When to NOT listen to the directions!

[TaratronVaeVictus]

Within the past two months at work, we've had two major dieoffs: no clue as to what killed every fish in our reef tank but left all the delicate inverts and corals untouched, and then nearly a week later, another disaster: a 29 gallon Congo tetra tank, and a 55 gallon Lake Malawi setup. Both of them are planted, or were at the time, and this is when the problem starts.

I've used SeaChem's Flourish and Comprehensive supplements for a year now, and never had a problem with either product. However, on that date, I finally read what the bottle said to dose the carbon. My boss had always told me one capful per 50 gallons, but according to the bottle, after a major (over 40%) water change, to dose one capful per 10 gallons. Well, I do 50% changes regularly, so in went more carbon! First the Congos, and then Malawi, and at last the planted bichir tank got the extra doses.

Within ten minutes, all the Congos were gasping for air, as were the cichlids. We lost every fish save for one in Malawi, and lost six Congos.

Malawi is now restocked, unplanted, and I no longer read Flourish's orders on the dosing! I'm just glad I didn't overdose the ferts on the discus tank!

 

[mauls]

That sucks!!! Im sorry for your losses, but atleast you now know what was causing them

 

[SharkBait]

HAd the same problem with pimacrap the water has a thick layer of foam at the top of the tank

 

[Apocalypse]

damn. sorry to hear about that.

 

[I3u11he4d]

HAd the same problem with pimacrap the water has a thick layer of foam at the top of the tank

if you add it directly to the tank you will have that,if you airate it in a container 24 hrs. before adding to the tank you shouldnt.strong surface aggitation should get ride of the foam,prima is good stuffI,will use nothing else.

SOrry for your loss teratron,but the first mistake you made was not reading the instructions in the first place,the second mistake was not asking your boss why he told you what he did,and you third mistake was not testing your water.sounds like you may have just O.D. them on CO2(flourish excel)with the gasping and short life after adding the supplements.Like I said sorry for your loss,But sorry for the fishs death because of your lack of research.Any time you add chemicals to the water it can adversily affect your fish,water temp.,O2 content can also do this.DO YOUR RESEARCH............................

 

[Plantguy]

Sorry to hear about the losses, but...

Ive dosed both of those Seachem products at ten time doseage with no problems, with shrimp and scaless fish. Excel is more of a gluconate to provide the plants a carbon source, doesnt raise CO2 levels. Id look more at supersaturation of gasses in the new water, or rapid pH/temp change as the stressor. This time of year many water companies inject CO2 into the water to lower the pH, and strip the lime scale from the interior of pipes. My tap will read 7.1 out of the tap, half an hour later after aeration and offgassing, that water will be pH 8.4.

Jonathan...

 

[TaratronVaeVictus]

You guys are right, I really don't know that it was the Flourish that did in the fish. At work, we have well water, and old copper pipes, but the latter shouldn't have any effect, because if it did, I would well imagine all the inverts we keep would have died a long time ago!

Perhaps it was just that bottle of Flourish, maybe not. We won't know for sure, since the fish that died were a little over an inch and a half long, and necropsy is damn near impossible at that size!

 

[jmon22]

That sucks

 

[Waldo]

If it smells like bengay I aint putting it in my tank. with that said... I'm sorry about your losses freind.

 

[nick]

shake the bottle, oils and what not float above the liquid and the dose is alot stronger at the top and or weaker

all bottles of chemicals are made of multiple things, these things seperate when stored for long times and not touched