Massive die off

[predatorkeeper87]

This is most likely a water quality issue. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and there is absolutely no way to have zero nitrates unless the tank isn't cycled or you change like 200% tank volume daily.

the increase to bioload with 9 new fish coupled with vegetable matter introduced to the tank would most certainly alter your parameters even just slightly. I'd invest in a liquid test kit.

I highly doubt it was columnaris as I had an outbreak of it in a tank years ago and it showed visible symptoms before the fish began to keel over quickly. Its a devastating disease but not that fast.

The last possible scenario I'd believe is a contaminant on the cucumber itself, such as a pesticide or cleaning agent, either of those would have some serious lethality.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

I'm using tetra easystrips this tank has a small bioload until I added the 9x 2" longfin super reds all that was in it was 1x 6" common bristlenose, 3x 2.5-3" blue eyed bristlenose, 1x 2" young adult molly, and 6x .5-.75" guppies in a 60 gallon tank

the size of the fish doesn't really make that a small bioload. plecos crap like they get paid to do it so that many in a tank should be showing nitrates without a doubt.

 

[thefredpit]

Floating doesn't mean acclimating. You're getting temps close but doing absolutely nothing to accommodate different water parameters. Baby plecos are sensitive. Its probably stress and shock that are killing them off. Drip or bucket acclimation should be your main stay when introducing new fish.

I checked with the breeder after the fact our ph and hardness were almost identical

I disagree with the above post. I have tried many different acclimation processes and each one has pros and cons. I think you need to consider a few things before deciding on how to acclimate your new fish.

How long was the fish in the bag?
Where did you buy the fish, different country?
How different is the water in the bag to your tank, ph kh, gh, temp, nitrate levels, ammo levels ect.

If i am buying a fish from down the road and the temp is close to their new tank I am just scooping them out and putting them in their new tank right away.

If they been in a bag for a day or more I am just dropping them in their new tank too.

The only time I drip is if I am buying within a few hours from home and the bag temps are slightly off and water parameters are different.

I can go into detail if anyone cares to know the reason behind these choices. But my point is that its not always a good decision to do a slow drip acclimation as the bag water could be so toxic that the advantages of the drip is far outweighed by the horrible water in the bag that your exposing the fish too for longer than needed.

fish were in the bag for about an hour and a half.
fish were bought 4 miles down the road so same water supply.

This is most likely a water quality issue. Test strips are notoriously inaccurate and there is absolutely no way to have zero nitrates unless the tank isn't cycled or you change like 200% tank volume daily.

the increase to bioload with 9 new fish coupled with vegetable matter introduced to the tank would most certainly alter your parameters even just slightly. I'd invest in a liquid test kit.

I highly doubt it was columnaris as I had an outbreak of it in a tank years ago and it showed visible symptoms before the fish began to keel over quickly. Its a devastating disease but not that fast.

The last possible scenario I'd believe is a contaminant on the cucumber itself, such as a pesticide or cleaning agent, either of those would have some serious lethality.

Unfortunately I can't use a liquid test kit because of severe nerve damage in my hands in fact it usually takes 2-3 tries to use the test strips because I drop them. I'm thinking it was a contaminant because after 2 large water changes the remaining ones seem more active and brighter red than yesterday. I'm going to continue to do large water changes for the next several days

 

[predatorkeeper87]

I checked with the breeder after the fact our ph and hardness were almost identical



fish were in the bag for about an hour and a half.
fish were bought 4 miles down the road so same water supply.




Unfortunately I can't use a liquid test kit because of severe nerve damage in my hands in fact it usually takes 2-3 tries to use the test strips because I drop them. I'm thinking it was a contaminant because after 2 large water changes the remaining ones seem more active and brighter red than yesterday. I'm going to continue to do large water changes for the next several days

understood, yes continue water changes, and maybe get new vegetables and wash them thoroughly. Its a guessing game as to what happened now but hopefully you are on the right track here.