen INTO the tank. I know I'm careful to not put my hands in the aquarium if I've been doing something where chemicals could still be on my hands. 

I have no idea why it happened, but I'm sorry that it did. Hopefully everyone else will be OK eventually - ....... even you.

-Jane


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

I am careful and even if I had a lapse, I hadn't handled anything even remotely toxic. and the food I give them is the same as always. Besides only 1 of the 3 hillstreams ever eats the fish food.. and all three went .. 


the apartment didnt smell at all from teh floor, I wouldnt have known mia was cleaning if she hadn't asked my son to stay off the wet floor. 

I feel like I lost beloved pets.


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## Pete City (Sep 18, 2004)

Did you by any chance add or do a water change after prunning and replanting?
How about your tank temperature?
Is the heater working properly? This has got me stumped.


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

I did do a quick water change, but that was 24 hours before the die off.. and only 10 percent of the water.. I try to keep them gentle. and I did remember the prime.

the heater seems to be okay. The tank was a little warm 81 degrees, because the apartment was warm (nyc apartments tend to be)... but nothing to explain this.. ;( 

I'm stumped too, and sad.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

That's the pits!








Adding fresh carbon the filter couldn't hurt.


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

I've got some chemi pure in there now.


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## krazy (Aug 24, 2005)

Oh Sherry, I'm heart broken for you. And it's frustrating when you cant pin point the cause.

It sounds like you have already concidered everything I came up with. I'm always paranoid about fumes, so I tend to think it could have the bleach. Hopefully things are going better today. I hope you feel better soon

Krazy


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## sherry (Sep 30, 2005)

Thanks Krazy. No more deaths.. sigh. I miss my explora loach


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