Im so mad right now! dead Cuda! co2?

[malachi]

So here's the deal. This cold be a coincidence but those dont happen very often. My tank runs pressurized co2 and my drop checker is usually around the greenish blue region maybe even a little more on the green side. I decided i wanted to try and combat black brush algae problems in my tank by turning up the co2 a bit to get the color in the drop checker to a bright green color (30ppm) and see if this would help combat my bba problem.

This is what i came home too.



Dead cuda!!!!!! what the hell!!!! do you think this was caused by the increase in co2?

The other fish look as if they are either sleeping or maybe struggling. no one has any rapid gill movement but the oxygen is on and the lights are out.

However, the oxygen runs all day and all night through an internal filter.

What the heck!

Im checking levels right away but this is a major bummer. He was no doubt my favorite fish and he was over a year old.

 

[mgk]

yes the fish's systems on a gas exchange principle, the more co2 in the tank the more co2 is trapped in the fishes blood stream.
you never read if you inject too much co2 you will kill your fish?

 

[studd muffin]

ohh thats a bummer.

 

[mgk]

also i don't think co2 injection will help if you already have a sizeable black brush problem, as algae uses co2 also

 

[malachi]

yes the fish's systems on a gas exchange principle, the more co2 in the tank the more co2 is trapped in the fishes blood stream.
you never read if you inject too much co2 you will kill your fish?

thanks for that.

of course i knew this. the system has been up for a year or more. hence the drop checker. it never went over green. thats why i am buggin out

my question was could this cause other things to happen that i am not aware of. besides ph change, which it didnt. and if it is still 30ppm or less could co2 still play a role in this death. could turning up the co2 changed anything that i haven't learned about yet?

what i just found out though is more annoying.

water params:

ph = 7 (normal)
gh = 6 (possibly to much seachem equal. goal was 3)
kh = 8 (normal for this tank so far)
nitrates 40ppm ( way high but doable)
nitrites = .25 ppm ( now im a little worried)
ammonia = 1 ppm!!!! what the hell.

i just planted two new plants yesterday. some red rotala and some baby tears. i wonder if i contaminated the tank some how.

time for a water change i guess.

 

[malachi]

and also.... why does everyone else say that overdosing excel or lifting co2 levels to 30ppm can help combat bba. is everyone else lying?

 

[Sab_Fan]

well, of course Excel is not CO2, just another form of usable carbon . . . but I think the main idea behind using CO2 or Excel to combat algae is to promote plant growth, so that the plants out-compete the algae for resources

 

[malachi]

well, of course Excel is not CO2, just another form of usable carbon . . . but I think the main idea behind using CO2 or Excel to combat algae is to promote plant growth, so that the plants out-compete the algae for resources

i agree.

im banking on the fact that the rest of my fish are just a little tired and sleeping right now. i have a payara and two hujetas and a striped pike in there that are all still alive. the payara is super picky about water params so i know hes not comfortable right now.

i just did a big water change so we will just have to see where we stand in the morning. SOOOO BUMMED!

 

[scriving]

sorry man that sucks

 

[mgk]

thanks for that.

of course i knew this. the system has been up for a year or more. hence the drop checker. it never went over green. thats why i am buggin out

my question was could this cause other things to happen that i am not aware of. besides ph change, which it didnt. and if it is still 30ppm or less could co2 still play a role in this death. could turning up the co2 changed anything that i haven't learned about yet?

what i just found out though is more annoying.



time for a water change i guess.

your drop checker may be off.
hopefully the ammonia is from the dead fish.
while some people say light green is ok i find my fish look stressed.
the co2 can cause a ph drop. but the drops probably not what killed them.

when theres 2 much co2 in the blood stream it does 2 things reduces oxygen carrying ability, and causes the blood to become acidic.


with co2 the idea is too out compete using all nutrients from the water column, probably having plants rely on there roots. i think it doesn't work that well

excel does help in the same way but it also kills some types of algae. which is why people spot dose and/or overdose excel directly on the algae area.

you would probably have good results dosing excel to kill the algae..