Fish Dying One by One

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If you dont want to post the parameters thats "fine" as well. I'm not trying to beat you down. I just want to help. As stated before maybe tests are old? Maybe (I have done it myself) the test was done incorrectly? Even following the directions to much reagent or not enough will drastically change the outcome of the test.
Worms could be either or still get one get a good pic of it post it maybe someone will know for sure.
 
twentyleagues said:
If you dont want to post the parameters thats "fine" as well. I'm not trying to beat you down. I just want to help. As stated before maybe tests are old? Maybe (I have done it myself) the test was done incorrectly? Even following the directions to much reagent or not enough will drastically change the outcome of the test.
Worms could be either or still get one get a good pic of it post it maybe someone will know for sure.
Click to expand...
I posted the parameters above...

Ok, so I think you are on to something. I just tried my water test kit out on something that should have amonia in it (as crazy as this sounds I added urine to a sample of water), tested it and it read zero!!!
I’m no scientist, but I thought urine has amonia in it?

I’ve got a piece of frozen food sitting in a cup, I’m going to leave it there overnight and test it tomorrow (it’s currently 11:05pm here), if that gives me a zero amonia reading then I know the test kit is not working.

But I am now starting to think it’s a spike brought on by the decaying fish plus the addition of new fish (too many at one time).

I guess it’s now damage control and try and ride out the bloom with water changes. I’ve added Seachem Prime to the tank to hopefully lock up some of the amonia.
 
I see at least 3 different scenarios here that could have caused the problem.
  1. you didn't quarantine the new fish and it brought in a disease.
  2. from the photo, looks like water changes are too few and far between for large cichlids.
Since you didn't post numbers, I will assume nitrate is high, and while many consider 20ppm OK, for la rge cichlids, I consider anything over 10ppm to be stressful enough to cause disease.
3) Putting large cichlids together randomly almost always leads to aggression and death, unless you are quite selective about when goes where.
And along with that, adding 1 at a time to an already established hierarchy is also a recipe for stress induced disease. And by lowering the water level, reducing space even more for large cichlids....
 
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duanes said:
I see at least 3 different scenarios here that could have caused the problem.
  1. you didn't quarantine the new fish and it brought in a disease.
  2. from the photo, looks like water changes are too few and far between for large cichlids.
Since you didn't post numbers, I will assume nitrate is high, and while many consider 20ppm OK, for la rge cichlids, I consider anything over 10ppm to be stressful enough to cause disease.
3) Putting large cichlids together randomly almost always leads to aggression and death, unless you are quite selective about when goes where.
And along with that, adding 1 at a time to an already established hierarchy is also a recipe for stress induced disease. And by lowering the water level, reducing space even more for large cichlids....
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply.
I did post numbers, they appear on the first page of this thread.
Amonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 5ppm

However I now believe that my test kit is not working. I tried a sample on some urine (sorry to be crude) and it read zero! So unless urine does not have amonia...I’m not sure (the things we do!)

I am leaving a piece of frozen food in a cup of water overnight. I will test the water out tomorrow to see the results and check as to whether the test kit is working or not.
 
I would continue to do partial water changes frequently over the next few weeks. It will not resolve super quick. Patients and proper husbandry will be your b
AKKADIAN said:
I posted the parameters above...

Ok, so I think you are on to something. I just tried my water test kit out on something that should have amonia in it (as crazy as this sounds I added urine to a sample of water), tested it and it read zero!!!
I’m no scientist, but I thought urine has amonia in it?

I’ve got a piece of frozen food sitting in a cup, I’m going to leave it there overnight and test it tomorrow (it’s currently 11:05pm here), if that gives me a zero amonia reading then I know the test kit is not working.

But I am now starting to think it’s a spike brought on by the decaying fish plus the addition of new fish (too many at one time).

I guess it’s now damage control and try and ride out the bloom with water changes. I’ve added Seachem Prime to the tank to hopefully lock up some of the amonia.
Click to expand...

Some of those test kits are notoriously inaccurate, especially if it is out of date. I would be cautious about the prime as it temporarily fixes the problem, but not the underlying cause. I would increase water changes over the next several weeks. Try to identify the cause of increased nutrients that lead to this spike, was it the new fish? or is there something that is storing nutrients? Also watch the fish for signs of illness and treat those accordingly based on diagnosis. No really good quick fix here, good husbandry is going to be your best ally.
 
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Urea is in urine, not ammonia. It may take awhile to generate ammonia from rotting food. Try a dirty litter box or chicken coop.
 
The API Ammonia Test will show total ammonia, which means

total ammonia = ammonia + ammonium (bound ammonia) + chloramine (if you have it in your tap)

I would test at least 3-4 hours after adding water conditioner, preferably before a water change.
 
How long did you quarantine the new arrivals for before putting them in your main tank
 
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