R.I.P. Fish, I've failed... :(

[L021]

I've been battling ammonia for a couple weeks now in my 120 (thought it was cycled when it wasn't), and tried to save some of my fish by moving them into the 55, I decided that higher pH would be easier on them than ammonia. Well, I was wrong. They did live longer than they would have in the 120, but they were too far gone. The others are probably going to die during the school day. However, In my last test of the water, I've finally started reading nitrates. That was a bloody battle...

Total Death Toll in the 120:
x2 Geophagus Tapajos
x1 Blue Acara
x5 Pim. Pictus


Survivors Of the Incident
x1 Pleco "Vince"
X1 Rasbora "Survivor"
X1 Green Severum "Bruce"
I hate fishkeeping right now...

 

[JoeTurner14]

ouch...i feel for you man, good luck with the survivors!!

 

[Lupin]

So what exactly are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
What is the temperature?
What test kit did you use?
What thermometer are you using?
Why do you think that "higher pH would be easier on them than ammonia"?
How many other fish do you have left?
What symptoms are they exhibiting so far?

Elevating the pH while the ammonia is already high will simply increase the toxic level of ammonia.

High pH + high temperature + high ammonia = total assault

 

[jimmygoogots]

shake it off and if that doesn't work walk it off. it happens.

 

[L021]

So what exactly are your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH?
What is the temperature?
What test kit did you use?
What thermometer are you using?
Why do you think that "higher pH would be easier on them than ammonia"?
How many other fish do you have left?
What symptoms are they exhibiting so far?

Elevating the pH while the ammonia is already high will simply increase the toxic level of ammonia.

High pH + high temperature + high ammonia = total assault

The 55 is a different, cycled tank with a lower temperature. They were drip acclimated, etc. The pH didn't kill them, they were just too far gone by the time I'd moved them.
nitrite 0, Nitrate 20
Temp was 80 degrees at TOD, they had Ich I was trying to treat.
The other fish were displaying symptoms of ammonia (pleco was striking at the surface, burns on severum) but such symptoms have been in decline. Burns healing, no longer surfacing, etc.

 

[L021]

The pH in the 120 was maintained at 6.7. I don't like messing with chemicals unless I have to.

 

[Lupin]

I have trouble following your whole situation.

Let's see this...
1. They were battling ich. How long was it?

2. You have ammonia issues in the 120g tank for two weeks.
How high was it exactly?
What about nitrite in the 120g tank?
What is your pH?

3. You have a cycled 55g.
Assumption: You didn't transfer the established filter media from the 55g to the 120g. Is that correct?

4. Pleco is striking at the surface.
Was it having labored breathing?
Was it one of those infected with ich?

If I am not mistaken, you just cross contaminated the 55g and 120g in your panic to save the fish from the 120g. It seems to me you are dealing with BOTH ich issue and ammonia issue now. Both of these issues took their toll on your fish pretty hard.

If I were in your situation, (again assuming) I would have borrowed the 55g's filter media to keep the 120g cycled. All infected fish in the 120g should have remained there and treat while you continue monitoring the water parameters and do water changes as much as possible to keep ammonia under control. If this is tedious for you, maybe you should have employed some products used to absorb ammonia for the time being so your fish will not be easily stressed out by ammonia intoxication while resisting the ich.

 

[Lupin]

The pH in the 120 was maintained at 6.7. I don't like messing with chemicals unless I have to.

You haven't mentioned what test kit you're using and how high exactly the ammonia is. If this is really your pH, I don't understand how ammonia was the issue at all. Your pH is acidic. It should have converted your ammonia to ammonium rendering its toxic effects ineffective to your fish.

 

[L021]

The Pleco is uninfected. The 55 is cycled with a 20g filter, I moved the 55 one over thinking it would cycle the 120, but in a blundering attempt to keep my hood from overflowing from the waterfall, I took out the bio-media waterfall thing. The ich had slight evidences in the couple days it was in the 120, but it set in like a thunderstorm in the 55, probably due to the new fish in the tank whom I kept in the bag water when moving in (in fairness, I didn't think I'd have a disaster). The test kits are strips, API I think. The africans are thriving, so they seem unaffected by the ich I accidentally introduced. The pH may be lower, I estimated based on my previous experiences with driftwood-based tanks.

 

[L021]

Nitrites are at 0, they went by quickly after I dosed with bacterial booster.