All Fish Dead After Water Change

[Suelovesfish]

I had the same experience with Amquel. Amquel/Prime? in some for of chenmical reaction deltete oxygen very quickly. When a tank that is hotter than usual due to Htown hest. the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold per voulume. I know and researched this as I too lost some fish this way. Luckily, somwhere I remembered reading somewhere that this can happen. So, once fish showed strsss, i dumped the low oxygen water and added pwerehead at surface line to get air in tank. Most fish recovered almost immediately.

So now, I use huge air pump and pwereheads when doing water changes. I doubt your answer is the Purigen since you had been using it for a weeK? It is either this or somehow bleach or some other toxin gout introduced to tank. Aeration is vital with W/C's.

[Terrybo]

The only thing that doesn't make sense about the oxygen theory is that when oxygen is low, fish come to the top of the tank looking for air, not the bottom. (Unless yours came to the top of the tank initially, them collapsed to the bottom). I just wonder if the heavy rains didn't introduce a contaminant into the water supply. (Makes you feel real safe about drinking it, doesn't it)?

Terry

[wesleydnunder]

The only thing that doesn't make sense about the oxygen theory is that when oxygen is low, fish come to the top of the tank looking for air, not the bottom. (Unless yours came to the top of the tank initially, them collapsed to the bottom). I just wonder if the heavy rains didn't introduce a contaminant into the water supply. (Makes you feel real safe about drinking it, doesn't it)?

Terry

I was wondering the same thing. For them to all get knocked down that quickly...
But Jesper also makes a good point. A chemical poisoning generally shows up in inverts right away, yet the lobster lived. I'm stumped.

Mark

[Suelovesfish]

True, the fish did come to the top looking for air in my case. But, only had the energy to do this once until they all went to the bottom. I just don't think Purigen had anything to do with it if it had been in use for a week? I also find it more hard to believe the city water quality was that poor to casue such a sudden crisis on the fish?

I guess we will never know for sure, but must have been poor oxygen or some form of chemical picked up 1or huge Temp. variation most likely the casue imo.

[imagirlgeek]

A couple of years ago, I had a bright idea to bleach a large piece of holey rock. I soaked it for a while, then rinsed it really well, and let it dry. Well, it hadn't dried in all the nooks and I ended up introducing the bleach into my tank with my fish. Almost immediately they were all laying on the bottom of the tank gasping. I did a huge water change and dumped a ton of Stress Coat in. The fish that looked the worst, I pulled out and put in a bucket with an air stone. I didn't lose any fish, but if I hadn't noticed when I did, it would have been a catastrophic loss.

Bleach = Chlorine

You'd see the same effects if your tap water was over treated by the city. I'd call them and ask if they've been doing anything different.

Also, the way Prime works with Chloramines is that it breaks it down into Chlorine AND Ammonia, then it binds with the ammonia until it's filtered out. The ammonia is supposedly made to be non-toxic by the Prime.

[Darbex]

The action of the fish sounds like chlorine or chloramines. Was the purigen new or reactivated?

[paranoid1123]

The action of the fish sounds like chlorine or chloramines. Was the purigen new or reactivated?

it was new but this was the 1st water change ive done with it in.

[stevew14]

Last year, on Christmas day, I had a similar loss. Same as you, I had done the WC exactly the same as always. I also use Prime, and had been using twice the dose. I took a sample from the tap right after, and it tested at almost 10ppm! Even a double dose of Prime couldn't handle that, and all but a few died very quickly. It was the chlorine. Water company screwup! Same thing happened about eight years ago in the same house, which is why I started double dosing. Now, I filter my water first with the carbon snake that Fishfreak helped me build. My water company has not started using Chloramines yet, but even with the carbon snake, I have begun using the Prime again, just in case.

Sorry to hear that it happened to you. It seems to be more common lately. I would check with your water company and see if you are getting Chloramines yet. If so, make sure you are using the appropriate amount of conditioner and as others have said, maybe add alot of aeration during the change.

[fshfrk]

I just added a 29ft 2" section on to my 15ft 1 1/2" carbon snake. For a total of 15 gallons of carbon. With a 44ft long pass. I feel like the carbon will protect me to a degree. I know it filtering out all sorts of nasty stuff too. Any tank that does not have a canister on it I always add a floating power head with a air venturi on it when I do a w/c. The canisters splash when they return water so they add oxygen. you can not trust your water company and everyone needs to call them. With this conversion to surface water if you live in the suburbs and keep fish it's scary. Chloramines and ammonia are deadley to fish. Paranoid it was your water company that killed your fish. Good Luck. John

[paranoid1123]

Thanks John Im going to build a carbon snake when I have the funds.

[stevenallenbarnard]

Unfortunatly I've had this happen to me too many times. what I've had to start doing (since I'm too cheap to break down and build a carbon snake) is i've started doind smaller daily water changes. I always keep a 5gal bucket with water and an airstone. every day I pull out 5 gallons, then I add the 5 gallons that have been in the bucket with an air stone for a day. i also treat the water with a simple, cheap dechlorinator, although I prefer to use stress coat if possible.

[myjohnson]

I have 50+ pounds of carbon. Whatever is in the water did not get removed completely as it normally did.

I had to use prime with my water change over the weekend after seeing my fishes look a little lifeless just sitting the sand floor.

I'm thinking about adding 25 pounds of ammo lock to see if it keeps the ammonia down.

I'm also backing off of the 90% wc down to 50% for a while. The City is acting up with this rain water.

[fshfrk]

I have 50+ pounds of carbon. Whatever is in the water did not get removed completely as it normally did.

I had to use prime with my water change over the weekend after seeing my fishes look a little lifeless just sitting the sand floor.

I'm thinking about adding 25 pounds of ammo lock to see if it keeps the ammonia down.

I'm also backing off of the 90% wc down to 50% for a while. The City is acting up with this rain water.

try this.

http://www.lesliespool.com/browse/Home/Filters-Filter-Supplies/Filter-Supplies/ZeoSand-25-lbs/D/30100/P/1:100:6000:600030/I/14702

[myjohnson]

I might have to try that John!

I'm also unsure as to what is really in the water.

There is stuff we know like chlorine and chlorimine but I'm sure there is out junk in the water.

[jarrodaden]

I am glad that I saw this thread. I tend to get into a hurry and try to fill the tank really quickly. I have a carbon filter and I use the conditioner, but I always worry something could go wrong. I like the idea of putting water into a holding tank for a while and then pumping into the aquarium but I can't justify the expense right now.

Sorry to hear that some of you got burned. That stinks.