3 cats dead

azzbackwards

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 23, 2015
18
2
3
46
so about 3 weeks ago I set up a 125. I used established sponges and an established ac110. I also hooked up a fluval can that had not been used in a mth so it wasn't for cycling but rather more filtration period. I started off with one medium sized IRshark and a pleco. about a week later I added a red tail cat. then a week after that I added 2 tiger shovels. then a few days after that added a gar. before I added fish, I checked my water and it was fine. ammonia was at a .25 but I just did a WC before I added the fish. two days ago I noticed all my fish breathing hard. the gar's scales were completely off like someone took a grader to it, the cats seemed to have blood by its fins, fins themselves were eaten away and their skin looked like a sun burn, just peeling off like crazy. I immediately did a 40% wc and added salt. halted all food. the next day not any better so I did two 50% wc that day, the next day the rtc died, by the envenging one of the cats died. did two more 50% wc and the final tsn died this am....I am extremely upset with my loss,...ayone have any idea what they died from?
 

Jmart159

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2009
1,142
44
81
37
Tampa, Florida
It sounds to me like there was something in the water. Did any fish survive? Did you add any sort of decorations, rocks, wood, etc to the tank?
 

azzbackwards

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 23, 2015
18
2
3
46
It sounds to me like there was something in the water. Did any fish survive? Did you add any sort of decorations, rocks, wood, etc to the tank?
Two slate rock pieces...a gar survived but half it's scales are missing medium IRshark and a piece all still alive
 

Charney

The Fish Doctor
Staff member
Moderator
MFK Member
Nov 15, 2005
3,595
665
150
40
Somerville NJ
i would guess your tank crashed. What was your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. That is a huge bio load you added to the tank really quickly. I doubt you filters could keep up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: convict360

azzbackwards

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 23, 2015
18
2
3
46
Before I added the three cats I tested the levels and everything was 0 added the cats seemed fine and I didn't even feed but a little bit every other day ...all of a sudden over night they looked horrible...I tested water and all levels were elevated ammonia .25 and trites and trates 1 color code up (don't recall #s) so I did a 40% wc...lost the rtc...did 50% later that night lost tsn did another 50% literally 6 hrs later...next morning lost the other tsn
 

Ihsnshaik

Giant Snakehead
MFK Member
Aug 20, 2015
4,064
1,646
149
Windy CIty
Cat fish are one of the hardiest fish I had. Even when my whole tank died due to a power outage a few of my cats lived.

Something serious went wrong
 

predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
4,293
2,029
164
pennsylvania
if you had .25 ammonia then your tank crashed, that would be my assumption. how big are those fish? those are some messy, potentially big fish for a 125. cats and plecs are dirty, and can crash a tank adding too many to quickly.
 

Ihsnshaik

Giant Snakehead
MFK Member
Aug 20, 2015
4,064
1,646
149
Windy CIty
if you had .25 ammonia then your tank crashed, that would be my assumption. how big are those fish? those are some messy, potentially big fish for a 125. cats and plecs are dirty, and can crash a tank adding too many to quickly.
Plecos are the worst hate those I
Had a foot long one I gave away the same week I got it. Way too much waste
 
  • Like
Reactions: convict360

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,693
1,227
164
San Francisco
Before I added the three cats I tested the levels and everything was 0 added the cats seemed fine and I didn't even feed but a little bit every other day ...all of a sudden over night they looked horrible...I tested water and all levels were elevated ammonia .25 and trites and trates 1 color code up (don't recall #s)
Sorry if this seems like an inquisition. It is certainly not my intention. I can tell that you are upset about your loss as I'm sure I would be devastated by it, but I'm just trying to help you get this to where it won't happen again. Gosh...I would have to lose those fish!!

Two parts are confusing to me.

You said "nitrite and nitrate levels were 1 color code up" do you mean from the bottom?

You said "everything was 0 added the cats seemed fine and I didn't even feed but a little bit every other day."

Can you grab your kit and tell us what were the nitrite and nitrate readings? If you had nitrites, your tank had crashed or was uncycled, or cycled at such a low level that the BB could just not keep up.

Having a high nitrate level (from zero) however in such a short time while feeding just a little bit every other day seems difficult unless your fish were really large or you weren't doing adequate water changes.

How large were these fish and how often and how much water were you changing?

Anyway, I'm certainly not disputing your statements in the least. I take them as factual. Just trying to reconcile them to what happened at the end.

For example, if you had mature BB, but the count was relatively low, and if you added some relatively large fish and did not do very many large WC, then it would all make perfect sense. BB will grow quickly, but they can be overwhelmed by a much larger bio load. Large enough, and the poisons in the water will start undermining the capacity of the tank. That's just one scenario.

Of course it's possible that something else happened in the water that had little to do with the initial BB count, the size of the fish, the feeding regimen or the WC. Just winnowing out some obvious choices.
 
Last edited:

azzbackwards

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 23, 2015
18
2
3
46
ok here is an update:

I ended up losing all the fish in that tank. even doing 40% water changes everyday from the point the first cat died the damage was too far gone. all the cats fins were gone just the cartalidge of the fin and their skin like I said looked like it was peeling from a sun burn. around the gills were red. it was a devastating loss bc I loved these cats two TSN both over 14" and a rtc about 16" and a 14" gar. I literally watched them die slowly even though I was doing the best I could when I realized there was an issue

since then I drained the tank completely. refilled and doubled prime dose. I added a whole btl of BB and put a 12' gar in there. since the day I added the gar I do a 25% wc everyday. a week later I added a large pacu. again WC every day of 25% few days after that I added another can filter to tank and poured in half a btl of BB and added two Pbass. bring us to today. all fish are very healthy no signs of stress or illness. I have yet to feed the tank. im still doing the 25% wc everyday and will cont to do so for another 2 weeks.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store