I have a native turtle in a 40 breeder. I’m experienced with turtles and fish. The tank was well established and I added a couple of small native sunfish and some chub. I lost a couple chub but the other 2 were good. I did a water change (like normal) and the water became cloudy and all the fish died pretty quickly. It took days for the water to clear up. What happened???
Lost Them All
- Thread starter Jamo3030
- Start date
Did you forget the dechlorinator? What about the temperature of the fresh water vs. the tank water? Any chance your local water company increased chlorine or chloramine due to issues on their end?
I’m pretty decent on my science but work this one out for me. Why would there be a rapid rise in bacteria within an hour or so of a water change?
There are two different types of bacteria in your aquarium, heterotrophic and autotrophic with the latter being the beneficial bacteria(the nitrogen cycle). The bacterial bloom is a condition in which a sudden increase in the number of heterotrophic bacterial colonies occurs, specifically bacteria that are suspended in the water column. The bacteria grows so quickly that collectively they become visible to the naked eye, causing the water to become cloudy. This condition most often is seen in a newly started aquarium, but can also occur in a tank in which there is has been a sudden increase in the nutrients in the water(ie more fish waste). The heterotrophic bacteria dies which is the root cause of the ammonia spike. The current autotrophic bacteria is too slow and unable to convert the excess ammonia which leads to toxic levels, killing fish.
Water changes can introduce new organic matter from tap water, while immature tanks lack sufficient beneficial bacteria to process it, leading to blooms which again causes an ammonia spike.
You have a 40 breeder which I’m guessing isn’t filled all the way to accommodate the turtle so adding new fish and or other increase amounts of nutrients explains the rapid bloom, bacteria die off, and ultimately the ammonia spike. Super long story made short, the tank is overstocked.
Great explanation, thank you. The tank had gone through a few water changes prior to this. Probably had that stocking for a month. The tank is actually filled to the top with an over tank basking area. Despite all that, I suspect you’re right
Yes. I test frequently. I didn’t have any of these issues. On this event I did see an ammonia spike. I didn’t makes sense when I added new water to an established tank